Granny’s Diner in Cody was the first stop. We’ve been here 5 days and this is our first stop at a traditional diner.
The queues and the 15 min wait I guess is a good sign.
We all ordered a mixture of pancakes and waffles with differing toppings.
Within 30 mins we were out again.
Today we started in – Cody, Wyoming
We finished in – Gardiner, Montana
Miles travelled today – 161
Miles so far this trip – 1068
Tonight we are staying at – Absaroka Lodge, Gardiner
After a petrol and Walmart stop for our lunch we headed into Yellowstone on US Highway 14.
Roadworks and a coned off lay-by meant we couldn’t get our photo with the Yellowstone National Park sign so a snap shot from the car was the best we can muster.
Once we’d bypassed the roadworks we enjoyed a pleasant drive as the road winds alongside the Shoshone river.
The shallowness of the river allows a deer to wade through. Which in turn allows to pull into a conveniently situated lay-by which is perfect for capturing a video. Less so for capturing a photo so I am afraid this the best I can offer.
Butte overlook which overlooks Yellowstone lake. High, hot but great views as far as the eye can see. This bug took a liking to our car while we were there.
Fisherman’s bridge was up next. The bridge itself nothing amazing but there were decent views to be had from it. I am sure this is just the start of things to come.
We head on, next on the agenda is Dragons Mouth Spring. However, we get distracted a few hundred feet from the car park when a huge Bison comes ambling down the hill. We pull over and I do my best from a good 50 yards away to get a half decent photo.
Dragons Mouth is a violent, steaming, gurgling spring emanating from in or under a rock. You can see where it gets its name.
We move on. 7 miles (or so I thought) down the road is Hayden Valley at Trout creek. Before we get there though a mass of cars are stopped.
No more than a bout 20 feet from the road lies a huge Bison. Apparently oblivious to all the snap happy tourists. I am certain he would be ready though should anyone get too close.
It turns out that was Hayden Valley at Trout Creek, so that was another one ticked off.
Next up is Artist Point and one of my favourite stop offs so far. A thundering waterfall drops into the winding Yellowstone River. Plenty of photo opportunities and I made the most of them.
We had four or five other stops in this area but decided to save them for a couple of days when we are staying nearby.
We pushed on to Tower Falls over the Dunraven Pass, which I believe is the highest pass in Yellowstone at 8,859 feet.
On arriving at Tower Falls car park, peoples attention was focused on a grassy mound near the entrance.
In it was a dear that clearly got agitated as people got too close. We viewed from afar as it scurried quickly being forced to leap a fence. It seemed fine as it bounded through the long grass and down the hill.
The falls itself was again spectacular, although not as much as Artist Point.
With our hotel on the horizon, we had time for one more stop in Lamar Valley. Bears and Buffalo are potential sightings, although we were only blessed with Buffalo today.
At the risk of sounding a bit spoilt, we have seen plenty of Buffalo and while still seeing them is a treat, we didn’t spend too long here. We promised ourselves we would be back tomorrow evening.
The Absaroka motel was our chosen lodgings tonight and the basic rooms with small balcony overlooking the rushing Yellowstone River was perfection.
Iron Horse bar. A dark and wooden establishment. Neon beer signs adorn the walls alongside antlers and moose heads. 1950s advertising signs fill in the last remaining real estate on the wall.
The square bar in the middles takes drinks and food orders, which are despatched to the table in suitably quick time.
Food was good, beer was too, and I now recall why it may have been on our list of places to eat in the first place.
We head back to our hotel at around 9pm, and although signs at our hotel warned us bears had been roaming the streets at tonight, I assume this wasn’t late enough for them, so we made it home unscathed. We enjoyed the balcony for a few minutes, before heading to bed, ready for another day of adventure tomorrow.
