GREETINGS FROM YELLOWSTONE NP,
Wyoming (WY), USA
During my holiday planning I have seen a quote a number of times describing travelling which goes something along the lines of “its not about your destination but the journey to get there” – and today I can assure you that was very, very true !!
We came to these parts during our USA trip in 2009. One of the goals of that trip was to drive the road that has been described as “the most beautiful drive in America” – the Beartooth Highway.
On that occasion 
the weather was against us with snow the few days before our arrival closing the road. So that goal became one of those things for the “oh well, we will do that another time” list.
And so 6 years later, this is that other time ! But as you have already read, it was not without re-scheduling.
And the decision to delay our trip paid off ! However the teeth were certainly chattering along the Beartooth !
We awoke to almost perfect sunshine – a few clouds but very high and certainly no sign of any rain.
As I said yesterday, it is the Labor Day Weekend so everywhere is busy. So we set off from Red Lodge after an early breakfast to beat the worst of the traffic. The temperature gauge in the car was already showing 36 – that’s Fahrenheit ! 2 celsius ! The drive out of Red Lodge is through the canyon below the mountains and the views ahead were something.
At Vista Point
And as we went the temperature slowly dropped as we started to climb on the first set of switchback curves. At the top of this section is a stop called Vista Point. When we got out of the car, the wind was literally blowing a gale ! We could hardly stand still and our cameras buffeted about in the wind as we tried to take photos. With the wind chill it was well below freezing ! We hurried back into the car and pulled out more jackets and gloves otherwise it was going to be too cold getting out of the car.
As you climb, the treeline disappears and the landscape just becomes a rocky tundra, the mountain peaks around all jagged. There are pools and lakes dotted around – some looking distinctly frozen as we passed. Along the way there are a few campgrounds dotted here and there – some with hardy souls braving the weather. Not long after passing the highest point (10,136 feet) we stopped at the “Top of the World” shop for rest stop and a browse in the shop.
Near the top and the Bear Tooth in the distance
Back in the car we started the downward trip – and thankfully the temperature started to rise. At its lowest the thermometer read 25 Fahrenheit (-4 Celsius) but it was so much colder than that with the wind chill.
It is certainly not a long drive – we had taken about 90 minutes – but it is certainly spectacular along the way. We did stop a few times for photos but on a lot of these precipitous roads there are not a lot of spots to pull over. And when we did it was freezing !
On the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
With the Beartooth complete, we turned off onto the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to head to Cody. We had actually driven this Byway in the opposite direction when the Beartooth had been closed on our 2009 trip. Again it is a very scenic drive – and again popular for Labor Day travellers.
From the end of the Chief Joseph Byway, we turned south to our first major stop for the day at Cody. Of course, the town was made famous by none other than “Buffalo Bill” Cody. We visited the Buffalo Bill Wild West Museum. It is just enormous and you could easily spend a whole day there. There are 5 huge galleries each with different themes. In an open area outside, in one part they have re-erected Buffalo Bill’s childhood home and on the other is an outdoor theatre where they do raptor shows and other displays.
Heading into the Buffalo Bill Museum
We visited one gallery which covered Buffalo Bill himself and his life – from his days as a scout for the US Army to his Wild West Show days. Another was a history of firearms – which we really only covered briefly – I think it had more weapons on display than the whole weaponry of the Australian Armed Forces !
Another was a display on the geology and eco systems of the area – from the high mountains down to the low plains. Finally, we looked at the Native American gallery.
The whole place was fascinating and we just couldn’t do justice to the place with the time we had. But it was well worth the stop.
The pass into Yellowstone from the east
From Cody we followed the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway toward Yellowstone. Not far from Cody is a dam on the river – and you guessed it, called the Buffalo Bill Dam !
When it was completed in 1910, it was the largest dam in the whole US. The dam has created an extensive lake which we drove beside for some miles and it is a huge recreation area. There are numerous picnic and camping sites and boat ramps along its length.
Beyond the lake we entered a scenic pass between the mountains heading into Yellowstone. With the river meandering along beside the road it was most picturesque.
Old Faithful Inn
After entering the park through the East Entrance, we drove for a while through high timber countryside, then along the north eastern side of Lake Yellowstone before stopping for petrol at a spot called Fishing Bridge (made the mistake of not filling up before entering the park – petrol price was about 30% higher than we had been paying !).
We then pushed on to reach the Old Faithful Inn about 3.30pm. After checking in – and trying to find a parking spot – we wandered up to the Visitor Centre (new since we were here in 2009) and checked out a few of the other buildings to re-acquaint ourselves. With so many people around, we decided on an early dinner again and a bit after 5 walked up to the Snow Lodge where we stayed last time. We managed to get a table but it wasn’t long before it filled up quickly and by the time we left there were a number of people outside waiting for tables.
For dinner we shared a “Sausage Sampler” for starters – bison, boar and pheasant and chicken – with mustard and sauerkraut. Adrienne decided on chicken for her main and I decided on the Prime Rib again as the steak has been so good. Not quite up to some of the others but good all the same.
After dinner we decided to pick up a few things for an easy breakfast in our room tomorrow morning – that way we could make an early start on our tour of the park.