Yellowstone Territory

The Voyage of Discovery spent two days exploring Yellowstone National Park, a glorious piece of volcanism and geomorphology. A fire in the south central section of the park thwarted our plans for an entrance at West Yellowstone, a circuit tour, easy exit at the north gate, and an early overnight in Gardner. Yes, we did enter at the west gate and overnight in Gardner, but only after a 175 mile detour that required retracing most of our route into the park. We arrived at our lodge well beyond sunset and near exhaustion. The fine accommodations revived us and we were on our way back into the park for an exploration of Yellowstone Canyon and an exit at the east gate. The smoke cloud from the West Thumb fire provided us with spectacular light and color and offered many opportunities for dramatic photography along the route. Our drive into Cody, Wyoming was through equally stunning landscapes under the protection of the U.S. Forest Service. At Cody, we dined at the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill Cody in 1902. Prime rib, oysters Rockefeller, baked cod, and superb vegetables made a perfect ending to a perfect day.