Crossing Wyoming: Bighorns to Yellowstone

In my opinion, the Bighorns deserve a lot more credit than they get. I suppose the Rockies are bigger, and the Tetons more dramatic, but the Cloud Peak Skyway on route 16 from Buffalo to Greybull was spectacular. In late May, there was still plenty of snow in the higher elevations and Powder River Pass. Route 14 is supposedly more winding and scenic, but either way, you can't lose. Daisy got her first snow (she blogged about this, of course) and so did we.

After crossing the Bighorns, we headed north to Greybull, thinking our lunch stop would be the air museum there. By the time we reached Greybull, winds were gusting to 40 mph. Walking across the parking lot at the rest area outside the museum, Daisy was almost blown away. We could not visualize walking about the airfield in that bluster.

Once again, we found ourselves driving West with crosswinds pushing Teregram all the way into Cody, where we stopped for a quick walk through of Sierra Trading Post's Outlet Store. How can an outlet store have an outlet store? Since I started ordering from them online, they have tracked my savings. Do you know I have saved over $4,000?

After Cody, the skies darkened, and by the time we entered Yellowstone, it was snowing hard. We took it really slow up Sylvan Pass. Our day grew longer and longer, and we reached Fishing Bridge RV Park near Lake Yellowstone only 15 minutes before we were to be picked up for dinner by our friends. One RV driver told Carl he had let air out of the tires to get more traction crossing the pass.

As we neared the RV park, we saw many cars stopped and guys with big lenses photographing a mama bear and her cubs in the meadow. Linda and Steve picked us up and treated us to dinner at the lovely Lake Yellowstone Hotel dining room. The lake was still frozen and the view out the big lake-front windows with the snowflakes coming down was just exquisite.

We turned in rather early, because we were going on a photographic expedition with a wildlife guide in the morning. Because of the weather, Steve and Linda would be picking us up at 3:30 am so we could meet the guide at Mammoth at 5. I felt a bit apprehensive as I set the alarm for 2:30 am. What on earth am I thinking?