We left Canyon Campground fairly early (31 degrees) and went south along a park road that went through open prairie, with quite a few bison to view. The road followed the Yellowstone River---some ducks and Canada geese along it.
At Yellowstone Lake (which is huge) we turned east on the road to the east entrance; that road ran along the lake shore. When we stopped briefly to clean the windshield, we could hear coyotes howling in the distance. A short time later, we came upon many cars pulled over to the side of the road (sure sign that there is a critter to see) and there was a grizzly bear in the field, not far off, entertaining the park visitors.
Once it left the lake shore, the road rose into mountains which were covered with the remains of trees from a wildfire---that went on for miles. Upon leaving Yellowstone, we entered Shoshone National Forest, so it continued to be mountainous and wooded. (I noted that the campgrounds there permitted only hard-sided campers due to the prevalence of bears in the area.) Gradually the road went down into a dry, open prairie as went got to Cody WY.
The stretch between Cody and Greybull was typical western desert, flat and rather boring, mile after mile.
After Greybull came the surprise of the day. We took Route 14 toward I-90 near Sheridan, which looked rather windy on the map. It went right through Bighorn National Forest, and it was a spectacular road! The western end began running along a creek with cottonwood along it, while the road itself was wedged between towering rock walls.
It gradually rose in a series of switchbacks and traveled along the edges of cliffs for miles. We stopped for lunch at a place called Shell Falls, which the explanatory signboards described as an oasis, very green and lush. Continuing on, we ended up on high plains, real "cowboy country" with warning signs about "watch for livestock on road". And yes, we did have to slow for cows that didn't seem to mind the cars at all.
As we approached I-90, the road went down and down and down in a series of switchbacks. From the entry onto the interstate, it was a short drive to Buffalo, Wyoming, where we are spending the night at a very nice private RV park. The owner made several suggestions for dog-walking areas, so Ranger and I got out and stretched our legs after the long drive (about 250 miles) and enjoyed feeling WARM after our visit in Yellowstone.
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