Wind & Rivers & Canyons, Oh My!
Day 16: 569 Miles
Total: 5,910 Miles
After spending the night in a nice hotel it was time to hit the road once again. As we got started, we realized what a beautiful little city Cody was, and I was sorry we didn't have more time to explore it. We found several other very nice small towns and cities along the way as we traveled through Wyoming. However, as we left the mountains of Yellowstone in the rear view mirror the terrain became much less interesting. Endless miles of uninteresting scrub grass and bushes lay between us and the distant mountains. Every time it appeared that we were getting closer to the mountains, Route 20 would turn ever southward, keeping them at a distance.
After 100 miles or so we were becoming resigned to the fact that the rest of Wyoming was eminently uninteresting. Then as we approached Thermopolis the terrain began to change, and change dramatically. It suddenly went from drab to beautiful.
Beyond Thermopolis it went from beautiful to incredible. We came to a sign telling us we were entering the Wind River Canyon, and for the next several miles we were on sensory overload. Ever downward into the canyon, each turn of the road brought new, even more breathtaking scenery. The pictures don't come close to capturing the majesty of this canyon but hopefully they will begin to give you a sense of what it was like.
Almost as quickly as the incredible scenery began, it ended. For the rest of our drive through Wyoming we encountered pleasant grassy rolling hills and interesting towns, but little else. There were some interesting storm cloud formations, but they looked much worse than they were to drive through. We got a little rain and that was it.
At about 5:30 we hit the Nebraska border and came across some interesting buttes. The drive was pleasant for the remainder of our trip. So far the terrain isn't spectacular, but it is very green, very pleasant and in a sense, comforting. We stopped for the night in Valentine, Nebraska and are staying in a very nice, well kept motel. Until tomorrow...
Ciao!
Total: 5,910 Miles
After spending the night in a nice hotel it was time to hit the road once again. As we got started, we realized what a beautiful little city Cody was, and I was sorry we didn't have more time to explore it. We found several other very nice small towns and cities along the way as we traveled through Wyoming. However, as we left the mountains of Yellowstone in the rear view mirror the terrain became much less interesting. Endless miles of uninteresting scrub grass and bushes lay between us and the distant mountains. Every time it appeared that we were getting closer to the mountains, Route 20 would turn ever southward, keeping them at a distance.
After 100 miles or so we were becoming resigned to the fact that the rest of Wyoming was eminently uninteresting. Then as we approached Thermopolis the terrain began to change, and change dramatically. It suddenly went from drab to beautiful.
Beyond Thermopolis it went from beautiful to incredible. We came to a sign telling us we were entering the Wind River Canyon, and for the next several miles we were on sensory overload. Ever downward into the canyon, each turn of the road brought new, even more breathtaking scenery. The pictures don't come close to capturing the majesty of this canyon but hopefully they will begin to give you a sense of what it was like.
Almost as quickly as the incredible scenery began, it ended. For the rest of our drive through Wyoming we encountered pleasant grassy rolling hills and interesting towns, but little else. There were some interesting storm cloud formations, but they looked much worse than they were to drive through. We got a little rain and that was it.
At about 5:30 we hit the Nebraska border and came across some interesting buttes. The drive was pleasant for the remainder of our trip. So far the terrain isn't spectacular, but it is very green, very pleasant and in a sense, comforting. We stopped for the night in Valentine, Nebraska and are staying in a very nice, well kept motel. Until tomorrow...
Ciao!
Comments
We are just sitting here listening to the illegal fireworks pop off and wondering if it will be as bad as last year when late at night on the 4th all hell broke loose. The roof shaking, window rattling super noise was like living in the middle of a war zone.