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Shoshone River |
Day 7: Cody to Pahaska Tepee Today we would head west on Highway 14, aka "The Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway." Teddy Roosevelt called this stretch of road the most scenic in the entire United States. Following the Shoshone River from Cody, 50+ miles into Yellowstone, the Byway certainly lives up to the hype. But we also knew we were going uphill and into the wind, and the skies looked pretty "iffy" that morning.
It did rain on and off that day (starting and stopping about five times) but never very heavily. And the road, like all Wyoming roads we'd encountered, was litter-free and lightly trafficked. All in all it was a wonderful bike ride. |
| There's only one town along this 50 mile stretch from Cody to Yellowstone and it's called Wapiti. That's an Indian word for elk and is probably only known to native Shoshone-speakers and crossword puzzle addicts. Not much of a town, just a store and gas station, but it was a welcome stop. We ended up spending nearly a half hour there talking to the family (from Southern California) that owns the place while we waited for a particularly heavy spell of rain to subside. |
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Buffalo Bill's Hunting Lodge |
I'd promised John we'd see a lot of spectacular wildlife on this trip. But so far we hadn't seen much more than some pronghorn and trumpeter swans. This was soon to change as we pulled into the Pahaska Tepee Lodge that afternoon. Just a mile or so from the entrance to Yellowstone N.P. the Pahaska Tepee consists of about 20 A-frame cabins, Buffalo Bill's original hunting lodge, and a new modern lodge with restaurant, gift shop, and tavern.
Phone service was out and so our credit card was processed the old fashioned way. This was also the only place we stayed where there was no cellphone coverage. I guess Buffalo Bill wasn't a big wireless fan. |
| Not long after we'd checked into our room and had a bite to eat in the lodge, we noticed four male buffaloes ambling slowly eastbound on Highway 14. They seemed oblivious to the few cars passing by and the small group of people (including us) who had assembled in front of the lodge with digital cameras. Only in Wyoming can you get this "up close and personal" with these enormous beasts. And it must have been at least a half an hour before they'd progressed far enough down the road to be out of our sight. |
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That evening the phones were still out but, fortunately, the cable TV was working. So we sat down in the tavern and watched the NBA game with the hard-drinking, heavy smoking 20-something crowd that cooked and served the food, cleaned the lodge rooms, and took the tenderfoots out on horseback rides. Next