Friday August 1st, we left Livingston and headed east to Buffalo, WY, where we are staying at the Indian Campground and RV Park for two nights. We arrived early so we had time to go into Buffalo and walk the Main Street. Buffalo’s Main Street has a curve in the street, most Main Street are straight, but in the very early days a merchant was not getting enough traffic so he had a friend take a bull team and change the dirt path slightly to go by his store, and that trail is today’s Main Street. The historic Occidental Hotel was first established in a tent in 1879, in 1880, the first actual building for the hotel was constructed of logs, and the building was formally called the Occidental Hotel (meaning “Western” Hotel). The brick building that we are standing in today was constructed between 1901 and 1910. It has a real old western feeling and the Saloon still looks like it did in 1880, and I was waiting for Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid or Calamity Jane to walk through the doors.
The next day, Aug 2nd, it was a beautiful sunny morning and we drove the 64 mile, Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway from Buffalo to Ten Sleep, WY. The Byway travels through the southern section of the Bighorn National Forest and crosses over the the Powder River Pass (9,666ft). At the pass we hiked further up the hill and had great views of Cloud Peak the highest in the Big Horn Mountains at 13,167 feet.
After leaving the Pass we drove off the main road to the Meadowlark Ski Lodge, a beautiful lodge located at the foot of the mountains and next to Meadowlark Lake. Then we started the descent into Ten Sleep Canyon, descending 3,000 feet in just a few minutes along several switchbacks. The canyon walls were formed millions of years ago of dolomite stone. There were large pullouts to get out of the car a view the beauty of these canyon walls and Ten Sleep Creek. Once we descended the canyon we made are way to Ten Sleep, a small western town, with a few shops and restaurants to stop and eat. The name Ten Sleep came from the Native American Indians when they would ride from Casper, WY to Bridger, WY, and Ten Sleep was half way, this it would take them ten sleeps to get there. After having a bite to eat we turned around and drove back to Buffalo. On the way back we stopped at the High Park Fire Lookout, we took the dirt road about ten minutes to the small parking lot and hiked 15 minutes up to the fire tower. This Lookout is one of the only 3 CCC built fire towers that remains in the Big Horn Mountains. In the 1920’s and 1930’s it was manned throughout the summer, there is still a bed, stove, fridge and table inside. We walked up onto the deck of the tower and the views were breath-taking, 360 degree vista looking out over the Big Horn Mountains for miles. We drove 128 miles round trip today on the Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway and it was well worth the drive.
On the way back we stopped at the High Park Fire Lookout, we took the dirt road about ten minutes to the small parking lot and hiked 15 minutes up to the fire tower. This Lookout is one of the only 3 CCC built fire towers that remains in the Big Horn Mountains. In the 1920’s and 1930’s it was manned throughout the summer, there is still a bed, stove, fridge and table inside. We walked up onto the deck of the tower and the views were breath-taking, 360 degree vista looking out over the Big Horn Mountains for miles. We drove 128 miles round trip today on the Cloud Peak Skyway Scenic Byway and it was well worth the drive.