On Saturday we joined friends on a hike to Riddle Lake which was about five miles round trip. It was a mostly flat walk through meadows and woods on a delightfully sunny day. The only animal we encountered on the path was a mule deer who watched us as we watched him. After a few minutes he got bored and went into the woods.
Since inquiring minds want to know, we bought a book titled Yellowstone Place Names which explains where different places in the park got their names. Riddle Lake was originally named Lake Biddle on the Lewis & Clark map. A later map marked it as Lake Riddle and that name stuck. Here is our first view of it.
There were lily pads along one side and two swans made their way through them while we were there. It was very peaceful, quiet, and enjoyable. After we hiked back out to the car we had a picnic lunch and made our way to Moose Waterfall, named with the philosophy that natural features should be named for local fauna. While we were there several people decided to jump in and swim around the falls. It was fun to watch but much too cold for us. You can see one man in the corner of this photo.
Since we had a three day weekend, on Sunday we decided to venture into Montana by way of the Beartooth Highway and stay overnight at Red Lodge, MT. Charles Kuralt, On the Road television correspondent referred to it as "the most beautiful drive in America." From the northeast entrance of Yellowstone to Red Lodge is 68 miles of amazingly beautiful scenery. The road goes up over a mile with switchbacks all along the way. There are lookout points all along, and we stopped at many of them. The highest point is 10,947 ft. Here's a view from that point.
This spot is called Bear's Tooth is where the road got its name. Neither one of us could recognize the tooth. It may be that one mountain peek in the middle. There was still snow on some of the mountains.
We took so many pictures, and it's hard to decide which ones to include. The pictures just don't do justice to the breathtaking scenery.
This view is from a lookout at 9,000 ft.
The drive took several hours because we took our time. We arrived at Red Lodge, check in at the Inn, had dinner, and walked around town. There were lots of gift shops and saloons. It seems very popular with motorcycle riders who take the highway on their way to Yellowstone.
The next morning we intended to stop in at the Red Lodge Museum but it didn't open until 10 a.m. and we were ready to leave before that. So we took another scenic route west and then south to Cody, WY. We got there in time to take the Trolley ride around town. Although we had been to Cody several times before, we learned lots about the history of the town and saw homes of many of the famous residents. The tour guide brought Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley to life by explaining how life was back in their days. It was an interesting tour in a fun cowboy town.
One of the suggestions of the tour guide was to stop at the Wild Sheep Museum. Since we had a little extra time we went in to explore. It was small but very well done. We learned lots about sheep and saw a film describing them and their habitat. It was time well spent. We hope to see one in the park.
All in all it was a great way to spend my birthday weekend.
Since we have less than two weeks left we are starting to feel the time crunch. There are still lots that we want to see and do, and we are chipping away at the list. The store is getting less crowded probably because school will soon be starting for many. Instead of the "geyser rush" sometimes it's only a "geyser trickle." The temperature has dropped into the 30's a couple of nights, but it is still getting up to the middle or high 70's. We are planning our trip to Oregon for after we leave Yellowstone.
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