Yellowstone Trip - Day 6 - West Yellowstone to Custer, SD

---

Well, we have a 9 hour drive ahead today, so we get an early start. Another grey day, but perfect for travelling. I try to cover up the tired bags under my eyes with makeup, and Steve jokes "I'll just eat my muffin while you're coloring." I call him a bad name.

The park had big forest fires in the 1980's. Lodgepole pine makes up 80 percent of the trees here - they are the ones that have the cones that only burst open to release their seeds in the heat caused by fire. As the charred wood decomposes, it releases much needed carbon into the poor soil. You can see some tall older dead trees poking up through the carpet of thick new growth all through the park, which illustrates the natural reforestation process. Close to Norris, we see, and smell, an area of a more recent fire. It would be sad if we didn't know that it will fix itself in time.

As we head toward the east entrance to the park, the mountain sides are covered with acres of burned-out forest. I would guess about a year or so old, based on the re-growth. We drive through clouds that alternately rain and snow in Sylvan Pass (el. 8530 ft.). The view would be awsome if we could see it. 😞

The road is narrow and twisty-turny. It's scary how many dents there are in the guard rail that separates us and a sheer drop down the mountain. One place even has the thick wooden posts snapped right off, and the steel rail is twisted and broken. We wonder if that car went over, or if it stopped, hanging, its occupants scared out of their wits.

As we leave Yellowstone Park, I am sorry to leave without seeing Yogi. Last night there were a lot of cars stopped and people standing around. We pulled in briefly, but we couldn't see anything, and were too tired to get out of the car and ask people what they saw. This morning a couple at the hotel told us about watching a black bear eat berries for at least an hour - yep - right where we stopped. Damn!

There is so much to see and do here. From alien looking steaming sulphurous landscapes to pine forests veined with streams perfect for fishing, rushing rivers and waterfalls, to alpine meadows, and of course the abundance of wildlife. Everyone should come to see it at least once in their lifetime. I already want to come back.

Now we pass into Wyoming. In Shoshone National Forest, the landscape changes again, with strange hoodoo - like outcroppings of rock that remind me of Utah. Rolling foothills take over from mountains, and every other place is a guest ranch, an Inn, or a trail ride. Big log homes dot the hillside, with names like Wapiti Estates and Broken H Country. There is definitely money here, as the buildings, fences, roads, even the fields are well-maintained. Buffalo Bill State Park sits on one edge of the Shoshone reservoir. Settlers who weren't bought out by the US Reclamation Service when the dam was built in 1905 now have lake view properties.

The next 100 miles of Wyoming alternates between flat, poor-looking farm land, and lumpy scub covered hills with layers of red rock giving it a Mars-like look. No money here. The buildings in the towns and farms are tired and worn. Stores post faded help-wanted signs. Empty windows stare out at us as we hurry by, and rusty real-estate signs flap in the wind. Even the air is grey as the rain continues.

Suddenly, we decend into a green valley surrounded by bright red hills. The broken-down barn that we just took a picture of sits less than a mile from new expensive acerages. At least it isn't boring!

Another few miles and we are in Bighorn National Forest, and back into mountains again. Our ears pop as the road ascends towards Powder River Pass, el. 9,666 ft. The rain gets heavier and turns to slushy snow. We lose time slowing down for the weather on yet more twisty narrow roads, and we are already 2 hours behind schedule. I guess Mapquest doesn't take into account weather or pee stops. At least we don't lose any time stopping at any of the many scenic turnouts, since we can't see much for the snow anyway.

I spot another Moose - this time a female (I looked.........no horns...haha). On the other side of the road are cows - two of which are black with a wide white stripe down their backs and extending onto their rumps. I bet Kathleen knows what kind they are. I don't, so I try skunk-ows. Steve doesn't know either. He says "I know they come in all different kinds of upholstery. I just know that the shiny ones are vinyl." (I almost peed myself laughing)

So, we shuffle off to Buffalo (groan). And we laugh at the names of places in little towns: "Dirty Jane's" saloon, complete with swinging wooden saloon doors, and "Wahoo! Liquor".

We drive through mile after mile of rolling hills. Here and there we can see steam coming up through the earth. Several big geothermal plants sit in the hills, with spider webs of overhead power lines reaching out in all directions. The gravel farm roads are red, and even the highway takes on a reddish color, again reminding me of Utah.

It was a dark and stormy night - really! Rain, dark, and weird fog patches on the road. The road twists again though more mountains. I can't see the drop off, but I know it's there. The road is unfamiliar, and there are many hairpin curves that say slow to 25. It is a good thing that Steve is calm, cuz I white-knuckled it all the way. We finally reach Custer at 8:30 - another 9 hour drive that took us 12 hours. Our hosts Pat and Bob at the Custer Mansion B&B greet us and serve us hot tea and cookies and chat with us a bit before turning in.

---