Day 22: Gillette > Yellowstone

The Sound of Music-esque

Snow in almost July!

Today was going to be a long drive. Not too far out of Gillette we entered Bighorn National Forest and were afforded a picturesque drive up the mountain. We stopped at the summit. Here the sky was blue and the clouds were white. This was not hyperbole. It was true and something you no longer appreciate in the haze-filled skies of California. We walked through a meadow of grass and wildflowers that smelled like spring. The wind whipped around us and it felt like the final scene of the Sound of Music but we weren’t singing Von Trapp family songs. We were headed to something that Adler had spied from the car--a large patch of snow. It was almost July but there was still plenty of snow on the ground at this elevation and Adler wanted to see it.

We then descended down the mountain across Wyoming through less memorable scenery before stopping in Cody for lunch. This was the point where anyone going to Yellowstone from the east begins the final leg of their trip. People were filling vehicles with groceries and supplies ready to commence their adventures in the Yellowstone wilderness.

Buffalo Bill Dam with rainbow

We left Cody and a short while later were in Buffalo Bill State Park. Here stood the Buffalo Bill Dam which, upon completion in 1910, was the tallest dam in the world at 325 feet. When we’d visited Hoover Dam there wasn’t any water flowing from Lake Mead into the Colorado River. Here the shear force and power was on full display. The deafening roar of the water pounding against the rocks made you feel small in comparison. I explained to Adler that the dam creates the lake and at the bottom of the dam was a drain much like his bathtub.

"Why does it smell like eggs?"

First Bison siting.

Bull elk up close.

We then made our way into Yellowstone with what I hope will be his most memorable destination. The wildlife here is abundant. I spotted our first buffalo in the park and pulled over to take some photos. There are elk everywhere and we were fortunate to see a bull elk with his wide antlers. Driving around the perimeter of Yellowstone Lake we stopped at the first thermal location called Steamboat Site whre steam was rising from the ground. The sulfur-like smell caused Adler to ask, "Why does it smell like eggs?" And the ravens here are HUGE! After setting up our campsite I was able to coerce Adler into one sight in the evening a place called left thumb which juts out of Yellowstone Lake. Here are the springs, mud spots and thermal areas that the park is known for. And it was only two miles from the campground.

Between the tall trees and the shorter trees on the right is an Elk feeding

A proper campfire

We built a wood campfire because this was the first park without fire restrictions. We grilled some hot dogs and then made s’mores the real way. Adler couldn’t finish his second s’more because it was too sticky and he was afraid that it would pull out his loose tooth. He doesn’t want the tooth to fall out while we’re camping out of concern that the tooth fairy won’t find him in a tent. Tomorrow we’ll take in the full park...