We were still within Hot Springs State Park, and the only thing left for us to check out was the road where we could potentially spot bison. We'd been told yesterday at the Visitor Center that the bison gave birth the previous month, so the park now had a total of about 30 bison, including 11 calves.
Since we'd just been to Yellowstone and seen so many bison (including the herd of hundreds that caused a bison jam!), we didn't think we'd see a sight as incredible. But We. Were. So. Wrong. No sooner had Michael turned the corner on the road, that we saw all the bison mamas with their babies, on the side of the road and on the road itself! The calves were all feeding from their mum's teats, and they were so close to us that we could not only see their features clearly, but also reach out and touch them through the car window if we stretched a bit. Obviously we were super close, but we didn't want to startle them and make any sudden movements, and it felt very relaxed, with some of the bison even sitting down and relaxing on the road in front of us when they weren't feeding.
It was such a special experience, and it felt extra special as bar one woman driving the opposite direction who stopped briefly, there was no one else but us to witness baby bison feeding and bonding time. Eventually we did move, when the calves got off the road and a couple of male bison started to come towards the herd. What an incredible memory for us to have on this trip.
What's that Smell?
For the last few days we have been dealing with a moldy/damp odor every time we turn on the air conditioner in the main cabin. Michael had a theory that it was blocked and that the condensation was collecting and settling inside the air vents somewhere. Before leaving Thermopolis we decided to stop by a mechanic to try and see if they could fix the issue.
A couple of the mechanics came out to tinker under the hood while Michael explained his theory and they managed to clear out a bunch of dirt, rocks, some dead insects, and even an acorn from the collector box where the condensation should drain from. They managed to clear most of the blockage and we saw water draining onto the ground so I guess that was a small success. The bigger success was they didn't charge us for their help!
The Tiny Town of Ten Sleep
We stopped at the tiny town of Ten Sleep (population: 257), apparently named for it being "10 sleeps" from Yellowstone National Park to the west-northwest, Fort Laramie to the southeast and Stillwater River in Montana to the northwest. The town truly is a step back in time, with a typical Old West-style general store constructed with wooden clapboards, a saloon and restaurant, a senior community center, and a handful of other buildings (there were probably only 10 buildings altogether, so maybe "Ten Sleep" now should refer to the 10 buildings sleeping here)! Dirty Sally's, a general store that was recommended to us in Thermopolis that sells groceries, coffee, souvenirs, and other general items was where we naturally had to have ice cream (Lisette recommends the pecan praline)!
Our drive took us through northern Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest--and who knew that the scenery here would be so gorgeous? There are a few pullouts along the way, so we stopped at the Leigh Creek/Bighorn Interpretive Site, which allowed us to taken in the incredible limestone canyon, mountain vistas and winding creek below. A sign notified us that this area shows the Bighorn Dolomite, a geologic formation in Wyoming, that's around 435-500 million years old. How cool!
The Town of Buffalo
Our next town stop was Buffalo, a significantly bigger place compared to Ten Sleep (population: 4,621). Still, the town seemed to be very quiet, with stores that weren't open and not many people walking the streets. We did find the Old West architecture to be quite charming. There was the Occidental Hotel (still not open for the day when we went, but is a hotel, saloon and gift shop where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stayed) various antique stores, numerous murals, and even a sign advertising for pig wrestling this Friday (although they still needed pigs). Sheila walked around with us, but had a bad poo, which we figured was because she'd eaten something that didn't agree with him (she, like many dogs, is apt to eat random things off the ground, despite our best efforts to stop her).
As we were leaving Buffalo, we stopped at the Mountain Meadow Wool Mill at the edge of town. It's a family-operated mill that transforms raw wool into premium yarn, blankets, and apparel, with a mission to help sustain local ranchers and revive the American wool industry. The mill has free admission and there's a self-guided tour around the factory, showing how the yarn is made, as well as displays of some of the old equipment used to process the wool, which comes not only from sheep but also bison, yak and alpaca. To encourage participation, there's also a quiz visitors can do from the tour, and if they get all the answers right, they get 10% off their purchase at the gift store.
Gilette, Not the Best Sheila Can Get
Our final town stop for the day was the biggest: Gilette, with over 33,400 people. Our visit here was more practical though: a trip to the laundromat, a water refill and grey/black water dump, and buying some groceries. Unfortunately, however, Sheila was still unwell, having the runs now, and needing to go often.
When we left Gilette after our errands, it was getting late in the evening, but we decided to forego a rest stop and continuing driving toward South Dakota. The wind had been picking up since Gilette, and now the strong winds were accompanied by dark, ominous clouds overhead. We were about to get stuck in a severe thunderstorm, and could see the lightning strikes followed by loud rumbles of thunder. While there were plenty of pullouts, we didn't want to be so exposed, so drove until we found a shoulder on a road that wasn't so elevated, near a few buildings. On the weather app, we could see the radar showing the storm passing directly over us, and our best option was to find the best shelter and wait it out.
And then it hit. Loud raindrops, followed by hail. Lots of hail. We were worried about Sheila and how she was faring (like many dogs, she hates thunderstorms), as well as our solar panels, which were coming under fire by golfball-sized hail. The storm lasted about an hour or so, and we knew that Sheila was really unwell when she desperately wanted to head outside during the storm to go to the toilet. She never goes outside when it rains, and this was a particularly heavy downpour. Whatever was in her body, was giving her a lot of discomfort, and we knew that unless she someone improved miraculously overnight, we'd need to find a vet and take her there as soon as we could. Fortunately, there was a vet nearby that opened at 8am, so this would be our first stop tomorrow.
Route Map
