Marvelous Wyoming

Wow - where to start with this one.

South Dakota has done a great job preserving the Old West, but Wyoming still lives and breathes West. People wear Cowboy hats. There are no bars, just saloons. People ranch for a living. People carry hay in their RVs. People hold real actual Rodeos. Campgrounds have horse hotels.

Last night I stayed in a small town called Ten Sleep. I hit the local saloon and got to talking with the owner of a road construction company, who told me all about the ins and outs of the Wyoming public works bidding process.

Next morning I set course for Cody. Along the way I met a rider who told me I should go up to Beartooth Pass. Checked my schedule - which is empty for the next 3 months - and set course to what would turn out to be the most intense afternoon yet.

Beartooth Pass' elevation is just under 11,000 feet. It's an absolutely nerve-wrecking ride up an enormous mountain and is basically an afternoon of switch-back riding. The road lies above the treeline and was flanked by snowfield, and lies just below the clouds. Coming from the prairie, I was not dressed for the occasion.

It was amazing.

At the fire lookout station. All clear.

Today I finally made it out to Yellowstone. Honestly - it was too crowded, it was impossible to pull over at any of the highlights. I did manage to get a whiff of the sulfur pits.

They smelled bad.

I took the road North to Livingston.