Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
Arrived at Yellowstone and the weather was very temperamental – gray skies with rain, then sun, then thunderstorms. Drove almost the entire main circle through the park minus area just west of the southern gate. Saw tons of bison and elk but no bears. Saw Old Faithful and by dumb luck showed up during its … Read more
Couchsurfed at a place in Cody, Wyoming. My hosts were extremely friendly, knowledgeable about Yellowstone, and even made me pancakes! Cody has several herds of protected deer that inhabit the city streets. Upon arrival, one showed up and started eating the landscaping 5 feet away! Here’s what roadtripping in a small car like my Ford … Read more
Made a quick stop at the Irma Hotel (and Restaurant and Grill) in Cody, Wyoming courtesy of a comment on another post from my friend Vicki. Plaque on the exterior denotes it’s importance on the National Register of Historic Places. Per Wikipedia: “Cody is named after Buffalo Bill Cody for his part in the founding … Read more
Final stop for me today on the Cloud Peak Skyway National Scenic Byway at the Tensleep Canyon Interpretive Site pullout. A sign adjacent to the pullout details the Leigh Creek Monument, a stone construction left atop the cliffs in honor of English nobleman Gilbert E. Leigh who perished by falling 100 feet off the cliff … Read more
Continuing my drive along the Cloud Peak Skyway National Scenic Byway heading west towards Yellowstone and have reached the highest point on US-16 at Powder River Pass (sometimes shown on the maps as Powder River Interpretive Site or Powder River Pass Summit). There are some remnants of snow on the road apron which I assume … Read more
Continuing my drive towards Yellowstone, now along the Cloud Peak Skyway National Scenic Byway. Making a quick stop at the Loaf Mountain Overlook to check out the scenery of the Bighorn National Forest. An informational sign titled “Forest Mosaic” detailing timber harvesting practices, and a diagram of the peaks including Loaf Mountain, Bighorn Peak, and … Read more
Leaving Devils Tower I checked weather for Yellowstone and it’s too cold to tent camp with my current gear (lows in 10’s/20’s). Threw out a last minute request on Couchsurfing.com and was answered by a guy in Cody, WY which is only an hour drive to the park for tomorrow. Much of the drive is … Read more
I scouted several locations for camping but ran out of daylight and made the decision to get a hotel room. Not much cell signal out in the Black Hills so had to drive to the town of Lead. While eating dinner at the Pizza Lab I checked the map further and made my way north … Read more
I had enjoyed my survey of The Badlands but it was time to keep pressing westward. Since it was now Monday I figured some of the more heavily-visited tourist spots should be more easily accessible. I made my way into Keystone, South Dakota and stopped at a classic U.S. road-trip destination: Mount Rushmore National Memorial. … Read more
I was brainwashed by all the signs along I-90 for 200 miles compelling me to stop at another tourist trap known as Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota. It’s something of a “must-see” destination and came to fame for offering visitors free ice water (which back in the old days was a big deal). … Read more