Today was our last day in West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park. We still had some shopping to do…Ken still needed to pick out his Yellowstone T-shirt. He loves to buy T-shirts from all of the places we visit. He found a shirt quickly so we had the remainder of the day to enjoy more of the area.
Since, It was our last day in Yellowstone, we felt like we should visit the park one last time. Today, we drove north to Mammoth Hot Springs and then east thru the Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance. In the Lamar Valley we finally saw the Buffalo Herds that we were used to seeing on our previous trips. There were lots of Buffalo and several calves.
We exited the Northeast Entrance and began our drive on the Beartooth Highway. We traveled through the small historic mining communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City. Cooke City was all dressed up for the July 4 celebration with a large US flag displayed at one end of the Main Street. We passed the Hoosier Motel and the Hoosier Bar. Since we are native Hoosiers, those places brought a smile to our faces. However, my favorite site was the “Roping Cowboys”.
The Beartooth Highway continued for many breathtaking miles to the Beartooth Plateau (Pass). We have been to this pass several times over the years and always get our picture with the Elevation Sign…Elevation 10947. Today, we were lucky to have someone take a picture of the two of us.
We drove back down the Beartooth Highway to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway that leads to Cody, Wy. The highway is a 46 mile scenic byway that lies entirely in WY. We had excellent views of the mountains and the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. We crossed a bridge where the Byway crossed the Clarks Fork. We stopped and walked a short distance over the bridge, but, the canyon was so deep that it made us feel slightly uncomfortable. Back on solid ground, the views of the river, the gorge and surrounding mountains were superb. Continuing on towards Cody, the road had numerous twisting ascents and descents, and passed through a series of open, scenic valleys surrounded by tall, forested mountains. The traffic wasn’t heavy and the drive was thoroughly enjoyable.
After driving through Cody, we took the North Fork Highway west out of Cody . . . past the Buffalo Bill Cody Reservoir and Dam . . . through Wapiti Valley and the Shoshone National Forest. About six miles west of Cody, three tunnels cut right through the towering mountain rock. The first two tunnels are short . . . you’re in-and-out in a flash. The third tunnel is 3,200 feet long, has overhead lights in its domed rock ceiling, and seems to go on forever.
As we approached the East Entrance of Yellowstone, I immediately went on high alert for bear, buffalo, and the bighorn sheep that like to traverse rocky mountain cliffs. The route is known for both its abundant wildlife and amazing rock formations. One formation, the Holy City, can be seen from the road. So much for the abundant wildlife…I didn’t see any!
After entering Yellowstone National Park, we noticed that it felt like we were the only people in the park. Where did all the tourists go? As we pass campgrounds in the park we could see smoke(from grills) and smell the familiar smell of BBQ grilling. There were a few tourists at some of the popular spots, but, for the most part the park seemed empty, except for a few Elk in the meadow where we had seen them on other evenings.
We returned to Grizzly RV Park around 9:15 PM. Surprise! Around 9:30, fireworks started and we had a front row view. We saw a spectacular Firework Display right out our front window! It was a surprise, because we heard that the county had banned all fireworks. What a great ending to our stay in Yellowstone!
This was our 8th trip to Yellowstone National Park and we feel so very lucky to be able to visit this very special place!
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