Modern explorers and adventures are getting off the couch and chasing down the trails of historic heroes and outlaws of Wyoming. One such tourist from Iowa took his beloved Mustang on a trip through Wyoming’s backroads that he and his wife will never forget.
Daryl Kline was determined to explore the Hole-in-the-Wall region where some of the most notorious Western outlaws once lived that he had only read about and seen in documentaries.
His wife Karen was behind the wheel of their shiny black 2008 Mustang as they turned off the highway onto a dirt road and into a dusty, rocky adventure.
The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang that the Klines were chasing was a loose association of cowboys, cattle rustlers and robbers who operated from the rugged and remote area of Wyoming known as the Hole-in-the-Wall.
The gang included infamous outlaws like Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry and other lesser knowns such as Peeps O’Day and Wat the Watcher.
These young men were notorious for bank and train robberies, among other exploits. When not in the middle of a heist or on a spending spree, many of them returned to the life of hardworking cowboys, wrangling cattle and riding across the open plains.
The remote country that they knew so well was the ideal place to lose lawmen pursuing them.,
The Hole-in-the-Wall country, from where they derived their name, is a natural geographic fortress characterized by steep cliffs, narrow canyons and hidden trails. It was a perfect hideout for those living on the fringes of the law.
Even today, their infamous hideout is nearly impossible to reach. Most wanting to find it wouldn’t consider navigating those back dirt roads in anything less than a four-wheel-drive truck.
“It's a big country and sits on the southeast side of the mountains,” historian and tour guide Clay Gibbons told Cowboy State Daily. “The Hole-in-the-Wall country is only accessible by three difficult routes, one being the trail used by the outlaws known by locals as The Gap.”
The isolation of the region allowed the outlaws to vanish into the wilderness after their exploits, evading lawmen and bounty hunters.
It wasn’t long before the Klines started to become concerned for their prized Mustang. While it tears up the pavement, the way to Hole-in-the-Wall seemed primed to do the same for the muscle car.
Following The Trail Of The Outlaw
Daryl was so fascinated by the stories of Butch Cassidy and the Hole-in-the-Wall gang that, despite warnings from the locals in Thermopolis that he should take a four-wheel-drive, high-profile truck instead of his beloved 2008 Mustang, the couple hit the outlaw trail.
“It's a vast area, and you realize once you get out there, as far as you can see, you are the only people there,” Gibbons said. “It’s virtually unchanged.”
Undeterred and armed with a GPS map, Daryl was the navigator, and Karen was the driver as they turned off the pavement and headed into no man’s land. The roads were dusty at first, but a few rain showers turned the same roads into mud.
“It was a little scary because we didn't know where we were,” Karen said. “We were getting into some really rough roads, and it rained a little bit so we were in mud roads part of the time.”
As they drove deeper into the remote countryside, the couple also encountered several water crossings that were steep both going in and coming out. They weren’t sure how deep the water was, and Karen held her breath as they plunged their Mustang into the unknown. Fortunately, they made it through each crossing and continued on their backroad adventure.
She had to be careful that they didn’t scrape the bottom of their Mustang and drove high on the side of the road, avoiding the deep ruts and rocks in their path. When the road turned to mud, the trail got slippery, and Karen then also had to be careful not to spin out.
“I figured, ‘Oh boy, we will be stuck out here,’” Daryl said. “But no, there was just enough rock in that soil that we didn't have a bit of problem.”
When the couple came to an intersection, they made the fateful decision to turn left when they should have turned right. The Klines began traveling west, in the opposite direction they were supposed to be going.
It was a fortunate mistake for they later learned that infamous hideout was on private property, and you can only visit if you are on an authorized tour with someone like Wyoming cowboy historian Clay Gibbons or the Hoofprints of the Past Museum in Kaycee, Wyoming. The hideout is currently part of the Willow Creek Ranch, an active cattle and horse ranch located about 30 miles southwest of Kaycee.
“The gates are locked,” Gibbons said. “Even if they had made it that far, there are sections leading into the hideout that only four-wheel drives can make.”
Gibbons admitted that on one of his tours, a Nissan sedan made the trip, although he still wonders how that was even possible.
Daryl and Karen Kline drove their 2008 Mustang on Wyoming’s rugged backroads when they were following the trail of Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Their Mustang made it safely back to their home in Iowa with only the dirt and red mud as a souvenir of their adventure. (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline) 
The vastness of Wyoming stunned Daryl and Karen Kline of Iowa, who were surprised at how remote the Hole-in-the-Wall region really is. When they took a wrong turn, their adventure took them through a wilderness they had never experienced. ( (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline) 
Daryl and Karen Kline drove their 2008 Mustang on Wyoming’s rugged backroads when they were following the trail of Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Their Mustang made it safely back to their home in Iowa with only the dirt and red mud as a souvenir of their adventure. (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline) The vastness of Wyoming stunned Daryl and Karen Kline of Iowa, who were surprised at how remote the Hole-in-the-Wall region really is. When they took a wrong turn, their adventure took them through a wilderness they had never experienced. ( (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline) 
Daryl and Karen Kline drove their 2008 Mustang on Wyoming’s rugged backroads when they were following the trail of Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Their Mustang made it safely back to their home in Iowa with only the dirt and red mud as a souvenir of their adventure. (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline) 
The vastness of Wyoming stunned Daryl and Karen Kline of Iowa, who were surprised at how remote the Hole-in-the-Wall region really is. When they took a wrong turn, their adventure took them through a wilderness they had never experienced. ( (Courtesy Daryl and Karen Kline)
Navigating Wyoming’s Backroads
Unaware that they had lost their way, Karen drove cautiously so that she wouldn’t hit a rock with their Mustang. Daryl was in awe of all the scenery and the vastness of the landscape surrounding them. He soaked it all in.
“You got rocks out there that won't quit,” Daryl said. “But if you just take it easy and go slow so that you don't bounce in the car, you get along.”
Although they hit a few of the rocks, the Mustang showed its grit and was able to keep going. As dusk approached, Karen had visions of being out in the middle of nowhere under the stars with no one around to help when, suddenly, they came to pavement and emerged in Buffalo, Wyoming, miles from their destination.
“It was a little scary because we didn't know how much farther we had to go,” Karen later admitted. “But we got out of there before dark and before I ran out of gas, so it was okay.”
The couple found the region desolate but interesting with small mountains and empty of trees.
“It was red sandstone ridges and valleys,” Daryl said. “I couldn't help wonder how in the devil they got on their horse and rode into some town and found their way back. It's just miles and miles and miles of the same stuff.”
Once he learned that the actual hideout was inaccessible, Daryl was okay with their wrong turn.
“I don't think that there was a whole lot of difference in the topography between what we saw on that ranch road and what we would have seen if we'd gotten to the Hole-in-the-Wall,” he said.
Advice For Other Explorers
For other potential explorers of Wyoming’s back country, the Klines number one recommendation is to listen to the locals and take that high profile, four-wheel drive vehicle on the rugged backroads.
Also, they advise, make sure that you go in the right direction. A physical map would have also been helpful on the dusty roads since the GPS was not as reliable as they thought it would be.
The misadventure did not deter the Klines at all from future treks on Wyoming’s backroads. In fact, they would love to come back to the Cowboy State for a longer visit.
“I would like to do a little more exploring, especially in the towns,” Karen said. “I think it was very interesting.”
On their next trip to Wyoming, the Klines will be better prepared but excited for the next adventure that they will find in their Mustang.
“We're cowboys at heart,” Daryl said. “My wife has horses, but I actually prefer to keep my horses under the hood.”
And that black Mustang proved its mettle on the backroads of Wyoming, emerging unscathed. The dirt and mud from the journey, its badge of honor.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
