The weather was still cool......45 and overcast. We are headed to Cody, Wyoming. We left around 10 am. Little did we know we had to go through Yellowstone again! During our ride we saw a lone bison,2 moose cows and a baby moose (word has it that the wolves and coyote are killing off the moose and elk and that's why our sightings have been limited). We also came upon one bull elk with a huge rack that was so majestic!
We entered Yellowstone from the west entrance this time, so we were able to see different sights. Hot springs popped out of nowhere. It's amazing how people just pull over when they see wildlife. Its also amazing how these people are stupid enough to get out of their cars to take pictures! It's not enough for them that the animals are nearly close enough to touch, they've got to get out of their cars! They also cause stopped traffic.
We hit another high peak at 8257.
Eventually we got to what is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is the primary geologic feature in the canyon district in the park. It is roughly 20 miles long, the depth is 800-1200 feet and the width is 1500-4000 feet. Its formation is pretty recent-no more than 10000-14000 years ago. The canyon was formed by erosion.
We also sawtheupper falls. They were formed by erosion by the Yellowstone River as it flows over progressively softer, less resistant rock.
We hit another high.....Sylvan Pass, which was 8660 feet above sea level! I didn't like that one!
We stopped to take some pictures at the Sulphur Cauldron. Shortly up the road, traffic stopped short. About five bison were crossing the road two cars in front of us.
At 7794 feet, we found a little spot for lunch alongside the Yellowstone River. It was cold, cloudy, and very windy at that altitude! We ate inside and pulled up the blind to watch for wildlife!
On our way down, Nick showed me some trees that had bark rubbed from them. He said that they were called elk rubs and that it was from the elk rubbing the felt from their antlers.
Further down the road, we saw a lot of damage from the 1988 forest fire. It was devasating and widespread . 40% of the forest was damaged.
I loved this sign....Grizzly Bear Area: Special Rules Apply
And that means?
From Yellowstone we entered the Shoshone National Forest. It rained the last thirty miles of the ride. The terrain changed again to beautiful brown, almost monumental shaped mountains. There was an occasional stream.
We got to the Ponderosa RV Park at 4 pm. We only had a 130 mile ride! Between the high peaked passes, the winding roads, rods construction and traffic it took way too long to get there. This was definitely our most stressful ride yet.
It was supposed to be 75 degrees in Cody, but we got there and it was 59 degrees.
Dinner was hamburgers from the ground beef we bought......they were the yummiest burgers we have ever eaten!
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