- Grizzly got dangerously close
- Drive through Yellowstone and the adjacent Shoshone National Forest to the western town of Cody
- Moose mother photographed with newborn baby
- Monster steak and too many mojitos
At 7 a.m. we start on the usual route to the Lamar Valley. Hardly in the park do we see a large black bear for a brief moment. There will be no special animal sightings until further notice. We drive over Tower Falls and the 2700 m high Dunraven Pass into the Hayden Valley. Unfortunately, a grizzley cannot be seen here either. So we continue over the Fishing Bridge towards the east exit of Yellowstone National Park. We stop for a picnic at Yellowstone Lake. We see some fumaroles and marmots.
A little further on, a large number of parked vehicles can be seen again. The park ranger's car, which is also present, makes us hope to see a bear again. And actually our second grizzley. Unfortunately, the midday sun in the backlight is not exactly ideal for taking pictures, but it is still an amazing experience. He digs for roots and other edible things, and doesn't seem to be bothered by the observers at all. It approaches slowly and comes within 20 meters. Finally he falls below the red line of the ranger. Everyone back in their vehicle!
We continue our journey with a big smile on our faces. Go over the Silvain Pass towards the park boundary and Cody. Here, too, the winter is still deep and the lakes are frozen over. More bighorn sheep ate directly on the road. We leave the park through the east gate and enter the Shoshone National Forest. Suddenly we feel like we are in one of the Red Rock canyons further south, we are crossing the idyllic Shoshone Canyon.
Completely unexpectedly, we get to see another highlight. On an island in the river, a photo group spotted a cow elk with her calf that was just a few days old. The next stop is the Visitors Center of the Buffalo Bill Dams, which shows the construction of the technical masterpiece. Arrived in Cody, we move into our room in the simple Sunrise Motor Inn and take a rest. In the evening we walk to the center of the town. At the Rin Chop Steakhouse we eat a huge, delicious New York steak and drink mojitos. The party fever grabbed us and continued the evening in a western bar. While I continue with beer, Oli treats himself to Captain Morgans for a ridiculous 3.75$.
