Old Trail Town, Part 2

It was so cool it deserves TWO posts!
Evening Out

We rounded out the day with dinner, show, and a rodeo. Dinner and the show were at the Cody Cattle Company where we dined on slow roasted brisket and beans & bacon, and watched a dynamic performanceEn savoir plus
Buffalo Bill Museum of the West

Today we decided to spend touring parts of the five spectacular museums here. The set of museums is the largest west of the Mississippi until you hit the Bay Area, and it's the largest collection ofEn savoir plus
More Firearms Museum

Amongst the one-of-a-kind items were a hand craved bust of Abraham Lincoln on a rifle, General McClellan's pepper box pistol, a 100-tools included Swiss Army knife (complete with a 22 gauge derringerEn savoir plus
Finishing the museum

Next we toured the Wild West Museum, which showed William (Buffalo Bill) Cody's life and development into the legend we know him as today. They talked about his life as a cowboy, scout, hunter,En savoir plus
Last day in Cody

Today we enjoyed browsing the shops, looking at mountain decor, and purchasing souvenirs. We ended up at Bubba's which 1) was a Fantastic place for BBQ, and 2) had a beautiful statue out frontEn savoir plus
In transition to Yellowstone

After our last round in Cody, we made the trek back to Yellowstone. This time we got to enjoy it much more because we were in no rush and daylight was aplenty. The canyon that the Shoshone River hasEn savoir plus
Middle Geyser Basin

We were all thrilled to get to see these famous geothermal features on our first day here. We walked up a steep boardwalk to a plateau where we found Excelsior Geyser Crater (where a geyser blew itsEn savoir plus
Old Faithful

We ended up at the Old Faithful Lodge, where we enjoyed watching two cycles of Old Faithful. It's amazing that in the distance is an entire circle of geothermal activity called the Upper Geyser Basin.En savoir plus
Madison Campground, Day 2

We decided to start the day at the Old Faithful Inn today. It was built in the winter between 1903-1904 and is made of local materials, stone and logs. We sat in the grand lobby and marveled at theEn savoir plus
Black Sand Basin

One of my favorite stops of the day was Black Sand Basin, a collection of geysers and pools. There was a nice boardwalk surrounding the area and extending to each viewpoint. With names like OpalescentEn savoir plus
Misc

Today we drove the stretch between Madison Campground and up north to Norris Campground. We followed the Gibbons River upstream to see beautiful waterfalls and more geothermal spots, and played withEn savoir plus
Only in Yellowstone

Only in Yellowstone can you chance upon Beehive Geyser exploding when you exit a gift shop, a bison grazing nonchalantly at the road's edge, and fumaroles steaming hot with the sun setting in theEn savoir plus
Madison Campground, Day 1

We were pumped to be here! We started off on the drive from our Campground just inside the West Yellowstone entrance and down to old Faithful.
Transition Day

Today we drove east across Yellowstone to settle into our new campground, Bridge Bay. It's actually a huge campground, some 450 sites, but each loop is separated and it feels quiet (and private sinceEn savoir plus
West Thumb

We drove all the way around the lake to West Thumb, the last big geyser basin we haven't yet seen. Lots of tour groups here but the place is definitely worth visiting. We will come back and walk theEn savoir plus
Northeast Yellowstone

Today we decided to take a long drive up to the Northeast Entrance of the park. We drove past Lake Village with its historic hotels, into the Hayden Valley with its bison herds, past the Grand CanyonEn savoir plus
Northeast Entrance

We passed through the grasslands and made it up to the Northeast Entrance, the least-used and most remote entrance of Yellowstone.
Cooke City, Montana

Shortly after leaving the park, we entered Cooke City, Montana, a charming historic town that was established in 1870 after a gold mine boom. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe for some killer burgers andEn savoir plus
Beartooth Highway

We left Cooke City and continued on the highway, which dips back into Wyoming before heading north into Montana again into Red Lodge. The Beartooth Highway is considered to be one of America's mostEn savoir plus
Returning home

As we began the long trek home, we stopped at the Clay Butte Fire Lookout, which was about two miles on a gravel road up to the peak. The views were spectacular, but unfortunately the summer days haveEn savoir plus
Low-key day

Today we took it slow-we slept in, spent some time around the campsite, and got a later start. It felt good!
We drove along to see the West Thumb Basin, one of the most actively changing geothermalEn savoir plus
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Today we had the joy of watching a deer wander through our campsite, not bothered at all by our presence. Then it was out through the Hayden Valley to see Yellowstone River and the Grand Canyon of theEn savoir plus
Driving to Mammoth

We headed up north because we all wanted to see the Mammoth and the North Entrance. Along the way our eagle-eye animal spotter (Eric of course) found some mountain goats on the opposite side of heEn savoir plus
Mammoth & Gardiner

Mammoth Lodge is the original site of the US Army base that was established to protect Yellowstone National Park before the National Park service was established (and ended up managing the park for aEn savoir plus