Bighorn National Forest to Cody, Wyoming

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After yesterdays 92 degree temps we were happy to awaken to a cool 58 degrees this morning. In this part of the country, the temperatures can vary dramatically depending upon the time of day and the elevation. Buffalo where we had stayed last night is at an elevation of 4285 feet.
We decided to buy some new windshield wipers before we set off into the mountains and were hoping to find an auto parts store or a Walmart. Today is Labour Day and everything is closed. Evidently a population of 3900 is not big enough for something like Walmart or K Mart which would have been open for sure. It wasn't critical so we just headed out of Buffalo to cross the mountains through the Bighorn National Forest. We eventually found a store open in Greybull and made a stop for the windshield wipers. We were on Route 16 because it was marked on the map as being a scenic route. Well they were definitely right. It was absolutely gorgeous !! There were many scenic overlooks along the road and we stopped at every one of them. One of the earlier stops was Loaf Mountain overlook.
What a view. There was some snow on the distant mountain top . At the viewing spot the air was a lovely cool 54 degrees, the air fresh, the sun shining and we could hear an Elk bugling.
The peak of the mountain was at Powder River Pass with an elevation of 9666 feet. An information board at the overlook explained that the harsh weather conditions and shallow soil discourages the growth of trees. There was also snow fencing along the roads at this elevation. It was intended to divert blowing and drifting snow away from the roads. Drifts of up to 10 feet are seen here in the winter.
On the west side of the Bighorn Mountains, Highway 16 descends through a majestic limestone canyon on its way to the small town of Ten Sleep, working its way through a series of switchbacks that took us down approximately three thousand feet in less than 10 minutes. The layers of Dolomite stone in the canyon walls were first formed millions of years ago on the floor of an ancient sea. Later, they were thrust up by the formation of the Bighorn Mountains. Finally, the down rushing waters of a cascading stream, augmented by the run-off from melting glaciers, began to cut through the rock to reveal the marvelous black, blue and tan walls of Ten Sleep Canyon. In recent years, this canyon has become a favorite destination for rock climbers, because it offers a diversity of different climbing challenges. At the bottom of the canyon is the town of Ten Sleep. Ten Sleep was an American Indian rest stop, so called because it was 10 days travel, or “10 sleeps,” from Fort Laramie (southeast), Yellowstone National Park (west-northwest), and the Indian Agency on the Stillwater River in Montana (northwest). It's a tiny town and it was our lunch stop for today. The Crazy Woman Cafe was the only place open. It was a delightful little mom and pop cafe with a lovely decor and great food. I asked the waitress how it got it's name but she didn't know.
Ten Sleep was the end of the Bighorn National Forest and from that point we entered a high plains desert area with rolling hills, sage brush and dried grasses and the occasional small oil derrick. Quite a contrast after the lush green forest and cool air in the mountains. The temperature quickly rose to 84 degrees once we entered the desert area. Between here and Cody which was our destination for today, it was desert except for one fertile valley with farmland. We were surprised to see corn, some other crop, and cattle. We arrived in Cody at about 4:30pm. It was a little earlier than we thought simply because once we reached the desert area, the photo stops ended. Each day Frank plans a route and a time frame. It's always takes longer because I'm constantly wanting to stop and take photos. He's wonderful and just stops as many times as I ask. He says "that's why we came out here".
Cody is the home of Buffalo Bill Cody and themes surrounding Cody's pioneer and Cowboy and Western history are common in the cultural events and activities in the area.
During the summer, a re-enactment of a wild-west shoot-out takes place next to the Irma Hotel, an historical site still open for business with a hotel and restaurant, which forms the nucleus of the town. We watched the shootout and then had dinner in the restaurant. Irma was the name of Buffalo's Bills daughter.
Old Trail Town, a restoration of more than twenty-five historic Western buildings and artifacts is located in Cody. Rodeo is important in the culture in Cody, which calls itself the "Rodeo Capital of the World". The Cody Nite Rodeo is an amateur rodeo every night in the summer but unfortunately it ended on August 31st so we were not able to see it.
Tomorrow we will back track a little through another scenic route.

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Photos

Powder River Pass
Rocky terrain and snow fencing at Powder River Pass