Cody Wyoming and Beyond

Cody, Wyoming retains its Wild Woolly West ethos amid more modern conveniences such as Albertsons and Wal-Mart Supercentre. Named for its founder William (Buffalo Bill) Cody it has five museums including the Cody Centre and two gun museums. 

The Old Trail Town proved to be a collection of rotting concrete chinked cabins holding moth-eaten collections including a stuffed two-headed calf and an immaculate horse drawn glass fronted funeral hearse. 

Hundreds of arrowheads were on display. 

The Bill Cody buried on site proved to be the famous Cody’s son. 

A large pile of bones served to demonstrate why bison were all but wiped out.

The nearby Stampede Grounds has nightly rodeo/stampedes from June through September. Barrel racing and calf roping anyone? Ponderosa Campground demanded cash. Their cabins named for famous outlaws.

An irrigation channel adjoins the highway out of town along with a railway track. I crossed the Big Horn National Forest stopping at a look-off to view the basin below.

 

I did not see the Big Horn Sheep the Forest protects but did encounter a bison crossing the road. A ditzy tourist bureau worker sent me on a wild moose chase to find Deer Park when my GPS failed on me. The mountains and ravines were impressive but in the end Deer Park was less than a mile from the Tourist Bureau. Don’t ask a local. Deer Park was well maintained but the owners have a rather mercenary attitude. Campers are an inconvenience on the way to making a profit. 

 

Devils Tower Monument is 25 miles off I-90 and it doesn’t come into view until one is 4 miles distant. I was not moved to drive West years ago from Rapid City but since I was driving by....

It is worth seeing though the day was hot as hell. Tiny visitors centre covers the basics after I managed to find parking near the base of the Tower. Walking up to the Rockpile at its base in the heat might tend to make on see visions. 

 

The KOA beside the park gatehouse has a million dollar location all kampsites affording a view of the tower. 

Extensive campground store with restaurant at one end opening up on a patio via a retractable glass wall. The tower can be seen above a screen that features showings of Close Encounters of the Third Kind when the staff can get the electronics to work. Independent Trading Post across the way and Post Office onsite. 

Red cliffs and creek back the park. 

 

Stopped at Granite Buick Chevrolet to get a necessary oil change and Rick Dupree welcomed me and had me serviced and out within the hour. The oil change and two new wipers plus 30-point check were a fraction of what I’d have paid at home plus I enjoyed free Wi-Fi and the Granite Cafe—gourmet coffee, fruit, pop corn, cookies and other goodies. Comfortable chairs with retractable tables for my tablet.

Rapid City KOA defied my GPS but I found it using some horse sense. The goat farm still backs the site and I parked around the bend backing onto it in about the same location as last time without the hail storm that greeted me upon my last visit. I despise Ten Go Internet.

Learned the temp hit 104 the previous day while I was dodging raindrops and wind gusts at Devils Tower.

Went for a swim in the pool and found it blood warm. Doing laundry when it’s raining is not the best move but I got it done and had damp things decorating my motorhome. Met Irvin, an outgoing smiling friendly young man headed with 4 companions in a pop-up tent trailer to Alaska. Regret not exchanging e-mails with him. A visit to the ice cream social yielded an interesting talk with Brock, the server. Met a couple from Vancouver. Rain limited the attendance. Had breakfast at the cafe before I departed next morning again, sheltered from the rain. They open at 7 and serve prefried bacon.

Stopped off at Wall to tour the monument to excess that is Wall Drug. Had a talk with the gal who manages the book store devoted to all things western including a display of Louis L’Amour romances and Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder including the just arrive biography I’ve borrowed from the Library though a hard cover book at 14.99 is a bargain. I didn’t buy anything but I did find a folded dollar bill lying on the floor.

Crossed into Badlands National Park and drove through the rain and dense fog to Interior to cross the White River onto Pine Ridge Reserve and the KOA there. Two owners since I was last here. Managed to finish one book I’ve been reading and will move onto the 626-page Ingalls Wilder bio. Got out for a walk to visit the cliff swallow colony nesting under the bridge. 

 

Yellowstone

I’ve fallen behind blogging because I’ve stayed at several campgrounds and KOA’s where Wi-Fi was slow and unpredictable making uploading blogs and pictures in particular difficult.

The first impression of Yellowstone is one of its sheer size. Driving from place to place even in the absence of traffic jams caused by drivers gawking at wildlife on the roadway takes considerable time. I started out early and passed the park ranger gatehouse before it opened for the day. I got to the Old Faithful Visitor Centre 45 minutes before the geyser erupted on schedule at 8:47. The Centre has a great view of the geyser but being up close seems important. I had time to tour the centre, visit the bookshop, and watch the Welcome movie which seemed to be mostly about cautions that visitors seem to manage to ignore. 

 

Old Faithful performed a 5 minute show spectacularly. I did not hang around for a second showing. 

 

The hot springs proved to be providing a free sauna as the wind blew the steam over the observers. One has to take a major hike to get a good view of the Prismatic Spring. 

The water running into the nearby river left the yellow deposits that give the park its name. 

 

 

On the way out of the park I passed a bison walking down the left-hand lane leading a group of impatient drivers and a bit later an entire herd whose audience had traffic coming in backed up for 5 miles. People!

Yellowstone West KOA is the better equipped of two such parks barely a mile apart. Just outside the National Park is a small intersection crowded with gas stations and other services. 

The KOA had slow to no Wi-Fi and campers who seemed to think my campsite was a shortcut along their way. The park has an indoor pool and copious numbers of bicycles built for four, even with canopies. The luxury campsites have paved patios and lawn swings. The view of mountains at the back is marred by high tension wires. I did get some spectacular cloud shots. 

 

Left at dawn for a return to the park again finding the gatehouse unmanned. 

Drove up to Mammoth Basin and admired the travertine marble housing built originally for the Buffalo Soldiers who monitored the park and now home to employees. 

The area has a large Post Office and the original mail carrier’s cottage along with the park administration centre. 

 

The visitor’s centre has a smallish bookstore and displays, washrooms in the basement. A nearby general store opens much earlier and has an extensive collection of memorabilia. Travetine Marble is formed when dissolved limestone precipitates during run-off from the springs. 

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was cut through limestone formations by the river and must be seen to be believed. 

The lower falls thunder away at a distance, an osprey nesting on a rock tower having a unique view. I opted not to walk down to see the falls up close. 

 

Getting out of the park involved another pass and descent. Good views of snow capped mountains. I decamped ahead of overnight lows of 23 and snow.

Heading to Yellowstone

I got off from Mono Lake at 7:00 AM before it got hot, the wind came up, and gusting crosswinds began. After rising to 9000 ft the road dropped to 4000 and kept going down. After 100 miles my gas gauge had barely moved. My gas mileage today was 18 mpg. Lacking Wi-Fi access I was unable to check for road construction and ended up cooling my heels on HWY 395 and enduring several extended slow patches. Better alternatives existed but my GPS didn't choose them or have records. The drive through Carson City went on and on and on. After I reached I-80 the wind that had come up was following.

I've been through the Green River Tunnel before as it looked familiar. Much of the highway is rated at 80 mph. On the long straightaways there isn't much to see.

Just before Elko stopped at Pilot for gas at $3.13. In town got groceries at Smiths using my Kroger loyalty card.

Missed the Ironhorse Campground and in driving rain settled for the Double Dice Sports Bar and Grill and RV Park. Gambling and pool hall, this is Nevada. I was told their fees were cheaper, they lied.

I've been doing some research. Just as their Indian neighbours to South called those to the north Eskimo, eaters of raw meat; those outside the valley called their neighbours Yosemite, those who kill. Not an association the present owners promote readily. My present location, Elko, meant rocks piled on one another. More opportune is the meaning of Inyo, the place where the great spirits dwell.

My Great Value Wal-Mart Bacon might have been a bargain had it actually been a pound. Welcome to America where a pound is not a pound and a gallon is 128 oz. Where a 2 hour movie takes 3 hours to run because of ads. Where yahoos ride donor cycle crotch rockets without a helmet but wear a face mask for the bugs.

I-80 heads north from Elko to avoid a mountain range and tops out at 8000 ft before dropping to enter the Salt Flats of the Great Salt Lake. The highway runs straight on a raised bed with signs warning of blowing dust and triple signs warning of drowsiness. Five miles out of town one is still among salt beds, there are no suburbs.

New highways since my GPS was programmed and the commuter rail line mid street make getting to Salt Lake KOA challenging. The city is arranged on a grid 100 per block starting from Temple Square in all directions.

This is a luxury KOA though I quip at $60/night they could have made the sites level. Four hundred of their 600 sites are residential park model homes. Staff are busy but friendly and efficient. The price one pays for a site beside the pool I didn't use and the bathroom/laundry is contant traffic. There's a major rail line nearby and the airport across the Interstate. However this is one of the few campgrounds I've seen in the middle of a major city. 

River Jordan

 

Braved the light rail system to get to Temple Square. It's a marvel of efficiency and convenience and seems to run like clockwork. The city pointedly discourages giving change to beggars and provides donation meters for charity.

Visiting Temple Square for me is about the music. The Tabernacle has perfect acoustics. Three hundred and sixty voices, 100-piece orchestra and the famous organ which dominates the hall.

 

The two o'clock organ concert is a short half hour.

With 4 hours to kill I wandered down to the Red Rock Brewing Pub for lunch and ran afoul of a gay pride parade. In a state where "conversion therapy" is still practiced this was a miles long affair I had to brave to get lunch. Amber IPA was well hopped and the cod fish, slaw and chips were good if a mite expensive.

When I got home hot and tired had a 3-hour late afternoon nap. Woke in the wee hours of the morning and had a shower and went back to bed. Found my way to a Smith's for a few groceries and visited their gas bar where my Kroger Card saved me 3¢/gal. Had a scare when I realized my keys were not on me—left in the ignition when I was diverted by other concerns. Fortunately I hadn't locked the door.

Heavy truck traffic on I-15 North to Ogden but then it settles down. The Great Salt Lake is not visible from the highway but the sky remains hazy until after the height of land at Malad Summit 6820 ft. Snow-capped mountains appear to the West. I've finally entered Idaho.

Pocatello at 4462 ft is named after an Indian Chief. The self-described pokey little KOA here was the sixth in the chain. I suffered a few tense moments when I learned that Salt Lake had screwed up my reservation. Staff here chose to honour my payment. The cottonwoods here are aging little left of the one under which I'm parked. With the temp outside 88º my A/C has been running flat out. The campground is owned by a gentleman originally from Sudbury Ontario.

I've spent a fortune on camping for the next week. Check in time at Headwaters Campground Grand Teton is 2 PM. By the route I want to take through the park it's almost 200 miles distant.

Had a tepid coffee from my thermos and got off around 6:30 joining Interstate 15 after a trip through town. If Idaho is known for potatoes it is irrigation that makes them grow and the misters were all busy as I drove along. As anyone who waters a lawn should know doing so in the heat of the day is a waste of water. Idaho drivers don't seem to know about engine maintenance and almost every pickup trailed a cloud of smoke, one half-ton was pulled over and looked to be about to catch fire. Every trailer seemed to be leaking something, I hope not toxic. Three bags of sulphur were broken open in the passing lane. Signs warning drivers to secure their loads were regular roadside attractions.

Left I-15 at Idaho Falls and headed East into the sun on Hwy 28. Stopped at the ice cream stand, (closed) in Swan Valley and had lunch and used their porta potty. Hwy 31 climbs to a summit in Targhee National Forest with warnings forbiding trucks over 60,000 lbs. On the way back down 10% grades had me using low gear. There were two suicide lanes. Jackson Hole is a tourist trap. I stopped for gas at a cramped little Shell Station where the card reader screen was unreadable. Gas was $3.15. Stopped at a visitor centre for a break and used the facilities but didn't find anything worth the money. A left turn takes one toward the parks. None of the Grand Tetons Gate Houses were open so I drove through. The jagged Teton range to the left was outlined in snow. All the pull-outs were on the wrong side of the road. Speed limit throughout the park is 45. I was past the Visitor Centre Road before I could read the sign and did not go back. Caught a few pictures at one pull through site. 

 

Drove into Coulter Bay to pick up a park guide book and watch a one-hour movie on the Yellowstone Wolves. They're Canadian Wolves, an exchange as I remember between our prime minister and the American President. The thought that they might return to Canada hadn't occurred but they'd certainly be quite capable so they were kept in a pen to habituate. Shunning the gate they had to be let go through a hole cut in the fence. On many levels the return of the park's top predator has been beneficial. Although not gratuitous the violent nature of the wolf's life is not avoided. Caring for an animal that hates man is definitely a labour of love for the park ranger team. Interesting to learn that the entire pack cares for the Alpha Female's pups.

Drove the 2 miles past the campground road to reach the Yellowstone Park Gate to pick up their Visitor Guide. Long line to get in. Their closest visitor center being 12 miles in I turned around and came back.

After some driving around parked and walked into the Flynn Ranch Park Lodge. The elderly man who checked me in had no clue how to work their system and they had no record of what I'd already been billed. For the exorbitant price the campsite is a fly infested dirt lot. It is treed and the washroom is across the road. Moderately cramped but I've seen worse. At 5:00 PM I'm ready for bed. No evening programs here and I'm not prepared to drive 25 miles one way and drive back in the dark.

Spent a day in camp reading and catching up on a few chores. Early in the afternoon a thunderstorm developed.

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