July 16, 2010 Cody, WY

Our neighbors were up early and gone.  We were sorry we didn't get to say goodbye.  We finally got around by 9:00 AM.  We decided to go to Cody, WY to see the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum.  We heard it is a fabulous place.

This change in plan required us to drive back up through Yellowstone Park again,  This time, however, we drove the east side of the park to Rt 14/16 to Cody.  We passed some more bubbling pools and steaming basins.  Seen one you have seen them all.  We were surprised to see more wildlife today than we had when we were here before.  We saw an elk and a buffalo alongside the road.  We stopped for a quick photo.

Our route also took us around Yellowstone Lake.  It is an immense lake that you can't see across in places. This would be a beautiful place if all the trees had not been burnt off in a forest fire.  The fires have really destroyed about 90% of the forests in Yellowstone.  Everything is new growth or burnt woods.

Yellowstone Lake with the Tetons in the distance.

A bay on Yellowstone Lake

Leaving the park required a long crooked descent of a mountain pass.  It was very steep with a sheer drop off on our side but there were guardrails to mark the edge.  Some people had hit the guardrails so hard on some turns as to break them off.  We wondered if they went over.  We crept down in low gear much of the way.  Most of the turns were 25 MPH turns.

Once in the valley, the scenery changed dramatically.  The mountains looked like hardened heaps of mud that the wind had worn away making strange shapes.  The Shoshone River rushed along its course.  Fishermen were wading, casting flies to waiting fish.  It was a pleasant drive.

Shoshone River

The temperature began to rise as the day wore on.  It was in the 90s by the time we reached Cody.  This is the first hot weather we have experienced in a couple of months.  Looking at weather reports across the country made us think about turning around and heading back to the mountains.  We think we rushed our departure by a couple of weeks.

Cody lies in a desert area of Wyoming.  We don't like this kind of countryside at all.  Deserts are brown, drab and hot.  Already we are longing for the mountains of the northwest.  They are so green and picturesque.

Once in Cody, we went to the Buffalo Bill Museum.  It was well worth the ticket.   It is a prodigious building.  It is divided into several sections including: firearms museum, western art gallery, plains Indians museum, Buffalo Bill and Associates Museum and a museum of natural history.

We spent the entire day there until closing at 6:00 PM.  Our pass is good for two days so we can return in the morning if we desire.   As we entered the property, we ran into none other than Buffalo Bill himself.  Darlie had to have her picture taken with him.

Though it is hot here, we don't regret making the trip to see the museum.  We stopped at a BBQ place for dinner hoping it was nice and cool inside.  It wasn't.  We are camped now with the generator running to keep the air going to keep us cool.   We couldn't find a park with hookups tonight.  We are dry camped again.  I did find a good internet connection here though.  We don't have a clue where to go from here.  We really don't want to head to the east where it seems to be very hot.   Tomorrow will take care of itself.