It took me way too long to pack up all my gear in the morning so by the time I was back exploring the park it was already noon.

This pool of steaming water had turned white and colorless because of tourists throwing items into it. Often the strong winds just blow peoples hats into the water too.

That day it was particularly windy which didn’t feel great on the bike but because of the beautiful scenery around me I was going quite slow anyway so the winds wasn’t a big problem.

In one of the many dead forests I spotted an elk enjoying the breeze.

My plan for the day was to temporarily leave the park for a little detour East to enjoy a scenic route between Wyoming and Montana.

 

Soup of the day: instant noodles …

… with a view.

Yellowstone National Park bucket list – check.

Having left the park the landscape quickly changed from the lush green grass covered mountains to barren rocks. The wind started to pick up even more. The bear signs next to the road were old news.

I arrived at a valley with a big lake and a campsite right next to it. The lake was part of Buffalo Bill state park, named in honor of William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill who lived in the next town, Cody which he founded. He had a big influence on this area.

The setting sun tinted the landscape in its golden light while I started preparing my home for the day.

For the first time after having pitched this tent many dozens of times I had to use the tents ropes to secure it to the ground. My camp spot being right at the lake was exposed to the wind and without the ropes my tent tried to take off to it’s own adventures.

I was contemplating a swim but felt too exhausted.

Instead I yearned for some cool water from the hand pump but it did not exactly taste like rainbows so I resorted to my last warm water supplies instead.

There wasn’t a lot of wood around for a fire but still enough scraps for a sizable pile of kindling and the campsite host offered free fire wood.

A little lighter fluid goes a long way.

And the meat I roasted over the fire was the best I had ever eaten.

The wind died down once I had crawled into my tent and I slept like I rock.