I have been to Yellowstone 3 times previously and usually I spent the majority of time in the Geyser areas.  If you’ve never been to Yellowstone this is a must, but for those who have seen it several times there are several other areas of the park worth exploring.  That was my plan for this trip into Yellowstone – Lamar Valley in the North being my primary objective.

From the Grand Tetons I drove into Yellowstone via the South Entrance which I haven’t done for 30+ years.  It was a treat to see this part of the park and the road follows the edge of Yellowstone Lake which is the 3rd largest lake at this elevation in the US.  There are still a lot of steam vents and hot springs in this area, so it smells constantly of sulphur – whew!. Because a major road through the park to Lamar Valley was closed, I chose to continue along Yellowstone Lake and out the East Entrance/Exit which I have never done.  It was gorgeous!  I couldn’t help but stop for a few pictures along my way.  One of my stops was at the ‘Grant’ area and campground.  They had a dump station (one of those pesky but necessary chores).  Right as I was pulling out of the campground a female Elk stepped into the road.  I almost didn’t see her!  She was sleek and beautiful – and as I sit high in the RV, her head was right at my head level.  She stared right at me!, then stopped and waited patiently for me to pass. The highway leading out of the park is NOT for the faint of heart!  There were small shoulders and guardrails, but it was straight down on one side and sheer rock walls on the inside lane. Winding like a slalom course back and forth across the side of this sheer granite mountain the vistas were monumental grandeur!  This highway is super popular with motorcyclists because of its winding nature and beauty!  But I was on a mission to find a campground out the East side of Yellowstone.  I knew it was going to be pretty warm so I wanted to stay at a campground at higher elevation with shade (have to think of the kitties).  SCORE!  Yes, I found a wonderful camp spot in Eagle Creek Campground just about 8 miles outside the park.  My site (#9) was right on the North Fork Shoshone River and very well shaded (with just enough sun midday to keep my solar/battery bank full enough). 

Winding Road – East Entrance/Exit to Yellowstone

I had beautiful weather for the first few days here.  I was so taken with the South/East side of Yellowstone that I drove back into the park to explore that area and Hayden valley (to the south of Lamar valley).  There were some terrific spots in which to view Bison herds from here as they were very close to the road.  Tip for those who haven’t done this:  be sure to always be looking around you on all sides.  Bison move around a lot and pretty quickly.  Many of us were standing on the roadside taking pictures when a Bison crossed the road in back of us making his way through the crowd.  It took us by surprise as he was very close by the time we realized he was behind us.  This was a large bull and August is rutting season where they pick mates and fight for them if needed.  This bull bison was walking right past us bellowing his lungs out.  You talk about unnerving!  He had no interest in the people, just kept on walking toward the rest of the herd.  It is so much fun to listen and watch these bison making grunting and bellowing noises, herding their females around, chasing away other bulls, and rolling in dust to keep the bugs off!  These lumbering giants look slow, but they can run up to 30 mph!

My Car on the Right – Bison crossing in back

I had such a nice camping spot that I stayed there about 7 nights.  There was no cell service but 45 miles down the road in Cody WY there was plenty.  As always with full-timing, you still have to do laundry and get groceries among others errands.  At the point where you exit Yellowstone, the highway becomes Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway from there to Cody, WY.  I had no idea what to expect but WOW!  The hills/mtns here are reddish in color and have eroded away into odd shaped hoodoos, pinnacles, arches etc. The Shoshone river runs through the valley adding interest to the hills.  As you continue along, you come to Buffalo Bill State Park and Lake/Reservoir.  You can visit the Buffalo Bill Dam and visitor center which I didn’t do but it looked interesting.  Eventually you make it into Cody, WY named after Buffalo Bill Cody who had the famous Wild West show that toured even in different countries.  I loved Cody… what a neat town especially from a tourist standpoint.  The main attraction is the 5 museums in one ‘Buffalo Bill’s Center of the West’.   One museum is based on his life.  Then there is an art museum, plains Indian museum, a Firearms museum, and the Draper Natural History museum.  This last museum is great for kids (and kids at heart!).  It is here that I learned a lot about different animals in the region.  Moose:  in 2001 there were an estimated 13,800 moose in Wyoming.  14 years later in 2015 there is an estimated 4,600ish moose in Wyoming. Why such a decrease?  They aren’t really sure but are guessing that loss of habitat and climate change may be at the heart of it.   This museum also hosted a Raptor show and in the one I saw they had a peregrine falcon and golden eagle that they spoke about.  That eagle was huge (a female) and they said she was on the larger size since she is fed regularly and had good veterinary care.  The peregrine falcon is the most interesting of all because of how fast they can dive (200+ miles per hour) and how big their prey can be (they love ducks).  They eat one quarter their body weight every day so about a half pound of meat.  Unfortunately, their method of hunting is very dangerous (lots of obstacles) and so they only live about 4-5 years in the wild.  Whereas they can live 15+ years in captivity. All the raptors for this show are there because of injuries that don’t allow them to be returned to the wild.  The golden eagle, like others, can pinpoint their prey up to two miles away.  That is how incredible their eyesight is.  And they can see in vivid colors as well.  The peregrines see in ultraviolet (I think that’s the word) and can see the trail of urine that rodents leave behind.  They follow the trail right to the prey! OK, I find all of this stuff fascinating.   Oh by the way, your cat is more likely to be picked up by a Great Horned Owl than any other raptor.  They love cats! Eww!!

Downtown Cody is very cute.  There are only about 9500 people who live here full time.  So town is not big but they have a Walmart!  The downtown area is very nice with lots of little shops to explore and restaurants to try.  Cody has a rodeo every nite during the summer tourist season (I didn’t go) and there are several other museums as well as a visitor center.  I came several different days to Cody, especially when it got super smokey (those darn wildfires!)  If I was planning to stay a longer period of time somewhere, I think I would enjoy Cody!

The last two days in this area were very HOT!  In Cody it was 90 and 95 degrees.  Where I was staying it was about 5 degrees cooler.  Glad I had that shade!  On the day I left (the 95 degree day) I was glad to be leaving that heat and heading to cooler climes in Cooke City, Montana at the northeastern corner of Yellowstone and Lamar valley.  Stay tuned for my next post on Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Lamar Valley, and Cooke City MT.

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2 Comments

  1. as always – this was a very entertaining post especially for a confirmed non camper! Would love to see/hear a portion of your buffalo videos. Can’t wait to read your next post.

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