Five Countries Four Marlboroughs: Leaving Yellowstone, Cody and onwards to Sheridan

The day had come – we were leaving Yellowstone. We only stayed two nights and Wildlife Bel really didn’t want to leave. The only good news for us was, we had beaten the weather. That morning it had started to rain – how lucky to have scored fantastic weather for our stay! That day we were heading to Sheridan and it was a six hour drive away.

We had driven into Yellowstone via the Western side, now we were leaving via the East. Once again I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time – I didn’t want to miss a thing! Once we turned off east, there was still steam rising from the earth. It is the most incredible sight to see. We saw a lot of cars pulled over which only means one thing – wildlife. There was a bear in the distance and once again I wished I had a better camera! We continued on and just outside the National Park we saw a lone bison. I have developed a huge soft spot for bison. He was grazing on the grass – and then he looked at our car and started wandering towards us. He then stopped and laid down a short distance away. Awwww, I felt sorry for him hanging out by himself. A little further along and once again there were cars stopped along the side of the road. This time there were two bears – a mother and her cub. There were around 6 other cars that had stopped and people were out taking photos. Of course there is always someone that goes to close. A lady walked really close and the bear must have turned her way as she bolted back to the car. (Another mistake!) I stood in awe for half an hour watching the bears eat berries up and down the mountain. I didn’t mention previously that we saw so many people doing stupid things in Yellowstone. We saw a lady and her grandchild bend over a boardwalk to touch the water. Not only could it have been boiling, it is full of billions of bacteria. Another lady climbed over a fence so her husband could take photos of her in the pines. It was ridiculous as no more than 30 metres away was a boiling geyser. I can see how people can get seriously injured and/or die.

Shortly out of the Yellowstone Park we continued our drive through mountain ranges and right from that moment, everything was Cowboys and Indians. The rock formations were incredible and we imagined what it would have been like for the cowboys and Indians to be there back in the day. We drove through Buffalo and besdie the Buffalo Bill Dam and then through a tunnels in the mountains.

We were heading to the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West that had five museums. I wasn’t sure how interested the boys would be at the museum however it ended up being a fantastic stop and one of the highlights for all three boys. When we arrived we saw everyone from the tour and we were so grateful we didn’t have a time limit to explore. The highlight that day was to see Terry’s and the boys, particularly James, reaction to the Gun Museum. This museum holds the largest collection of guns in the world. As we walked into that section, James starts telling us the names of the different types of guns. I had no idea that he knew this but he said he learnt it from a game he plays on his computer with his mates. Then it was Terry’s turn to tell the boys what he knew. The boys were extremely impressed to learn that Terry grew up with guns when he lived in Canberra and the he had quite a few by age 11. James said, ‘Wow Dad, I didn’t realise you were so cool.’ We then all had turns at the Buffalo Bill shooting gallery. Although I am not a fan of guns, I am a very good shot – as of course is Terry. The kids were impressed once again. All of a sudden, our family was apparently cool. We also learnt all about William Cody or as he became known, ‘Buffalo Bill’

After the museum, we continued our drive through Wyoming and the Bighorn National Forest. The drive was challenging with winding roads but it was again an incredible drive. We just love driving and thankfully the boys have been as good as gold in the car. We arrived into Sheridan for the night and again caught up with the Aussie family for drinks and buffalo wings. The end of another huge, but incredible, day.