9/4/08

  I slept great and am enjoying a cup of coffee in the room.  We only found out today that the mountains we drove through, and the forest were the Big Horn National Forest.   This is trout fishing country.   We saw so many beautiful streams and many of them had people fishing.  I would love to learn how.

   We decided to stay another day so I called the front desk to see if we could get the room for another night.  They said this one was rented but they had another they could give us for the same rate.  OK, cool.  They said that room was already ready so we drove to the front desk and got the key and paid.  Went back to the room and opened the door, nope not ready.  Turns out it is right across from where we were staying.  Strange.  Why didn't they just clean this one and give it to the people who were coming and keep us in the same room?  I talked to the housekeeping manager who said it didn't make sense either but admitted the people at the desk didn't always know what was going on in the cabins in the back.  They would clean the room and get it ready for us.  So. 

    We parked the van and walked around Cody.   Such a pretty town.   They have painted bear like we have painted prairie dogs here. I made Rick pose by a couple.






 We did some shopping and I got a job offer.  Now wouldn't that be nice.  Then we stopped at the coffee shop, the Beta and got strong coffee with espresso.








 Now that picked me right up.  Then we walked to Grannies for a skillet brunch and then went back to see if the cabin was ready.



  Nope.  The manager was very very nice and we talked to him about how to get to Yellowstone and how long it would take.  He told us the best way to do it.  See some today, and then in the morning go back and turn so we could get to the Tetons.  We were getting a much later start then we wanted so wouldn't be able to see it all.  And it let me into the cabin so I could go to the bathroom.  Now we were ready.

      It was  a long drive and we got todrive through a long tunnel.









. We stopped at the Buffalo Bill damn for pictures and then went to Yellowstone.  The weather was overcast and spitting rain. We passed a fresh forest fire at the Shoshone national forest.  The foot and a half of snow they had on the 1st is what put it out. I was a long drive to get there.  Nice drive though.








    It was a nice drive and we had a wonderful rock filled trout stream running along side the road most of the way.







    There are reminders along side the stream that humans are not the only ones who enjoy fishing at the stream and we saw fresh bear scat and tracks.  I kept my eyes open.



    We hadn't quite realized it was as far as it was to Yellowstone from Cody.  It was a beautiful drive though and occasionally the sun peaked out.








  There is evidence all over of the huge fires in Yellowstone.  At first you wonder if any trees left in yellowstone. 







The weather was overcast and spitting rain.  Cold cold cold.  It was 2:30 by the time we got to the park.





  Most of my pictures were terrible due to the rain. 

   We saw moose, elk, buffalo again.  In fact we got stalled by the buffalo.  I was happy the roads in Yellowstone, while windy and steep were wider then some of the mountain roads we had been on.   Coming out of rocks all along the drive were waterfalls from the recent snow melt.



 Flowers everywhere. 









 It is just beautiful.  On one large lake along side of the road steam rises from underground hot springs.



 This is repeated allover the park.  It reminds you that we are on a large active volcano.  I suppose as long as it is letting off steam we are fine.

















     I kept stopping to take pictures which didn't turn out for the most part and that turned out to be our downfall.  We finally got to old faithful just in time to see it ending.  We then had to wait 90 minutes  for it to go off again.  It was cold, in the 30's and spitting rain.  We walked around and looked at the others and then waited.  Tell the truth, it was not worth the hypothermia.  We sat in the wrong place so we only saw steam coming at us and I was so cold I was just happy it was time to leave.














  Burrrr.  I was happy to see it though. Now I know why they have medic's in the park.  To treat the frozen guests.  The lodge was very cool though.  Rick touched the water in the streams that run away from the geyser and it was cool.

   In the parking lot we saw a truck that was so awesome.  It was from South Africa.  The windows were all barred and on the side was a world map with a red line showing where all they had been.  It was the kind of truck that would go through streams and rivers, over deserts and mountains alike.







  In the van I was so happy for the heated seats.  I was not dressed for 37 degree weather.

     Now we had the joy of driving 100miles back to Cody.  It didn't seem like we had driven that far to get here but it sured seemed like that going home.  Now we had to drive down the mountain.   And it was foggy, rain mixed with snow and the temps were dropping.  We were praying it wouldn't ice up and remembered that just 3 days ago they had had a foot and a half of snow here.  Sure didn't want any of that on this steep winding road.  We were lucky to be almost the only ones on the road.  The parkis empty at this time of night with most people staying at lodges or cabins or campers and not leaving like us.




 We saw buffalo on the road.  It is hard to get them to move to the side.  They are so big and not real friendly so you let them walk where they want.  Beautiful fox along side the road and a great horned elk trotting through a meadow.  I took pictures again at the lake.






   The temp only got down to 35 so no freezing and we finally got back to town at 9:30.   How nice to get back to our little cabin which was now ready and welcoming for us.  They had put a silk rose, 2 free breakfast passes and a note of appology for the mix up of this morning.  We were amused to see the cabin we had had to vacate this morning still sitting empty.  It was too late to go anywhere to eat so we were glad we had a late brunch.  Dinner tonight, sausage, cheese and crackers and bed.   Tomorrow....free breakfast, back to Yellowstone and thenthe Grand Tetons.

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