Cody to Yellowstone in a Hurry–Before they Close!

We woke before sunrise in order to make our one day super trip through Yellowstone. Before we left Texas, we were warned that the roads would close for the winter. There was not a set time, it was usually weather based. It was evident that the north road would close first being the highest elevation entryway. Our friend Christine and her boyfriend go to Yellowstone at least once a year to photograph, relax, and look for wolves. She maintains a great website on the natural wonders of Yellowstone, excellent writing and photos http://www.ylwstone.com/ . Christine had given us lots of tips on places to go and where and when. She also went to the park for a second time this year in October and we had hoped to meet her there. However, our timing did not work out that way.

By time we left Denver, we found out by observing the Yellowstone website that the paved roads would close on November 8. Here we are again, just making a destination in the nick-of-time! Ken and I were determined to make it to the park as neither of us had been there and dag-nabit, it was on the way to Alaska! I had been all around the park on various other trips, and Ken had been to Jackson Hole. The entire region up in the Wyoming, Montana, Idaho border area is full of a good many destinations. 

As expected, our ‘campsite’ host was open and we could go in and freshen up before we left. We were in too much of a hurry to get anything to eat, we just wanted to get on the road. And yet again, not utilizing our new camp stove or coffee pot. Yellowstone is close, but we had many a rubbernecking stops planned in the park. The sunrise was gorgeous when we left, much like the pink and blue we saw entering Denver.

Not only was the sunrise lovely, but the entire drive west into Yellowstone was as well to us flat landers. We still had not been on any tough mountain drives–not that we needed any more reason to go slow with our heavy load. The road west out of Cody follows the Shoshone River and it forms a little canyon leading to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir (top photo below). The morning sun on the hills and mountains was very painterly!