North Fork of the Shoshone River

Sometimes I just want to hang out in the forest

I don't always need to drive far to go sightseeing

I am off work of Wednesday and Thursday each week and I try to get away in the RV to see different areas around Cody.

Last week I stayed overnight at 2 different forest service campsites in the Shoshone National Forest. I only used about an 1/8 tank of gas over 2 days - but felt like I was far away from everything. No cell service in these areas.

The Wapiti Ranger Station, located on U S Highway 14/16/20 about 30 miles west of Cody, was built in 1903. It was the first ranger station constructed at federal expense in the United States. In 1963, the Ranger Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. The Ranger Station and outbuildings are still used today to house Forest Service summer seasonal employees and pack and saddle stock and for storing equipment and supplies.

Wapiti: [wop-i-tee] a Shawnee word for white rump - also American Elk, large deer

Wednesday night at the Wapiti Campground and Thursday night at Rex Hale Campground

$20 a night for a large site with electric/water

Shoshone River

a 100-mile long river in northern Wyoming, Its headwaters are in the Absaroka Range in Shoshone National Forest. It ends when it runs into the Big Horn River near Lovell, Wyoming. Cities it runs near or through are Cody, Powell, Byron, and Lovell. Near Cody, it runs through a volcanically active region of fumaroles known as Colter's Hell.This contributed to the river being named on old maps of Wyoming as the Stinking Water River.

The current name was established in 1901 due to popular demand.

West of Cody the river is impounded in Shoshone Canyon by the Buffalo Bill Dam, created as part of the Shoshone project; one of the nation's first water conservation projects. A number of hot springs along the Shoshone were drowned by the reservoir. Upstream of Buffalo Bill Reservoir the Shoshone splits into the North Fork, which follows a long canyon down from the Absaroka Mountains to the vicinity of the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and the South Fork, which originates at the southern end of the Absarokas.

Fire Fighters Memorial near the Rex Hale Campground

Rex Hale Campground is located along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.The campground

 is named after Rex Hale, one of 15 firefighters who died in the 1937 Black Water Fire,

which burned more than 1,700 acres of Forest Service lands within the Shoshone National Forest.

I love being near water, love sitting by a river. 

Advice from a River

YourTrueNature.com

Go with the Flow

Immerse Yourself in Nature

Slow Down and Meander

Go Around the Obstacles

Be Thoughtful of those Downstream

Stay Current

The Beauty is in the Journey

The 33rd Annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow

Saturday - June 21, 2014

There are four sacred colors

The East is white, the color of dawn. 

The South is blue, the color of the sky overhead at noon.

The West is red, the color if the setting sun. 

And the North is black, the color of night. 

The Powwow brings together Native dancers, drum groups, families, and artisans to share the Native cultures of the Great Plains.

Grand Entry ushers all participants into the powwow arena at noon and 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, and at noon on Sunday, Jun 22. After a welcome and opening prayer, host drum Arapaho Nation from Arapahoe, Wyoming, sing flag and victory songs. Competitive dancing begins after the posting of flags by color guard Apsáalooke Nation Guard from Crow Agency, Montana. Arena Director is Charlie White Buffalo, and Master of Ceremonies Robert “Corky” Old Horn announces from the stage and makes it easy for visitors to follow the action.

Dancers range in age from tiny tots (children under 6) to golden age (adults 55 and older). Dance categories include traditional, grass, and fancy for men and boys; and traditional, fancy shawl, and jingle for women and girls. This year’s specials include gourd dancing, tiny tots, women’s fancy shawl, men’s traditional, men’s chicken dance, and team dancing.

Tiny Tot dancer

I arrived around 11:00 to walk around the vendor booths and to watch the dancers preparing for the Grand Entry. I had to work at 2:00, so I was only able to stay for the Grand Entry and did not see any of the competitive dancing. 

Link to article about the 25th Anniversary of this Powwow in 2006

Devil Canyon Overlook

Thursday - June 26, 2014

Horseshoe Bend Campground is a beautiful place and I could have stayed another night, but I decided to venture out and see what else was in the area. It was a lazy morning and I left the campsite around 11:00.

Pulling out of the campground, I headed north up the canyon to Devil Canyon Overlook, I had crossed over into Montana.

The road ends at Barry's Landing and you can't travel further into Montana from this point, you need to head back south into Wyoming to exit the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

It was a cloudy morning - the colors are much brighter than these photos show.

The water is very green and still, there are no water birds anywhere in this area. 

There are several pull-outs along this road to view the surrounding rock formations and for the hope of a glimpse at wild horses, I probably should have headed north to the end of the road and the 2nd campground at Barry's Landing, but I think I will be back to this area before I leave Wyoming.  I did not see any horses or bighorn sheep today,

Mouth of the Canyon Trail

Wednesday - June 25, 2014

I headed out to the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in the morning hoping to get a campsite (they do not take reservations).

The campground is 12 miles from Highway 14A.  It is a great drive even if you do not get a site. The visitor center is in the town of Lovell,  but they were paving the parking lot so I was not able to stop to pick up any maps or brochures. There is a $5.00 daily fee to enter the area or you can use a Federal Parks Pass.

There are two campgrounds in this area and I stayed at Horseshoe Bend Campground. The sites are very large and they now have 19 sites with electric and water for a fee of $15.00, the other sites are free.

Horseshoe Bend is a place to go if you like boating, or if you just want a quiet place to getaway. There is no cell service or wi-fi, but I was able to get a weak signal at the top of the canyon to send a message to my daughter with my location.

While circling around the campground loops to pick out a site, I noticed a sign for a short hike. After I got settled in my site and ate lunch, I decided to walk this trail.

The trail starts out on a service road and then you follow a path to the edge of the canyon. When you get to the middle of the trail there is a beautiful view of the water at the bottom of the canyon. It is a circular trail that crosses over itself at a few points, or you can just do an out and back hike. There are not many trees and the trees that are here are short and provide no shade. If you decide to walk this trail, make sure you wear a hat and bring along some water. (Yes, I did both, it is very hot and dry here)

View from the overlook at the center of the trail.

Later in the day I walked down to the marina, there is a small store and a large playground and a swimming beach. There were 2 people fishing from the shore, I did not see anyone else around this area. I wonder if this place is busy on weekends.

It started to rain while I was at the beach area

I walked fast back to the RV

and we had a heavy rain from 8pm to 9pm

lots of wind, rain and lightning.

It was still light out after the rain and I took a short walk around the campground loop hoping for some sunset pictures, there was a lot of lightning far away behind the mountains NE of where I was. I took a bunch of pictures but could not capture the lightning show.