Today was one of the best days yet. Except for a brief gust every now and then, there was almost no wind. And, perhaps because of that and perhaps only psychologically, the condition of the roads seemed better than average also.
Between setting up the reservation at Grant Village Campground in Yellowstone, making a few other calls, and getting packed up after my first night of camping, I got a bit later start than I wanted. But not a big deal since I didn’t have quite as far to go as some other days.
If you like the Old West and the 1800s, Cody (Chamber of Commerce | Wikipedia) looked like it might be a good city to explore. Also, there was the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Official Site | Wikipedia) and the old Buffalo Bill Dam (Visitor Center | Wikipedia).
I don’t know if it was nature- (a lightning strike) or man-caused, but it was sad to see how many trees were dead. There was new growth taking over, which sometimes can only happen after a fire, but it will be quite some time before the green pines prevail once again.
What really struck me was the size of Yellowstone Lake. It was HUGE. Seemed to me more of an inland sea. Very impressive.
As I pulled into the campground, I noticed the sign that said “Campground Full”. I’m sure glad I made my reservation first thing this morning.
Upon checking in and paying for may camp site, The Forest Ranger did his job well and really put the fear of God in me concerning “Bear Country”. Since I was traveling by motorcycle and not car or RV (hard-sided containers), I followed the Ranger’s instructions and put all my food, water and cooking utensils in a shared/communal steel food storage container. Fortunately, everything was right where I left it when I went to claim it the next morning.
I was fortunate. The entrance fee for Yellowstone was $20, but it also included entrance to Grand Teton National Park for no additional cost (two for the price of one). Very cool. Tomorrow I’ll tour Grand Teton before I continue on to my next stop, Boise, Idaho and the home of an boyhood family friend.
Mileage | Today: 193 | Trip To Date: 2,956