Monday - Sept 18th - Cooke City, MT

Cooke City, MT - Monday 18th.

My last blog was posted on the 17th, in Bozeman, MT. A lot has happened since then so I will be writing these next 4 days in installments. If you read in them in order you’ll not get lost in our travels (also, the photos will make a lot more sense!). Margaret is now participating in writing the blogs; her input will be italicized so you’ll know who to blame!

As mentioned in the last blog, we made the decision to spend more time on the return trip doing tourist spots that we missed on the trip west and focus less on making time. As a result, we have cancelled (postponed?) visits to friends in Minnesota and Virginia. We’ll make up those in the future. Sorry, guys.

So on Sunday, the 17th, we headed south back into Yellowstone through the West entrance. For those unfamiliar with Yellowstone Park, there are 5 highway entrances: South (from the Grand Tetons) which we entered with Carol and Ryan back in July; East (from Cody, WY); Northeast (towards Billings); North (towards Gardiner / Livingston, MT); and West (via West Yellowstone, WY).

The town of West Yellowstone is the west entrance, boasting an array of shops and bars. Everything but the bars and grocery store will be closed in the coming weeks. Now about half of the shops are locked up tight, the other half having end of the season closeouts. We enjoyed a latte and browsed through the bookstore, increasing their net for the year.

During this tour through Yellowstone, we visited the Terrace Hot Springs, Artist’s Paintpots, circled Mt. Washburn, and exited through the Northeast entrance. Enroute we saw more wildlife than we had the previous 4 months! Got some good photos of elk and bison, including the above which I humbly label, “Sunday afternoon traffic in Yellowstone”. Saw lots of spectacular scenery including some really bad roads and some really hairy mountain passes. The highest road of the day was Dunraven Pass at 8,859 feet.

I’ll try posting additional blogs to include the elk and the paintpots.

This end of Yellowstone and the approach to it from Bozeman is absolutely lovely. We watched a herd of elk graze in a meadow, the bull being careful none of his harem roamed too far -- an adolescent male watched from a safe distance. The bull bellowed his dominance.

The trees are beginning to change and leaves fluttered about, but most of the trees are pines of one kind or another. This is the area of Yellowstone that was devastated by fire in 1988, fires that burned 36% of Yellowstone’s acreage. If you are interested go to: http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/fire.htm. The charred hillsides are a stark reminder. Blacken tree skeletons still stand watch among the younger green trees which carpet the hillsides.

Besides elk, saw groups of bison (not buffalo), an eagles’ nest and a coyote - then herds of bison. Not much troubles them. They just amble along where they please.
We spent Sunday night just outside Yellowstone northeast entrance. The northeast entrance covers a most spectacular road, but not for the fainthearted. But if you’re really brave you can try the climb to Mt. Washburn; a dirt road circling – and climbing – to the observation building on top – at 10,245 feet. Not something you’d want to do unless you’re Robin Williams in RV!

At the end of the day, as we passed through Cooke City, MT, we found an almost deserted National Forest campground (one other camper) which we eagerly utilized. At 7,691 feet, it was very quiet and very cold – about 30 degrees Monday morning. But no bears or other wild life that we could determine. This despite the signs warning it was a grizzly area. Nervous night of hearing scratches and bumps.

Some little known facts (unless you’ve been there): Cooke City, MT is the highest elevation for any incorporated city in Montana; their annual snow fall is 205 inches; and approximately 207 inhabitants. We ate breakfast at the town hotel/lodge which stays open year round accommodating the cross country skiers and snow mobile-ers. Friendly people.