Road Trip 2012: Sunday 9/23

313 miles: camped at the KOA in Cody, Wyoming.  The city is named after William Frederick Cody, and is the home of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

Camped at Cody, Wyoming KOA

Sundance, Wyoming to Cody, Wyoming

The traffic was light and the traveling was great today.  I took Interstate 90 until the city of Buffalo.  Then I took Route 16 all the way to Cody.  It was a very scenic drive with constantly changing views.  Leaving Sundance you travel across a wide and open area of grasslands.

Then you have to cross the Bighorn Mountains via the Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway.  The Powder River Pass on this road has an elevation of 9,666.  An interesting feature of the byway is the placement of signs along the road indication the age of the rock outcroppings.  Kinda neat.

Bighorn Mountain foothills.

Periodic sign indicating the age of the rock outcrops.

Cloud Peak, second highest mountain in Wyoming.

Aspen colors.

 From the pass, there is an 18 mile downhill run to the Bighorn Basin.

The Bighorn Basin is a wide plateau separating the Bighorn Mountains to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.  There is plenty of agriculture in the basin consisting of sugar beets, along with some wheat, corn, and cattle grazing.

Grazing land

Sugar beets

I got to the campground in Cody about 3:00.  Shortly after I got there, another truck camper pulled in a few spaces down.  They notice Zoey and come over to visit.  I swear, dogs are the greatest social lubricant in the world.  John and Ellen are retired, from Ohio, and have been on the road in their truck camper for five weeks.  They plan to get back home in three weeks or so.  We have a great conversation. 

Not sure what my plan for Monday is yet.  I may drive into Yellowstone Park, or I may take the day and explore Cody.  I've been told that the art galleries and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center can keep you busy for an entire day............