Cody to Bearlodge Mountains.

Day 11
348 miles.

I got a bit of a late start this morning, but I was fine with that, I was well rested and feeling much better. I headed east towards Greybull and then south towards Ten Sleep.
I went up Ten Sleep Canyon and it was amazing. There were different types of rock as I gained altitude and there were signs posted letting you know how old they were. We're talking millions of years. I made it to the top of Powder River Pass, it's at 9,666', almost treeline. It's probably the highest elevation I will hit on this trip. When you walk around you can really feel the lack of oxygen, but my trusty Nighthawk chugged along great, it barely missed the lack of air. Coming down the pass I could really start to feel the heat and I knew that I have a lot of that in store for me.
I got onto I-90 at Buffalo and I was pretty bummed to be on the Interstate, straight, boring, and as fast as you can go to make it end. I was planning on going to The Badlands and camping, but I saw signs for Devils Tower and made up my mind to go there. It was pretty awesome, not much around and it just shoots straight up a couple hundred feet. I thought about camping there, but it cost $12 and I knew the National Forest was only about 20 miles away. I turned up County Rd 204 and followed a dirt road, it forked and I went to the right. I found a perfect spot overlooking a small creek, I'll use that $12 to buy an awesome breakfast tomorrow. I set my tent up without the rainfly and got to look at the stars and sunrise.

Bug Report:
9- today was pretty epic on the bug meter. Lots of juicy ones right from the beginning, with lots of different color splatter. I even got a lady bug, hey good luck!!!














The planes.





The Plains.





Cows.

Ten Sleep Canyon.

Ten Sleep Canyon.





Powder River Pass.





Snow barricades.





It was close.





Tomorrow.





Hay rolls and Devils Tower.





Devils Tower.





Creek by my camp site.





Camp site.





Keep away from the critters.



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Yellowstone to Cody.

Day 10
234 miles.

I woke up to see the sun just starting to peak over the trees in the meadow. As soon as the sun hit the grass it started to sparkle like a diamond. It dropped to about 28 overnight and there was frost on everything. I saw the elk off in the distance eating the frozen grass. I packed up and started out to explore Yellowstone.
First stop was the Norris Geyser Basin. It was pretty unreal to see. I felt like I was walking through some prehistoric land and at any moment I'd bump into a T-rex. I continued north and got pulled over as I entered Mammoth Hot Springs. I hadn't seen the speed change from 45 to 25. The Ranger was really cool and happy that I had all my paperwork in my jacket and not buried in my bags. He let me off with a warning and I got some tips on things to see.
I continued on stopping here and there to look and take photos. I got stuck in traffic for nearly an hour because buffalo were walking down the road. It's kinda scary having to pass a massive male buffalo on a motorcycle. He didn't charge me. I cruised along the lake and towards Old Faithful. Lake Yellowstone is massive and reminded me a lot of Tahoe, just without any houses. I made it to Old Faithful just in time to see it erupt, it was a circus there, but I'm glad I saw it.
From Old Faithful I backtracked my way along the lake and out of the park towards the East Entrance. Another buffalo in the road, just not as much traffic. Going up Sylvan Pass was amazing there was a fire there, I think in '88 and all the trees are still standing, but are all bone white. It felt like I was riding through an army of skeletons.
Once out of the Park the scenery changes quite quickly from lush green forests to barren red rock mesas. I made it into Cody, WY and decided to get a hotel for the night. I'm starting to feel sick and could use a proper nights sleep, plus I hadn't showered for 5 days. Onto the Badlands for Wednesday.

Update: forgot to put this in, but Yellowstone would be perfect for mopeds. Speed limit is 45 max anywhere in the Park. Just have a semi quiet pipe and all your paperwork.

Bug Report:
6.5- I didn't pick up many in the Park, but I caught quite a few mosquitos and little flies along the river towards Cody.


















Morning frost.








Norris.








Norris.








A phone booth.








Roaring Mountain.








Rangers.








Bus.








Tourists and buffalo.








Old Faithful.








Really excited about Old Faithful.








End of her run.









God Squad.








Traffic delays.








Zooooooom.








Skeleton forest.








Wacky house outside Cody, WY.

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Missoula to Yellowstone.

Day 9
368 miles.

I got up early again and was on the road by 7:30. It was chilly, around 50, but I knew today was gonna be great.
I took the 93 and it hugged a quiet river through a beautiful canyon. Perfect roads, nice mellow sweeping turns and a speed limit of 70. I was in heaven. The roads all the way to Yellowstone were like this, hardly a car in sight and the occasional RV. In the distance I could see fresh snow on the mountain peaks, in the valleys it was crisp.
I was planning on camping in the National Forest outside of Yellowstone, so I stopped by the ranger station in Ennis to get their suggestions on primitive camp sites (the free ones). She pointed them out to me, but warned that their were lots of Grizzlies in the area and they had been extra aggressive this year. I thanked her and went straight to the sporting goods store to by a can of bear mace. The closer I got to Yellowstone the more it dawned on me that camping alone in bear country was probably not the smartest thing to do, so I opted for one of the campgrounds in the Park. Turns out, they have bear problems there too. At least they could eat other campers too. I made dinner and went to bed early, but not before seeing two huge elk eating grass in the meadow next to my site.

Bug Report:
8- Oh wow!!!! I caught a lot today. Big ol' honkin' mosquitos and lots of horse flies. Nice splatters. Best bug report to date. Take a look!!!!







Along Highway 93.






Continental Divide. It's all downhill from here.












Conovers, Wisdom, MT






Larry's Automotive, Wisdom, MT






Big sky country.






Fresh snow.






Earthquake Lake.






YNP.






Wyoming.






Yellowstone.






New purchases for the day: tortillas, bear mace, turkey, pepper jack cheese, annual park pass, banana, two tall cans. I already own the chocolate and Leatherman.






Firewood.






Soda or pop in these parts.






Comforting.






Dinner.






Desert.


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