The day started with a good nights rest and Wingnut and I set out to be the first in line for a tour of Wind Cave. I very much enjoyed being in a 55°F/12.8°C cave as the day was already pushing the upper 70s at 8:00 am. Back in July of 2013 I explored Jewel Cave which is only about 16 miles away. However, Wind Cave was almost entirely different. I asked our guide about this and she acknowledged as much. The geology of the two caves is different because, despite being so close to one another, the minerals of the two caves are different.
After the cave it was time for a long drive out to Thermopolis, Wyoming. There is the Wyoming Dinosaur Center which is the finest fossil exhibit I have ever seen. After visiting Wingnut agrees. I was happy to see they are planning a new facility. Their current facility, while fairly large, looks like a random metal building at a forgotten edge of town. Yet inside are some of the most impressive fossil I've ever seen. Their archaeopteryx is still among their most impressive, with feather details preserved in the stone. I could have spent most of the day in this museum. Sadly we had to leave when they announced they were closing for the day.
From Thermopolis it was time to go to Yellowstone, and Wingnut would go through her first mountain pass. We arrived in Cody, Wyoming shortly before sunset and began making our way into Yellowstone National Park. Then the trip took a less pleasant turn. As we neared Lake Yellowstone winding through mountain roads someone approaching us was flashing their brights. I was confused because my brights were not on, and I lost my night vision from the glare of their lights. Shortly after we passed this vehicle there we saw a buffalo walking down the road directly in front of us. I had no time to do much but hit the breaks and turn hard to the left. The collision happened about 30 MPH. I pulled over and before exiting the car to inspect the damage I looked behind me to see about the buffalo. It was walking away as if to say "jerk, I'm walk'n here!" I lost the passenger side mirror and the headlight was now pointed at the trees. The hood is crumpled, the side panel crushed, and the bumper partly falling off. Yet the destruction seemed to be mostly cosmetic. No fluids leaking, and the wheel well was unobstructed. I had just collided with a 2,000 lbs (1,000 kg) animal but was able to drive away.
We bedded down by Lake Yellowstone rather shaken, but unharmed. I feel bad for having hit one of the few non-extinct species of megafauna, but could be glad to have driven away.
After the cave it was time for a long drive out to Thermopolis, Wyoming. There is the Wyoming Dinosaur Center which is the finest fossil exhibit I have ever seen. After visiting Wingnut agrees. I was happy to see they are planning a new facility. Their current facility, while fairly large, looks like a random metal building at a forgotten edge of town. Yet inside are some of the most impressive fossil I've ever seen. Their archaeopteryx is still among their most impressive, with feather details preserved in the stone. I could have spent most of the day in this museum. Sadly we had to leave when they announced they were closing for the day.
From Thermopolis it was time to go to Yellowstone, and Wingnut would go through her first mountain pass. We arrived in Cody, Wyoming shortly before sunset and began making our way into Yellowstone National Park. Then the trip took a less pleasant turn. As we neared Lake Yellowstone winding through mountain roads someone approaching us was flashing their brights. I was confused because my brights were not on, and I lost my night vision from the glare of their lights. Shortly after we passed this vehicle there we saw a buffalo walking down the road directly in front of us. I had no time to do much but hit the breaks and turn hard to the left. The collision happened about 30 MPH. I pulled over and before exiting the car to inspect the damage I looked behind me to see about the buffalo. It was walking away as if to say "jerk, I'm walk'n here!" I lost the passenger side mirror and the headlight was now pointed at the trees. The hood is crumpled, the side panel crushed, and the bumper partly falling off. Yet the destruction seemed to be mostly cosmetic. No fluids leaking, and the wheel well was unobstructed. I had just collided with a 2,000 lbs (1,000 kg) animal but was able to drive away.
We bedded down by Lake Yellowstone rather shaken, but unharmed. I feel bad for having hit one of the few non-extinct species of megafauna, but could be glad to have driven away.