It's About the (RV) Journey....: Scenic US 16.....

Buffalo is the half-way point between the Badlands in South Dakota and Yellowstone in Wyoming. Heading out on US 16 West for a "scenic drive" (towards Yellowstone), we were treated to such beautiful scenery! The wildflowers in the mountain meadows were in full bloom! We spent a few hours driving through the Big Horn National Forest to Ten Sleep, on the other side of the mountain pass. The road traverses through the mountains, with a view around every curve. I could not stop taking pictures, and had a hard time whittling down to 100 or so for this blog post. I want to be able to recall this awesomeness when I am old(er) and reliving this experience by reading my own blog! Don't forget you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them-you can see the wildflowers better!

US 16 West past Buffalo

Wildflowers everywhere

Isn't that beautiful?

Driving through the forest on US 16

First of all, the mountain meadows are just stunning with all the wildflowers in bloom! Wow! What a show! I tried to capture the beauty in the pictures, but I just could not. It is way better in real life than in the pictures. With the snow-capped peaks in the background, it was truly a sight!

What a view

pretty

enjoying the view

what a picture!

another view

more...with a camper caravan in the background (we were in our car)

is that nice or what?

So beautiful! The mountain meadows and forests throughout the drive were, in a word, picturesque.

nestled in the mountain

may be tough driving in the winter with snow and ice

another scenic overlook

so many trees

this forest floor is pretty bare

Every once in a while, we'd spot a deer or marmots. I was surprised there weren't more animals out and about snacking on the flowers. I know the deer in NJ like any flower we plant! Hahaha.

snacking

high mountain flora

When we got to the top of the mountain pass, there were several campers parked in the pull-out viewing area, but we didn't really see that many people in the parking area. Just a few people taking pictures. Well, the rest of the group were off checking out the snow!! They really seemed to be having a good time with it. I think it was the first time they all saw snow.

we are at the top of the mountain now

I think these folks are from Florida...or somewhere where they didn't have to shovel all winter! Hahah

Spots of snow all over in the higher elevation

The landscape changed a bit as we went down the mountain and out of the National Forest. It was stunning though. And by the way, who takes a drive through the mountains and does not bring a jacket or a sweater? That's right...me. I deserved to freeze every time I got out of the car!

hills didn't seem sooo bad on this road

love the mountain streams

I am freezing! Me! I don't say that too often!

The landscape was extraordinary...with the rock and pine trees, and those wildflowers! There was a roaring river along some of the route as well, nicely flowing from the snow melt.

landscape changing...still awesome though

close up of some of the rock formations

winding down the road through the mountains

what a nice view

roaring stream

cool rock formations

a view of a canyon

a rancher fell off looking for his sheep many years ago

a cross(monument) was put up to memorialize him

cool rock formations

do you think mountain lions hang out there?

heading toward the town of Ten Sleep

landscape is so different now

cool rocks topped with trees

As the road turned, a woman in a pick up was standing in the street pointing at something. We weren't sure what she was doing. We went around a bend, and what did we see? Cattle and cowboys! It was like a scene from a western. Apparently, the cowboys move the cattle from one pasture to another via the road. The woman was trying to warn us!

what? Are we on a western movie set?

and a real cowboy

herding the cattle to a different pasture

so many...

action shot of the cowboys

The wranglers were working hard to keep the cows from straying too far. They all seemed thirsty. Most of the cows went right to the river there...just for a sip! Hahah.

Soon after the cattle experience, we were in the town of Ten Sleep. We stopped for a protein bar (I know....great lunch, huh?), before turning around to head back. There was not much in the town, and we were happy to get that at least. (They also had awesome bathrooms-which is what we really wanted!). On the way back to Buffalo, we spotted a turkey vulture and some sheep. Those poor sheep. Why are they in a barn like that?

almost in Ten Sleep now

Nice landscape

Amazing!

turkey vulture

these sheep need a new barn

We didn't really need to read this sign, after the cattle crossing experience we had. On the way back, we ran into more cattle, coming from a different direction. I noticed the cowboys were the same though. That must have been some huge ranch! So many cattle. The cowboys seemed to be having a rough time with that bunch of cows too.

hard to think of eating a burger after seeing those cows

more stunning views

nice river

more cattle on our way back to Buffalo

nice scenery

these cowboys are really working hard

didn't see them actually lasso the cows....we were just driving along

branded

Moooooo.....actually please moooove

hey buddy, you are going the wrong way

they all want to head over to the stream for a drink

The view was slightly different on the way back, so I had to snap a few more shots. The scenery was spectacular.

nice

a different view

stunning scenery

more wildflowers ready to pop

We stopped at a lake to enjoy the view. I'm sure the water was pretty cold, but I did not check it out myself. (I was freezing without a jacket!) Shortly after that, we saw our first moose. We were so thrilled! The moose knew we were there, but didn't really seem to care. Continuing on, through the higher elevations, we could see snow in and among the pines. It might be a while till it all melts.

mountain lake

I'm too cold to test the water temp! Why didn't I bring a sweater...i have a million of them!

our first moose sighting!

close up-hope we aren't disturbing her

still lots of patches of snow around

From US 16, we took Forest Service Rd 33, for a ride through Crazy Woman Canyon (again, recommended from the tourist information at the Visitor Center in Buffalo). The road became a dirt road, with 2-way traffic on what appeared to be a one-lane road. Okay. It was pretty, and it went down the mountain and into the canyon. Down and down we went-on this tiny road with ruts and rocks. We only passed 2 cars, thankfully at spots where one of us could pull over. I think this journey would have been better in a jeep!

start of the Crazy Woman Canyon scenic drive

pretty

going down

and down

hope no cars are coming

remote campsite in front of a gorgeous waterfall

one lane bridge

river flowing nicely

cool mountain stream

its a little warmer here in the canyon

You can't really tell from the pictures, but trust me, the road kept going down. We followed a roaring creek a lot of the way, and there was a nice waterfall on the side of the road as well. So nice, that someone decided to set up camp there!

We eventually reached the bottom of the canyon, with cool rock walls along the sides of the tiny road and the creek still flowing rapidly. The road was a little dicey in parts, with ruts and big rocks, and it was narrow in many places, with a bit of a drop if you went off the road. Hmm.

still going down

and down

driving through the bottom of the canyon

its a little claustrophobic

but pretty

hoping no cars are coming

really nice

almost out of the canyon

the road is getting better

no more ruts and rocks-finally!

Finally, we turned a bend and this is what we saw! The difference was amazing. We were so amazed coming out of the Crazy Woman Canyon, with such a difference in geography, that we actually got out of the car and took a picture of what was in front of us, and what was behind us.

this is the view coming out of the canyon

this is where we've been...the view behind us

The drive back to Buffalo was along a gravel road. Finally, we hit the "main road" that would take us right into Buffalo. The only difference appeared to be that it was paved. There still was not much around. I really thing there are more cattle in Wyoming than people.

wow...such a different landscape now

heading back to Buffalo

on the highway now!

Lo and behold, what did we see? Does that say wool? Of course, we knew where we were. Mountain Meadow Wool Mill was on my list of "must see" places. I love their wool! It comes from sheep ranchers in Wyoming, and the rancher and the mill work together to produce such a fine product. For more information, click here. The owner gave me a personal tour of the mill, which was fascinating. I was just thrilled! Everyone working there was so nice. I was a little envious of the woman who did the dyeing. What fun that looked like! She loved her job! Of course, I bought a few things, but we won't go there.

Actually, Mountain Meadow Wool is right down the road from our campground. I may have to ride my bike back there again...maybe while Tom is ~~sleeping~~ reading later!

Mountain Meadows Wool Mill

they spin one of my favorite yarns

time for a little shopping?

drawn to the blue, of course!

Since we were basically sitting all day, driving around, we took a long walk back at the campground. There is a nice loop through the meadow and along the creek, and of course, the actual campground roads too. We were able to get some good mileage in!