From Bighorn Canyon we drove along slaloming between Wyoming and Montana, entering Yellowstone from the North and using the scenic Beartooth Mountain Pass Highway. Switchbacks ascent the hillside taking cars and motorcycles from dense forests to alpine mountain tops, along the ridgeline and back down into canyons and forests. It almost felt as if this highway allowed us to cheat and see miles of scenery only typically accessible elsewhere on foot after miles of exploration.
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Wildflowers were in bloom in varying degrees, depending on the location.
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Into the largest and first national park, our ‘to-do’ list just jumped an order of magnitude… geothermal springs, waterfalls, canyons, hikes, oh my! We drove through Lamar Valley, home to hundreds of Buffalo.
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As well as many other noble creatures, such as the pronghorn:
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On the night of our arrival, we visited Mammoth Hot Springs – a terraced network of colorful shelves, and bubbling springs, rising steam and white scorched dirt.
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Trip Counter:
– Cumulative Caffeine Count: 22
– Buffalo: 329
– Tourists breaking rules clearly stated on signs right next to them: 3
– Puppy Count: 3 (1 saved!)