USA NORTHWEST 2014
~PART 3: WYOMING~

Photos © R.Leeuw

 

The visit to the Yellowstone National Park was a highlight of this roadtrip. I had considered several routes, with
different starting point in the USA or Canada, but they all included Yellowstone NP. I had visited the Park in the
1990s and was determined to visit it again. The nights were cold and damp rose up from the river in the mornings.

The cold nights and low temperatures during the day made the geysers very visible indeed. Out of this world!

Since we were late in the season (almost all facilities had closed and the crowds had gone) the animals were
less shy and appeared closer to the road.

The bison, inspite of its surly appearance, is not an animal but a veritable BEAST!

The landscape carries the scars of huge wildfires; these fires are not all that bad, they renew, rejuvenate nature here.

For MORE of my photos in YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK, check the link!

 

At the end of the afternoon we drove into Cody,WY. In 1994 we had visited the rodeo here,
but that was in the summer. No rodeos here so late in the season (Oct.20th).

With the sun setting we went for a nice stroll, bought some western-style souvenirs.
We had dinner in a Mexican restaurant, had enchilladas and a nice cool Alaskan Amber.

We stayed in the Comfort Inn here; I am quite pleased with most of the brands of Choicemotels.com.
This was the breakfast area and we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, as we had a long another day ahead of us!

The Greybull Highway took us further east, the landscape becoming more arid and desert-like.

Pronghorn antelopes

'Butch's Place: Over The Hill'

A deserted vintage pick up truck is also a photo opportunity.

The original plan called for a 3-day stay at Yellowstone NP, but was reduced to two days for I was determined to
revisit Greybull Airport for the stored transport aeroplanes there. I had been here before, in 1994.

Fortunately I was allowed to walk for hours among these aircraft hulks. If interested see my GREYBULL REPORT 2014

It does rain in the desert, see?

Though we drive by SatNav we always have a Rand McNally Road Atlas with us, to check on scenic routes and such.
While the road we drove was not marked as 'scenic', we were very pleased with canyons and rivers such as shown here.
I did not have my gps gadget on my camera, but this was before we stopped in Riverton,WY for the night. Probably
somewhere between Thermopolis and Boysen State Park. Riverton did not impress me at all, with inflated motel prices.

We continued on US 287 (US 26) heading west. The return trip had commenced: 6 days to get back to Portland,OR.

The Sheriff made us stop, told the road was blocked and showed us a detour. Just a few extra miles, the scenery never boring.

We continued on US Highway 26 and have you ever seen such beautiful landscape?!

This is what it is all about: 'the road goes on..'

Take in the variety of colours here, truly amazing.

Chinook Winds Lodge, driving on US 26, approaching Dubois,WY.

Dubois,WY - a charming town one just has to stop and explore.

This is lovely, isn't it. We bought some souvenirs, but had trouble finding a place for coffee so we left. Mistake!

This is what happened a few months later: disaster in Dubois! It broke my heart to see this destroyed by fire.

This is what the 'Trapline Gallery and Indian Trading Post' looked like upon our visit.

So we continued on from Dubois for Grand Teton National Park. This looks like a deserted mine or something.

The Jackalope myth is alive & well here!

That is certainly an entrance that stands out. Only in America.

Scenic view on the Grand Tetons, an area rich in history and stories about Indians and fur trappers.

I have enjoyed the tales of Mountain Men in books about Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Joe Meek, etc.
I've always considered this a very enjoyable, even heroic part of American history. I feel connected when I am in these parts.

The mountains and overlooking Jackson Lake. We found the lodge closed here and had to postpone lunch until Jackson.

Jackson,WY. I had been here before, probably in 1986 and what I remembered was 'crowded, expensive, tourists'.
But I quite enjoyed it this time! It isn't 'tourist tacky', rather rich in galleries and art.
Some excellent coffee house here too.

MORE PHOTOS ON MY PAGE 'JACKSON, WY'

 

USA NORTHWEST 2014
THE START: OREGON & WASHINGTON
PORTLAND, OR
WHALEWATCHING FROM ANACORTES
PAGE TWO: IDAHO & MONTANA
NATIONAL BISON RANGE
PAGE THREE: WYOMING
YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK
JACKSON,WY
PAGE FOUR: IDAHO
CRATERS OF THE MOON
THE END: OREGON

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INDEX TO MY TRAVEL PAGES

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