Old West Town
We stayed an extra day in Buffalo, WY so we could relax and visit the old town as our host here at Deer Park suggested. Buffalo is nestled at the foot of the Big Horn Mountain range and on the old Bozeman Trail. Main Street follows the path of the trail as it dips down to cross Clear Creek and then rises to the other side. I could envision the cattle drives and wagons doing that.
I really wanted to see the old Occidental Hotel which has been restored to historical condition but with niceties added in the rooms. They spent a million dollars on it to make it modern yet have the look and feel of the old place. Lots of famous or infamous western figures stayed at the Occidental including Wild Bill, Sundane Kid and company and Calamity Jane. Here are some shots from the hotel.
The Virginian Dining Room has maybe 10 tables and looks very old, authentice and classy! Next time we come through I think we'll plan dinner here and make reservations in time. It is said to be the best restaurant in Wyoming :)
After walking Main Street we headed out on Highway 16 for a 35 mile drive to the Cloud Peak pass on the mountains...at 9600 feet. The temperature dropped to 55 and we weren't prepared for that. But the highway was very nice although it had some heavy duty grades and sharp curves. This is one of the ways into Yellowstone so we talked about how our Mr. Blue would manage the ups and downs.
I spotted a beautiful buck with large antlers but no place to pull off for a shot. Also saw some elk and babies. It is a heavily wooded area and the forest floor was covered with blue lupine and tiny snow flowers. Very lovely.
There is a lot going on in here including a blue grass festival and rodeo at the fairgrounds. It was $40 per person for tonight and that seemed a bit pricey to me. We opted out. We also skipped the Jim Gatchell Museum which sounds interesting but will have to wait for next time.
I'm really glad we stayed the day and did a little exploring. This is a nice park and we stay here often on our northern trek so I'm happy to be more familiar with this beautiful section of Wyoming.