Mammoth Hot Springs to Sheridan, Wyoming

I mustn't keep saying this, but here goes! Today's drive was, without doubt, one of the greatest driving days we have ever had. It had absolutely everything - magnificent scenery, wonderful wildlife, incredible empty roads and, to top it all, a thirty mile off-road section that involved driving across a river bed where storm damage had washed away the road!

The 350 mile drive can be split into four sections:

1. Through Yellowstone Park to the exit at the north-east entrance.
2. Along the wonderful Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, named after the chief of the Nez Perce Indians.
3. Along gravel roads to Little Bighorn.
4. The drive along I-80 to Sheridan, Wyoming.

Our cabin at Mammoth Hot Springs.

This area of Yellowstone does not receive as much heat from the magma chamber deep in the earth as around Old Faithful. As a result, there are no geysers, just hot springs which create the most impressive staircases of travertine. Travertine is the rock formed by hot water dissolving limestone as it percolates through the rock and then deposits it at the surface.

As we were about to start the climb up the wooden walkways to the terraces, a coyote ran across the car park just below us. It still had its winter coat and at first we thought it was a wolf.

Me walking up the walkway to the top of the terrace.

Looking down on the terraces.

The hot water bubbling up at the very top.

We left Mammoth Hot Springs at about 11am and drove the final 47 miles to the park exit. Along the way, we saw many more bison (buffalo). Here is a lone bison in the pine woods.

We saw a sign to a petrified tree and, as we parked the cars, lots of prairie dogs were running around. They were very tame and came right up to us. We have since learned that they can carry the plague!!

The petrified tree, a 50 million year old redwood.

Wendy's photo of a mountain chickadee that was singing loudly close to the tree.

Shortly after leaving Yellowstone, we looked back and saw Granite Mountain, the highest mountain in Montana. It reminded me of the Matterhorn - a great sight.

We knew that, once we left the park, the road we had intended taking, over Beartooth Pass, was closed. So, we had to take a slightly longer route along the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. What a wonderful road it turned out to be.

Beautiful mountains with wide bands of exposed strata.

The road winding down into one of the many valleys.

The sign to one of the 360 degree hairpin bends.

Looking down from the summit of the pass at over 8,000ft.

The summit view to a range of mountains in the distance.

Erosion creates the most incredible features, as seen on the top of this mountain.

We turned off Highway 310 on to the dirt roads that would take us across the Crow Indian Reservation to a town called Pryor. It was a thirty mile track, which at first was good fast gravel.

It soon turned into a narrow track, wide enough for one car only, but running through magnificent wild country with not a soul to be seen.

 

After a few miles, we realised that we had 'lost' the others, but by now there was no turning back. You can imagine my dismay when we arrived at a small ranch and saw that the road had been washed away. There was a five foot drop into a dry river bed! Whilst we were considering our options, Bob and Thelma suddenly arrived and then Kenny and Dee Anne. Here we all are looking at 'the hole in the road'!!

It was Kenny who made the decision to look for a way round, rather than drive the twenty miles back to the main highway. So, with Kenny leading, we retraced our tracks and, after crossing through a field with cows, we found that the river could be crossed about 400 yards upstream.

Following Kenny as we drove through the rocky river bed and out the other side.

Bob following us along the river bed.

Shortly after crossing the river, we returned to tarmac roads. Great driving followed for mile after mile of beautiful, straight, deserted roads all the way to Little Bighorn.

We reached Little Bighorn, the site of General Custer's last stand at about 4.30pm. It had been a long but wonderful day's drive and, at times, I thought we wouldn't get there before the park closed at 6pm.

Custer, with about 220 men was defeated by Sitting Bull in 1876 in one of the most famous battles of the Indian Wars. President Grant had decided that those Indians, who would not remain on the reservations set up for them, would be forcibly moved there. Custer was sent to enforce the law and Sitting Bull, with the help of the Sioux, Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, fought the battle.

The memorial on top of the hill where Custer fell and where his body was buried until some time later, when it was moved to West Point, New York.

Following Kenny and Dee Anne along the road that runs through the battlefields.

One of the many white headstones placed where the soldiers fell.

We left the battlefield after about an hour and then had a 70 mile run along I-90 to Sheridan. Here is a typical sight in Montana - long, straight, empty roads through wide, open countryside.

Crossing back into Wyoming for the third time.

We reached our Hotel, the Mill House, at about 7pm. We weren't sure we had made the right choice of hotel, when we saw it was located next to a giant derelict mill. The hotel however turned out to be quite good and very reasonable, at $75 for the night!

In the evening, we drove into Sheridan for a meal at Oliver's Bar & Grill. We had excellent food and the restaurant is definitely one we would recommend.

Main Street, Sheridan.

What a wonderful day it has been. We will all sleep well after such a great drive.