Starting Mileage Mt. Rushmore: 64,800
Ending Mileage Buffalo: 65,010
Distance: 210
Duration: 5 Hrs
Starting Mileage Buffalo: 65,010
Ending Mileage Yellowstone: 65,414
Distance: 404
Duration: 7Hrs of drive time
No pictures of Buffalo, WY. Why? Well, because there is nothing in Buffalo, WY. worth taking a picture of. I got there around 5pm and was pretty tired. It was actually nice that there was nothing to do. I took the opportunity to do laundry at a local coin op and had a nice relaxing dinner. Unfortunately there weren't any local dial up numbers so I could add anything to the website.  While having a slow night in Buffalo I noticed there was white water rafting out of Cody, WY. Since Cody was on my way to Yellowstone and Ive always wanted to go white water rafting I called them first thing in the morning and was able to book a trip for 1:00 Friday 7/12. Unfortunately Cody was approx. 4 hours away and it was already 9:30 (3.5 hrs before the trip) so I thought I would make up some time on the open roads of WY.
Well times were good. I was cruising along at a pretty good clip. Made it over the Big Horn Mountains which was a great ride.
Was looking to arrive in Cody about an hour early then...yup...a speeding ticket. Ok, I admit I deserved the first one. However, I was only going 76 in a 65 and I guess the guy just pulled me over because of the car. How many of these things can I get before I lose my license? Mom, Dad, one of you may need to fly out and drive me home at this rate.  Anyway, I had an awesome time white water rafting through Red Canyon. Its called Red Canyon because the rock has high levels of iron in it which actually rusts and turns the rock red. My raft was awesome. I was lucky enough to meet the Shaheen family from Michigan. This whole family was awesome. Kirk and Karen had 3 great kids, Kirk Jr., Kristen, and Kayla. After the trip they invited me back to their hotel pool to cool off (it was 100 degrees out). Then we all went out to dinner. They actually bought me dinner and gave me their pass to Yellowstone (good for 7 days). They totally hooked me up!! Our guide Shawn is on the far right. Finally Yellowstone!!! No $20 admission fee for me, thanks Shaheens! Ok, I know this picture didn't come out all that well. However, I hope it gives you a sense of how big the wild buffalo are. They walk around like they own the place. This one was crossing the street and taking his time to do it. For a second he stopped and looked my way. It was scary enough that I put the car in reverse and got ready to dump the clutch at full throttle. Can you get a speeding ticket going backwards while fleeing from a 7ft high wild animal? My humble abode. No bathroom, no phone, no TV. Although it did have a wood burning stove, which is nice when its a chilly 100 degrees out.
No, I didnt ask the cowboy at the front desk if, by chance, there was some place I could dial up. I was wiped out from the previous long day and slept in until 9:00. Got up and spent about an hour planning my attack of Yellowstone. Saturday was going to be acclimation day. I drove to the National Park Service headquarters in Mammoth Springs (located in the original buildings used by the US Calvary in the 1870s when they ran the park) to sign up for a half day guided hike on Monday morning. I drove from there around a long loop stopping at almost every attraction along the way.     Of special note was the Norris Geyser Basin walk. This was an amazing Ranger guided hike through a fascinating area of active Geysers. The most notable was Steamboat Geyser which is capable of eruptions up to 10 times greater than Old Faithful (400 feet in the air). However, Steamboat isnt as faithful given it has only erupted twice in the past 3 years. Some of the water in the hot pools and geysers is more acidic than car battery acid. There were even various type of bacteria and algae living in almost boiling water. Notice how all the trees are dead around the hot pool.   By far the coolest thing was the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. It was a 3/10 of a mile hike down 600 vertical feet made up of dozens of switch backs. Not a hike for people with bad hearts. Many were just sitting on benches along the way resting for the next switch. However, the payoff was great. Right down to the edge of the falls. I stayed there for 45min just watching in amazement.
All in all a very successful first day in Yellowstone. I hiked about 6 miles and took 2 ranger lead tours. In addition, I drove through about 50 miles of park. |
