Next we made our way into Montana, Big Sky Country. It really was quite exciting driving through the rolling hills with nary a city or even a town for miles and miles. We left the interstate a little east of Butte heading for Yellowsone National park, which occupies the South East corner of Wyoming. It was on top of our list of places to visit and what a thrill it was! So much to see, so little time. Of course, Old Faithful was a must, and we spent quite some time waiting for him to do his thing. Finally, he blew and we captured a few great pics. We could only stay the one day, so we drove through from west to east, stopping when anything drew our attention. One such event was a herd of buffalo who decided that they owned the highway and dared anyone to argue with them. We also got to see what is called the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It doesn't compare to the real McCoy, but it is quite impressive nonetheless.
We camped that night just outside a small town called Cooke City, Montana. Although this was July, the temperature went down to freezing
point, and there was frost on the ground when we got up the next morning!!! Of course this was because of the altitude, (over 10 000 feet) but knowing that didn't make it any warmer! We had breakfast in town then set off to rejoin the interstate via Beartooth Pass. U.S. route 212 (Beartooth Highway) which runs from Cooke City to Red Lodge and then on to Billings is one of the most picturesque roads in the U.S. It consists of a long series of hairpin curves that had me gripping the dashboard for dear life! The altitude decreases from 8000 to 5200 feet in 12 miles! Because of weather conditions at the top of the pass, the road is open only form Memorial Day in May, to Labor Day in early September. Imagine!
We got safely down. I don't know whether the same is true of an intrepid young man (or a nut) who we passed skateboarding down on the road!
Mama and sonOnly two of a whole herd who blocked the road for over half an hour.
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