OurNextStop: Onward to Yellowstone National Park

After a great visit to Ten-Sleep we moved on toward Yellowstone NP, specifically we wanted to visit Cody, WY which is 50 miles east of the eastern entrance to Yellowstone. It was a short days trip from Ten-Sleep to Cody through more beautiful WY landscape.

We deceided we wanted to stay at Buffalo Bill State Park west of Cody on the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

Our campsite at Buffalo Bill St Park

BJ enjoying the campsite!

It is a beautiful setting on the water with mountains all around. The dam on the Shoshone River is at a narrow canyon about 3 miles from the campground. The dam was built 1905-1910. Because of high water volume during Spring run off the could only work on it from Sep-Apr of each year.


Sunset from Buffalo Bill State Park

Several companies went broke trying to build it due to unforseen weather and technical difficulties. Labor strife was an issue throughout the construction period and the first strike that caused a work stoppage in WY was at this dam.


Buffalo Bill Dam still standing 100 yrs later

narrow canyon Buffalo Bill Dam is in

As I was watching the film about this in the visitor center on top of the dam, I was thinking I don't want to be around this thing; no telling what condition it is in100 years later! Nonetheless it still stands and is doing a great job of providing much needed irrigation water to the fertile Bighorn Basin.

The land is fertile because of the volcanic activity a million years ago, but with only 5 inches of rainfall a year farming is not possible without the irrigation water from the dam.

One of the statues at Buffalo Bill museum courtyard

We enjoyed visiting Cody, a town of about 10,000 people and is very much a tourist destination year around. They have a magnificent Buffalo Bill Museum that is extremely well done and, while giving a lot of info about Buffalo Bill, it has a lot more about the history of the area and accomplishments of others, both settlers and Indians. It is well worth the effort to see it. When we go back we will visit the museum again.

As magnificant as the museum was, I believe the highlight of our stay was the day we took Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to the American Scenic Highway across Bearthooth Pass at 10,000+ feet. Chief Joseph, a Nez Pierce leader took his tribe over this very high and difficult pass to escape the US Calvary who was still mad about the loss at the Little Bighorn (aka Custer's Last Stand).

Overlook of small part of Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

One of the memorials to the exodus led by Chief Joseph!

Another scenic view on the highway - pics don't do it justice!

The Calvary thought they had him cornered against the mountains because it was late in the Fall and the passes were nearly impossible to pass, especially for a group of 600. Through brave leadership, innovative thinking, and real determination he did get his people through the pass and to safety in Canada. The highway follows their route and has numerous wayside markings and memorials.

The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway ends at US highway 212 in the Bearthooth Mountains and 212 is the American Scenic Highway which continues on to the peak at about 10,100 feet. The scenery was just breathtaking all the way. I am going to let the pictures try and show you what a great day we had. On the north side of the Beartooth Mountains at the bottom we visited Red Lodge MT, a neat little town that we enjoyed a late lunch at before taking the lower road back to Cody.