Wyoming November 2010

Wyoming was the route west towards Yellowsone via Cody, the wild west town named after William Cody better known as Buffalo Bill.  Leaving from Rapid City in South Dakota travel was almost due west across northern Wyoming.

Much of the land was flat to rolling generally under extensive farming systems.

With a lot of saved hay for winter feeding.

Livestock generally appeared closer to winter feeding areas being close at hand when the snow arrives.

There was even a lot of quality fencing particularly along the roadsides.

On dry shallow and rocky soils conifer trees appear as scattered copse' of Pinus Ponderosa in grazing land.

The winter conditions not far away and the feedlot with its hay will become attractive to these cattle.

A few early arrivals at the hay.

In the distance Devils Tower, on highway 24 , NE Wyoming.

There was a real slow down of tourist activity at this store and cafe close to the Devils Tower.  Here we met a couple who had a cabin on a small block nearby and his neighbour had just taken photos of a couger in the area.

The Devils Tower, a core of hard rock where the softer rock has been eroded.  Now a rock climbing mecca.

The way west towards Cody.

It was not all farming.  Here electricity generation fueled by coal and also shipping coal out by rail.

A coal extraction trench across the highway.

Highway 16 traveses the Big Horn Mountains at nearly 10,000 feet (approx 3,000m)

Some signage may have made the road appear quite tortuous but it was just a normal mountain road.

With some spectacular rock formations.

It was not long before the landscape opened out to more ranching.

Irrigation and the production of winter feed is critical in a high dry land.  Here irrigation enables high forage production on small areas, mostly alfalfa (lucerne).

Yes the town was named Ten Sleep.

The fencers probably needed ten sleeps after erecting the huge lengths of fencing needed in rather poor grazing.

Then within a short distance intensive pasture or...

crop.

Not many of these fellows.  Take you pick of horn style.  Here a "double twist" and in the backgound the "back hook", better as a wolf tosser.

Cody is all about "Buffalo Bill".  This was an excellent museum about the history of the district.

A character depicted larger than life.

His highly ornated saddle.

Plenty of space in the main street.

After two days at Cody we head west again toward the northern road across Yellowstone NP.

A few locals we met along the way.

Typical conditions near Cooke City (village) on entering the NP.

Streams were starting to freeze up.

A mob of wild Elk had gathered at Mammoth Hot Springs in the NP just below the northern entrance.

Christmas is near as we leave the park and ...

...leave the Bison to his winter abode.