Part 14: Cody, WY to Radium, CO

20210907-10

The Trip

Our stay with our friends Bob and Sandy in Cody was coming to a close.  We had been subjected to a number of days of heavy smoke from the western wildfires, so visibility of the local mountain ranges was severely impaired.  We said our goodbyes and headed south toward Colorado.

The Photos

The photos below are what we saw.

This shot shows the extent of the smoke in the air.  Normally, the pristine air in this area gives outstanding views of Carter Mountain and the Absaroka Range.  Today, the high peaks were barely visible through the smoke.

  Looking away from the sun, the visibility look better, but the air was thick with smoke.  We completed our pre-departure actions and headed out.

On the east side of Cody we could see the effects of the extended drought on a local water storage area.  The concentrated salts in the water turned the ground white.  This area, like most of the West, has suffered from the extended drought and these salt deposits are but one of many examples of the impact of the drought.

We followed the Big Horn River south through the gorge in the Owl Creek Range.  The Big Horn was flowing well below normal for this time of year.

On the south side of the gorge we got nice views of the uplifted and tilted strata in the area that is part of the "Overthrust Belt".

  As we motored south, Thor scared up a small herd of Antelope that were grazing near the road.  This is barren country, barely fit for man or beast.  Note the volcanic cinder cone on the horizon.

Our destination for the night was Boysen Reservoir on the Big Horn River.  The reservoir was very low leaving wide beaches.

The only good thing that came from the smoke in the air was a nice sunset.  I was a fraction of a second too slow on the shutter to catch the bird in the middle of the sun.

As the sun continued to set, the colors deepened.

The following morning was not as smokey, but the extent of the drought was evident in the wide beaches at the reservoir.

Kathleen chose the route south and a sign on the road said "Steep Grades Ahead".  Indeed.  The grade is visible through the haze; it was about 8%.

Once we reached the top of the grade the direction of the road became painfully obvious.  Snow fences can be seen on the south side of the road.

We stopped at an intersection called "Muddy Gap" to make sandwiches and saw this sign.  We continued south and finally spent the night in Saratoga, WY and had an awesome dinner at the local Italian restaurant.  Saratoga is a very small town and the fact that they had one really nice (albeit expensive) restaurant is a testament to the affluence of their tourist base.  When we left the following morning, our path took us near the airport and it was filled with private jets - perhaps 20 were there when we passed.  Saratoga sits astride the North Platte River which host good trout fishing which is the mainstay of their tourist industry.

We continued south from Saratoga over the Laramie Divide into Colorado.  We passed through Kremmling and then turned west on the Trough Road which took us high above the Colorado River.  In this region, the BNSF main line follows the banks of the Colorado and the tracks are visible in the photo above.

The turn-out gave us a commanding view of the smokey valley below.

Our destination was the BLM campsite at Radium, right on the river.  This was the nicest BLM site we had every visited - large, clean and well organized.  Our campsite had a view of a railroad tunnel on the other side of the river.

Nestled in a canyon on the other side of the river was a small enclave of ranches.  These folks have a MAJOR drive for any services.

Camp Radium caters to fishermen who put-in or pull-out at the boat ramp here.  In the distance, the folding and faulting that resulted in the current canyon was visible in the exposed walls of the cut in the cliff for the railroad line.

Like all the campsites at Radium, our site was exposed and unshaded, but temperatures were moderate so lack of shade was not an issue.

We walked the short distance to the launch ramp to talk to some of the river guides.  The bridge at Radium is the only way to cross the river for 20 miles in either direction.

Across the river we could see active irrigation in progress.  Pipes were run to the banks of the river and diesel pumps were used to supply the pressure required for the sprinklers.

  Just prior to our departure from Radium, a huge train came down the canyon.  There were 9 engines in this train.

Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2021 all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.