The Drive To Cody

Thursday I went to Cody, Wyoming. I needed to get some stuff from Walmart, and I needed to use a WiFi for a while. I wanted to make a post on my blog, and also, I need to check the lineup on my fantasy football team.

The drive from Old Faithful to Cody is a good one, but it will take you minute. Actually, It took me 2 1/2 hours each way. It’s about 120 miles.

First, you cross the Continental Divide twice before you get to Yellowstone Lake. Going East from Old Faithful in a few miles you cross the continental divide the first time at 8,262 feet. There is a little lily pond exactly on the divide, in the saddle of the pass. It’s called Lake Isa. It is about 100 feet long and about 20 or 30 feet across. It stretches East-West. When the snow melts the little pond overflows at both ends. The water going out the east end goes to the Pacific, and the West end flow ends up in the Atlantic. The divide has turned back on itself at this location.

After you cross the Continental divide the second time you are back on the Atlantic side. Then you come to Yellowstone Lake and drive North. The lake is 20 miles long and 14 miles wide. You drive around the West and North sides of the lake, with snow capped mountains on the other side.

After you get around the lake you begin the climb out of the crater. There is a great view of the lake behind you. The Tetons are in the distance. You can pull over and look at it, or see it on the way back. If you time it right you will see the sunset over the lake and the Tetons.

Silvan pass has great steep mountains on each side. Then there is a five mile, 7 Per cent grade down to the East park entrance.

Outside the park you drive through a canyon that goes on forever with rugged, rocky mountains on both sides and a river on your right.

Then you drive by Buffalo Bill recreation area, and Buffalo Bill Lake, and Buffalo Bill dam. Cody is the home of Buffalo Bill.

There is a great museum there named after him. I spent a whole afternoon there last year. It has an enormous collection of old guns, dating from crossbows to present time. There is also a Native American exhibit. I also attended a presentation about birds of prey. They displayed a peregrine falcon and a buzzard. I spent the afternoon there and didn’t see it all.

I had dinner in the old town section at a bar. I will put that in a separate post.

I left in time to get back before dark. There is a fire South of Old Faithful and there could be a lot of smoke, depending on the wind. But there wasn’t much smoke.