Yellowstone Adventure Cooke City to Gardiner

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Day 11 Cooke City to GardinerBreakfast at the Bistro across the road and then down the road to the Lamar Valley, which was rich in wildlife. First we saw the bison in herds ruled by the dominant bull. As we approached Soda Butte there was a herd separated by the road with the bull roaring away on our left. Not wanting to provoke its ore we dashed on down the road. When we looked back the herd was crossing the road to amalgamate causing the traffic to stop. Soda Butte is a limestone rock in the middle of the plain which was once a hot spring. Further on I saw my first Pronghorn, which is a distant relative of the antelope. Another mile and there was a male and female trotting alongside us and eventually crossing the road. At the junction with the Grand Loop road we had a brew and sandwich at the fuel station. Next was Undine Falls which gave us a chance of a rest from the constant head wind for the last 15 miles. I was riding on he flat in my smallest chainring at 9mph. The town of Moose was a chance for a second brew and a look at the Hot Springs. There was a large herd of Elk roaming around town lead by a dominant make with big antlers. They can be aggressive so the public was being kept at a safe distance by the rangers. There was a nice run down for five miles into Gardiner where we saw a large buzzard with some food in its claws flying overhead. Bill saw some bighorn sheep in the valley where the public are not allowed to encourage the sheep to the area. A great day for wildlife. Just before the town we crossed the 45th parallel, which is the half way point between the North Pole and the Equator. Our motel is very good but the town is a bit rough with a lot of dust and dirt about and some roads just very rough stone which are difficult to negotiate on a loaded bike. One night here is enough.Dist. 58 miles. Elev. 1533 Ascent. 817 m. Temp. 12 - 24 deg.

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