Buffalo Bill Dam, WY

This was on the way into Cody. We stopped and checked it out. Not as large as the Hoover but still on the same idea. It isn't as wide but it is 325 feet tall. It has created a huge lake for irrigation purposes and recreational use. We saw only a couple of boats on the lake when we drove by it. The area is tans and browns interspersed with vivid green (irrigated) fields. The mountains are very different from all of the others we have seen. Typical "cowboy" mountains, the ones seen on western movies. There are three tunnels right in a row. The first is quite a bit longer than the next two.

Absaroka Bay RV Park

Pictures of the park. Nice place. We have a tree and a picnic table. TV is non existent. No digital or even analog here. It is only UHF which our flat screen doesn't have. No great loss. Many things to do in Cody.

Cody, WY

Another two reasons for massive traffic jams at Yellowstone this morning. Owen could have reached out and touched the bison, it was that close to the truck.

View from the road. Quite beautiful in a very different way from Montana and Yellowstone.

Late night posting so it will be short. Travelled to Cody today over some amazingly scenic roads. It is listed as a scenic byway (thanks Sara). We are staying at the Absaroka Bay RV Park. It is "senior friendly" which is why we chose it ;-) A few random thoughts on Yellowstone, not my favorite place, very beautiful but the tourists are crazy. They stop right in the middle of the road to take pictures or read a map even if there are 20 cars behind them. Picture a horror movie, the monster is coming into town and the people are fleeing, in Yellowstone it is just like that but the people are running toward a lone bison or elk. It is just crazy. We also found it more commercialized than most national parks. Again very beautiful but most of the wild comes from the visitors, most of which do not speak English as there first language. We drove through the park to get here. It took us over an hour to get passed the eagle management area where the signs read no stopping standing walking for the next 1/4 mile because the people would stop in the middle of the road and snap umpteen pictures of the eagles nest. Glad we were there and happy to be out.

Yellowstone National Park

Just a few more pics from the Mammoth Hot Springs. The springs come and go. They dry up and reform elsewhere and maybe go back to an old eruption. Pretty in a stark way. Amazing when you think something actually lives in the scalding water.

Yellowstone National Park

Went into the park again today, the upper loop or Northern area known as Mammoth Hot Springs. An uneventful drive. A few elk munching in a meadow and one lonely bison off in the field. When we got to the Hot Springs area there were elk all over town, eating the bushes and plants. Sign all over saying not to approach them. The terraces were amazing. There are thermophiles, hot water dwelling microorganisms (bacteria) that live in the water. They clump together and form a ridge which hardens and creates all of these "apron" type formations in the water. They looked like little bubbles. There are walkways all over so you can walk around without fear of getting scalded from the water. Returned to town early evening and went to the Yellowstone IMAX movie.

Yellowstone National Park

Elk, there are actually two, one is hiding behind the tree. The doe and fawns and a distant bison. One actually crossed the road right at a turn out filled with people.

Dragon's Mouth, sort of a Thunder Hole that smells like sulphur.

The mud volcano, a bubbling puddle of mud. Pretty neat area of the park.

We did see some wildlife on our drive today. Elk were plentiful as were bison. We did see a bear but didn't attempt a picture, there were a couple of women and a kid clapping their hands at it from too close a distance to suit me, we kept going. The deer were at the mud volcano area. After taking the picture they started to frolic around, must have been good grass (pun intended :p) Eagles nest on the road into the park with resident eagle.

Yellowstone National Park

Firehole falls.

Yellowstone Lake, which is huge, think Sebago.

Went to Yellowstone today. We did the lower loop road which included Old Faithful. Many people waited patiently for the eruption which was later than posted. It was spectacular and well worth the wait. The drive is very scenic, you follow a river then go through cliffs and meadows on one side with a river on the other. Just a couple of pictures.