OCT 22, Saturday, to Cody Wyoming.
We left by 8:20 am and drove to Gardiner, Montana, gateway to Yellowstone National Park. We slowly climbed to over 5000 feet and the scenery was mainly prairie grass and rolling hills but we could see tall peaks covered in snow in the distance. At the Park’s North gate, we bought a year pass and drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs lodge at the 6500 feet level. It was a steep climb from the gate to Mammoth but we made it with no problems. The east canyon road was closed so we drove on the west side road which we had visited the last time we were here; at the intersection midway down, we turned left and headed to the east side and the highway to Cody. On this road we climbed to over 7500 feet and did see snow on the side of the highway. We turned east at the fishing bridge and headed for Cody on Highway 14. Here, we saw two grizzly bears, yes, grizzly bear: one was black and the other was silver/grey, awesome view and took lots of pictures. We gently climbed to over 8000 feet at the Sylvan Pass then it was a quick descent of over 2000 feet to the East Entrance gate. Here, we stopped for lunch in a balmy 52*F (11*C). (Kevin, if you are reading this, you would love this road, lots of switchbacks and curves.) As a foot note the speed in the Park is 40 mph and they do enforce it.
Near Cody, we drove by a dam and through two tunnels and finally, we arrived in Cody at 1:30 pm. It was a very scenic and wondrous drive! We got a spot at Parkway RV Park and Motel, paid $54 for two nights, unhooked, set up and went to tour the town. We decided to go out for dinner at a local restaurant and Country music show. The place was next door to us so we could walk over which we did. We had a good meal although Val had problems with hers and she had to order a different meal at a lower rate. Afterwards, we moved to the bar where we listen to live music and had a couple dances even though it’s not my forte. Came home and bed time!
N 44* 30.912
W 109* 05.675
Alt: 5047 feet
We drove 182 miles (294Km) in 4 hours @ 44 mph. We fuelled in Cody at $3.78/gal
OCT 23, Sunday, Cody
I checked the weather yesterday and it looks like it will snow here by Tuesday and if we dally too much we will catch it in Cheyenne so we decided to pack up and head down as quickly as possible so that we don’t get caught in the passes in Colorado. Cody is a neat town but everything of interest is closed for the season so sightseeing is limited anyway! I got a refund for one day and we were on the road by 8:45 am. We drove south east on Hwy 14 then 120. In Thermopolis, we turned south on Hwy 20 to Casper. The road was good and the scenery very boring. We alternated between 5000 and 6000 feet in rolling hills. As we got further south on I-25, the temperature climbed equally and by the time we arrived in Cheyenne, it is a balmy 78*F (24*C). The forecast is for a heavy snow storm Tuesday to Wednesday so we made the right move, we will miss it all by one day. We are camped in this funky RV Park called Terry Bison RV Park. It has a western frontage with a popular Steak House which actually delivers to your site if you so wish! WOW!!! It is a CAMP USA Club member which makes it a bonus. We didn’t try the restaurant. We have a beautiful blue sky and a warm wind.
N 41* 00.092
W 104* 54.246
Alt: 6077 feet
We travelled 407 miles ( 660Km) in 7 hrs @ an average 58 mph. We fuelled in Casper @ $3.92/gal
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