Yellowstone, Cooke

East of Butte we get off RT90 and head to Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park.  I had considered staying at the campground there but assumed they would be full. Turns out not to be the case. The campground is in the valley, but it is a couple mile drive up the mountain to the cave. We were able to get the last two spots on the 10:30 tour.

The trail to the mouth of the cave is a 300 foot rise and a 1 mile hike. It is getting rather warm, so I am looking forward to getting into the 48 degree cave. Well, it was a 2-½ hour tour and fairly strenuous for a commercial cave. 600 steps, 500 down and 100 up. Very interesting, very tight in places, even had to slide down on our butts in places to fit through.  Glad I wore a hat, saved some head banging.

Hike to Cave

Candle light, used in tours 100 years ago

These guys really need haircuts

Bats

We decide to have lunch at the Cafe there and split a BLT on toasted sourdough bread, best one we have ever had. Linda makes a point of letting the cook know. A state park Cafe, what a surprise.

We had a BLT recently at a road house type restaurant in Alaska and we received two slices of wonder bread untoasted with a strip of bacon and some lettuce. It was so bad it was funny. 

My plans were to drive to the north entrance of Yellowstone and drive out the northeast entrance and boondock for the night just outside the park.  Our plans for the next day is to drive the Beartooth highway to Red Lodge the next day. We tried to drive in the opposite direction back in June, but it was going to be closed, because it was going to snow that night. We did drive up part way that day before until it started snowing in the afternoon.

We got to see many herds of buffalo driving through northern Yellowstone late in the day. Even had to wait for one herd to cross the road in front of us.

Buffalo at rest

Fox out for an evening stroll

We leave Yellowstone and drive through Cooke, the town just outside the entrance.  We find a National Forest Campground with lots of vacant sites. With our Senior Pass its only $10, what a deal.