Where the Buffalo Roam...

Day 36 Bozeman MT to Cody WY
225 miles

And Yellowstone National Park

We left the Sunset RV Park on the east side of Bozeman around 9:30am bound for Yellowstone National Park about 80 miles south. Overnight it snowed and there was a few inches melting on the picnic table...no, the dogs weren't pleased on their morning walk. There was a cute bird feeder, near the RV office, made of tin cans that I loved...the tin man even had a little heart. Also got a picture with a life size bear only a few feet away from the bird feeder. Wanted to take another picture leaving the park, to show the railroad track and trains directly across the street!

This shot is of the mountains leaving Bozeman. We were really glad to see sunny skies, it was cold though. The ride on US191 to West Yellowstone was beautiful. As much as I don't care for snow, it was a wet snow, unusual for here, that clung to all the fir trees for a stunning effect and it also covered up all the dirty snow.

The first encounter with Yellowstone's wildlife shortly after we entered the main gate at West Yellowstone. Although it snowed a few inches yesterday and during the night, most of the winter snow is melting on the open meadows and the grazing animals are hungry. The photo below was taken right out the passenger window!

We came around a corner to a herd of bison. As we were going by they decided to cross the road right in front of us! The one in the picture came very close and he was huge. I didn't realize it while taking the shot, but there is a geyser going off in the background, it's not Old Faithful. There are warnings given about bison when you enter the park. Idiots try to get close to them for pictures. The warning said that they can sprint 30 mph for a short distance and people have been gored. I stayed right in the RV, trust me.




























We stopped at some of the thermal features, the fumaroles and the paint pots (bubbling mud) then on to Old Faithful. It was going off when we arrived, which worked to our advantage, by allowing us to have lunch in the RV while waiting. The next eruption was scheduled (or rather estimated) at 2:26pm, give or take 10 minutes either way. Old Faithful didn't let the crowd down, and erupted at 2:30pm.

Yellowstone is huge and the roads in it are like a figure eight. We only drove the bottom part of the lower loop because we had to get to Cody and there's no easy or fast way other than the east gate of the park. We drove around Yellowstone lake, it's still frozen. On the way there we passed a knot of cars and knew it would be a bear to create such a stir. It was, a female and her cub. Amazingly, morons were getting out of their cars to take pictures...the park wants people to keep at least 100 yards away from the bears, further for a female and cub. We did get a picture from the RV but it's not the best.

Later, in a higher elevation, as Jim was driving I was concentrating on looking out the window for bears, I saw TWO more in the woods. We couldn't stop to take photos though, the roads are narrow enough with the snow banks on both sides and it' s not like the RV is a compact car.

Just before we got to the east gate we had to drive through Sylvan Pass. Oh my gosh, what a ride that is! Thank heavens for guard rails...there's a deep raving on the right heading east and the descent is steep. I was glad to get back to flatter ground.


Even after you leave the park the scenery and wildlife continues, there's plenty of grizzly warning. We came upon a herd of big horn sheep on the road to Cody and got another picture.

Just before Cody, we came upon a large lake. I KNOW I would have remembered a big lake and a high dam from our 1991 trip, and I had no recollection of this. No wonder, it was finished in 1995.

Cody is a great little western city. As we drove through town we noticed that the local men really do dress like cowboys. In the warmer months, there's a rodeo every night. We went twice on our last trip. The Buffalo Bill Historical Museum is quite the place, highly recommended.

We are at an RV park in town, that sits on the edge of a ravine leading down to the Shoshone river. The wind tonight is rocking the RV...no, we're not rocking it!

Heading east to South Dakota tomorrow and 'The Heads' as my cousins' young daughter called Mt. Rushmore.