Sunday, June 03, 2007

Bighorn and Beartooth Mountains

Over the past month I have spent several days each week in Cody and other cities around the area. I have taken quite a few pictures and decided to share some of the good ones. The drive to the area is very beautiful. It begins in rolling green hills, goes through the alpine slopes of the Big Horn mountans, down through the desert, and ends at the foot of the Beartooth mountains. The contrasting landscapes are spectacular.

The following are some pictures from the trips. The first ones are from the Bighorn Mountains West Of Buffalo. On one trip it was snowing. On another it was clear and beautiful. There is something I enjoy about rain and snow in the mountains.

The road begins to descend the west slope of the Big Horn mountains.
Looking east back up the mountains. The last five miles of the road descent steeply joining the fast running Tensleep Creek.
This is the final view before exiting the canyon.

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Just West of Cody is Shoshone National Forest. The highway follows the Shoshone River to within a couple miles of Yellowstone. It is a beautiful area with only one drawback, the highway. Highways like this are troublesome. Without them the area would undoubtly be better, but then the majority of people, including myself, would never encounter the area. Overall I am glad to be able to experience the area.

This is known as the Holy City. It reminded early settlers of Jerusalem.
Just a small cabin off the highway. All the land after Wapiti is National Forest so no new development is allowed in the canyon. Most properties are passed from parents to children.
I still can't decide which picture I like better. The wide view or the long one.
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I thought I would take some pictures for mom of all the wild flowers I encountered. There is a prize waiting for the person who can correctly name all the flowers.
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Finally I thought that a picture of main street in Cody would be nice. It is a lovely little town.