June 25, 2010

Well we decided to take advantage of good weather & go into Yellowstone N.P. thru the northern entrance at Gardiner, MT. There were many free campgrounds along the way on the US89..about 1/2 of the campgrounds in the park were full, so we picked the 1st one, Indian Springs. We then set out on the moto about 3pm & did the Upper Loop-75 miles-saw beautiful scenery, Norris Geyser Basin w/ it's many steampots, hot springs, Steamboat Geyser & much more..route took us high into the mntns above the snow line (cold up there). Saw Tower Falls & Mammoth Hot Springs and many deer, antelope, buffalo & a black bear from a distance (caused a 1/4 mile backup on the road). We were rained on occasionally but were dressed for it.
The next day we took off at 10am to do the lower loop. Saw the lower & midway geyser basins, then over to Old Faithful. Arrived there at 1pm, expected eruption at 1:34..whattayouknow it happened on time-really cool! Next it was up the mountain, across the continental divide & thru Craig's Pass at 8262 ft. That took us to West Thumb Geyser Basin, then alongside breathtaking Yellowstone Lake. We bypassed Fishing Bridge & Bridge Bay and went on to see Mud Volcano & Sulphur Cauldron. Next it was Canyon Village, with the really cool Upper and Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River; and then what's known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (they aint kiddin' it's amazing)..After fueling up we drove back to camp in the rain, close to nightfall.
Monday am we broke camp, gassed up & headed east on the 212 toward Cody, WY. More spectacular scenery on the way and thru a nice little town called Silver Gate. The next stretch of 296/120 was an up & down, incredibly scenic route that included rapids, huge canyons, waterfalls and a killer ride up to Dead Indian Pass (8000 ft) which was some of the most beautiful high elevation scenery you'll ever see! After some minor engine & brake overheating we got into Cody, did our laundry then parked for the night at Walmart. While there we discovered Cody has city-wide wifi!