Day Three(cont.): Shell Falls, Bighorn National Forest to Greybull, Wyoming to Tensleep Canyon
Sunday, June 8, 1997

Sheep Mountain Area Panorama

Well after stopping at Shell Falls, by noon, we had reached Ron's Food Barn in Greybull, where we got some more supplies. After visiting the Espresso/Cappuccino Lady who had a drive-through stand in the parking lot, we ventured over to Sheep Mountain anticline. Bill made sure we all had lots of water and sunscreen.

We drove back along some dirt roads for about 10 or 12 miles to the interior portion of Sheep Mountain and parked the vehicles (photo). There we spent the afternoon climbing around at the place Bill had been to before. The rocks were jutting up to form a big flatiron (photo), which we spent an hour or so climbing. Finally we got to the top (photo) and took a break to suck in the glorious scenery. Cooky took a different route so that he could get some pictures of the flatiron from the side. That's it in the center of the panorama.

Clouds were starting to brew by late afternoon so it is time to pull-out. Of could we had to climb back down that dang hill (photo). We decided to drive all the way to Tensleep Canyon and camp there tonight. This is because we had made arrangnments to tag-up with the Penn State Geology Field Camp in Buffalo around noon the next day. The field camp has been traveling to a different place every day before they get to the main places they'll be studying like the Red Lodge area and later Alta, Utah. We were going to go follow them to a spot where some researchers were excavating dinosaurs. So it was best if we found an overnight place a little closer to Buffalo than Greybull.

A few hours later we finally drive up through Tensleep Canyon and find a campground just below the fish hatchery. The spot is right beside the creek which is all white water and roaring. What a cool campsite--TALK LOUDER, I CAN'T HEAR YOU over the sound of the creek. If a person was to fall in he would be a goner for sure. Maybe if you were lucky they'd find your body all twisted-up in a heap of logs and branches somewhere. So Bill kept and eagle-eye on us kids to make sure we didn't get to close to the water (photo).

Here are some more photos of our camp nestled in the canyon:
Tensleep Camp 1 | Tensleep Camp 2

For supper that night we had spaghetti. While we were waiting for the grub, we tossed a football but it landed in what looked like poison ivy. There seem to be alot of it around in the little microclimate area within Tensleep Canyon. Its a lot wetter here than over at Sheep Mountain. Then, I'm sure it started raining and some of us might have eaten in our tents. I think that some kind of dessert like a cobbler was fixed in the dutch oven, but can't really remember.

Some of us are getting tired. I notice we start going to bed earlier without getting too roudy around the campfire (click for photo of our sedate and melancholy group). It has been one heck of a long day. Darkness has fallen in the canyon and we want to get a good night's rest so that we aren't tired when we head back over the Bighorns to Buffalo to see a real Dino-dig. As we settle into our tents, we can't help but hear the roaring waters. Every few minutes there is a deep knocking sound as boulders roll and clunk along the creek bottom. Several times we awake to the sound of rather large boulders moving in the water. Cooky said he even dreamed that the creek rose overnight and swept us all away. We tell Cooky he should be more concerned about shaving cause the last thing we want is some of that facial hair to get in our vittles.