Day 14 - Gardiner, MT to Greybull, WY via Yellowstone and Bear Tooth Highway

Even just passing through Yellowstone on our way out was thrilling today!  We were hoping to see more bison in Lamar Valley this morning and we were not disappointed.  We entered the park at the north entrance, rode to Tower Junction, and then turned for the northeast entrance, passing through the Lamar River valley on the way.  Before we even got to the valley, we rounded a bend in the road and surprised a male bison munching on some grass for breakfast.  Dad and Ellen got around him and ahead of him right away but we were stuck behind him for several minutes as he weaved back and forth across both lanes.  He finally made his way off the road and up a beaten path and we continued on our way. 

 

Once we got past him, we descended into the valley and saw several herds of bison on either side of the road, including some young calves!  It wasn't long before we came upon more bison, this time on the roadway.  We were behind a whole row of cars slowly following the herd as they slowly made their way down the road.  There's a reason they call bison the "monarchs of the plains" - they're so huge, you don't dare do anything to provoke them. 

Once we made it through the bison-jam we stopped in Cooke City for breakfast and then continued on to Bear Tooth Highway, which is a winding, curvy road that runs from Cooke City, WY to Red Lodge, MT, reaching a summit of 9,190 feet elevation, before winding and curving back down again.  The scenery from the mountain curves was spectacular! 

In Red Lodge, we walked a little and got something to drink, and then it was on to Cody, WY for a brief rest stop before ending with an hour's ride to Greybull, WY for the night.  Cody is named for Buffalo Bill, as this was his hometown.  We stopped at the visitor's center but did not visit the museum across the street - my dad and stepmom said you could spend a whole day there if you wanted!