Cody / Beartooth Pass / Yellowstone Park (approx480km) / Jackson 26/08/2010

Sorry guys but we have been in Yellowstone Park and there was no WIFI .

Cody

We had 3 days in Cody just relaxing , we had a tour of the town and a meal at the Irma Hotel which was built by Buffalo Bill back in 1896 (he named it after his youngest daughter Irma ) when he establish the town (not 1902 which I said in the last blog I think ) and it is still pretty much as he built it (even the Rose wood bar that Queen Victoria gave him is still there) . We also went to the Buffalo Bill Museum , which was 5 in one and one of the best I have seen in a long time , we spent a few hrs there. Outside the Irma Hotel every nite they have a gun fight , which we went to (hence the photo of me with one of the bad guys ) . Every night Cody has a Rodeo , so we went on our last night . It was great until about 1/2hr before it finished , it poured down and got very very cold all in about 2 minutes .

Beartooth Pass

When we arrived in Cody it was about 35degs when we left it was about 2degs , for Yellowstone Park via Beartooth Pass and Red Lodge . The ride up Beartooth Pass ( 3,500mts or approx 11,000ft above sea level) was one of those very memorable rides with heaps of switchback corners (see I'm becoming Americanised, back in NZ we just say very windy and now I'm also one of the Fraternity I'm a Bikerrrr , I love it they make you feel part of something , we are all just Bikerrrs out havin a good time ) . At the top of the Pass it was freezing , I would say almost at freezing and bugger me if those Harley guys still had no Helmets own . Geez my head was cold with my helmet on, theres must have been frozen . On the way back at a place called Cooke City (only a petrol station and a few restaurants ) I spoke to a few Harley guys from Spain and I tell you there heads was purple . At the top of the Pass we stoppedand had a cupa coffee and there were heaps of Squirrels and very tame , they would eat out of my hand ( I love those little varmints they are so cute , we don't have them in NZ )

Yellowstone

While it is a very pretty place it is not as visually beautiful as some of the other places we have seen so far . But in saying that it is still a great place and one could spend a long time there exploring the Park . We stayed at the original old Lodge (over 100yrs old) at Old Faithful , the Lodge is an attraction in it own right . The whole inside is made to be like a forest (not a drop of paint anywhere ) , our room was in the loft (because we in da cheap seats) . We spent 2 days there and explored the geothermal area and watched Old faithful do its stuff (as in the photo ) . Next we went on to Lake Park for the night , not a hell of a lot there but nice also and very quite compared to Old Faithful with bugger all tourists . As far as wild life went it was a bit disappointing, we saw mainly Buffalo Bills and a few deer , geothermal wise it covers such a vast area and some very pretty pools of hot water and heaps of geysers .

On to Jackson Hole

The worst thing that a bikerrrr can have done to him is it be made to ride at about 50kms or 35ms hr for hours and hours of even less some parts were om 25mpr . This is Yellowstone Park, there is nowhere to pass and so many cars and that is the speed limit , but I suppose we saved some gas and my tyres will last a little longer .

The ride to Jackson through Teton Nat Park was again very scenic . Jackson is an other tourist town with a very Cowboy theme , and done very well . It is a Skiing town in the winter and just a great place to hang out in the summer . It got to 92degsF today and will be very cold tonight probable a frost , it is amazing the huge swing in temps from day to nite .

Tomorrow we are off to Vernal Approx 500kms .

Photos

1 / 2 Irma Hotel Cody and me with one of the bad guys at the gun fight

3 Beartooth Pass

4 / 5 / 6 Old Faithfull Yellowstone , a Hot water pool and a waterfall Yellowstone

7 Grand Telon on way to Jackson

8 Buffalo Bill and the Lodge at Old Faithful Yellowstone