1122 August 31, 2024 Recovery Day

The stars last night were amazing. The glittering canopy blanketed us and because we were up on a ridge the sky was huge. The big dipper loomed large and clear. The Milky Way was a bright white wash across the heavens. I stood in awe.

We slept well and this morning, the sky was beginning to brighten as we woke. The sun rose as it set last night…as a large orange globe.

We enjoyed a campfire and our coffee. We could see wild horses to the north and south. We saw with the binoculars, a coyote strolling down the dirt road.

We aired down the tires because we had read that the road today would be a “rough clay road.” In fact, the road surface was great! We continued our trip. We wanted to see the rest of the loop. The visibility was much better; the colors more vivid.

Remnants of the Bar X Ranch.

There were so many pronghorns out and about. They were skittish and went tearing across the grassy plains at our approach; kicking up great plumes of dust as they went.

We saw a prairie dog standing sentry at his hole near the intersection.

There were lots of little birds and grasshoppers that took flight as we passed. We saw bullet shaped raptors flying low, searching. We saw one jackrabbit hightailing it from one bush to another.

We passed Honeycomb Buttes and Oregon Buttes.

We came to a group of free range cattle. To whom do these cows belong and where is their ranch? We crossed a cattleguard and there was a sign for NL Land and Livestock.

As we neared the end of our ride we saw a few campers and trailers parked among the rocks.

We saw a few more horses and lots more pronghorns.

We went past South Pass. This was an important path for human migration for millennia. Native Americans walked this way through the Rocky Mountains. Years later this route was used by the pioneers traversing the Oregon Trail and by the Pony Express as well.

At long last, we were among powerlines and then on the highway. We had a very successful and fun time.

We were back at the RV park before lunchtime. The remainder of the day was spent cleaning gear, doing laundry, gathering supplies, and getting fuel and fresh water. Tomorrow, we will move to Threemile Campground in the Shoshone National Forest. It is three miles form the East Entrance to Yellowstone. We will be there for a couple of nights. We have read that cell service/internet is limited/nonexistent. We will post again when we are able. We have not been to Yellowstone before and we are very eager to be there.