Long Drive 8/6/2016

Wapiti, population 165

We were up and out earlier than usual to make the long drive to Cheyenne, WY. We ascended to Sylvan Pass through what had been a fire-ravaged area along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. The descent was, for me, thrilling. Sitting up high in the RV, I could look straight down the embankments to the river below, views not available when riding in a car.

Further along, at lower elevations, we came to Bill Cody State Park and Dam,

Canyon walls after Bill Cody State Park

some fascinating rock formations in a canyon just after the dam, and the first sign of civilization since we left Yellowstone, a town called Wapiti. We passed through Cody, the self-proclaimed Rodeo Capitol of  the World, long stretches of treeless hills and plains, and Thermopolis, a beautiful area we visited a few years ago (http://frommyroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/thermopolis-wy-july-8-2014.html).

Once out of the mountains, our drive was mostly those treeless hills and plains, in gusty headwinds. It's hard to imagine the immense scope of this country until you've driven it.