Here I am again....

It seems that each time I say I am going to post more often, I don't post for a very long time.  It's been 8 months since my last confession, er, post.  A lot has happened during that time - we've had good and bad times, vacations, family and friends visits and life is good more often than not.

I am now officially a year out from my stroke and the problems I was having in November have hung on.  My first 3 fingers are numb and the bottom of my foot near my toes.  In the last 4 or so months, my knee has gotten numb again and I had thought that was gone for good.  When I am going to be walking, either in the mornings with my friends or hiking on vacation, I wear knee braces on both knees because if I only wear one, I get tired from walking differently.  All in all, though, I haven't been prevented from doing anything and that makes me happy.  Little adjustments here and there, like not standing still (that is so hard, I get tired immediately), letting my arm get used to a weight before actually lifting (like for pouring coffee), and making sure I feel balanced before I start walking (getting up from a chair or the floor).  I'm sure there more that I don't think about anymore, these are just the ones I am aware of in everyday life.

TDH and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and our son's wedding in the same weekend!  It was a lovely ceremony on the banks of the Potomac with the Washington Monument in the background.  I kept telling everyone that for our 35th anniversary, we gained a Grand-daughter and for our 40th, we gained a Daughter-in-law.  We had a great time and the newlyweds came back to FL with us for their honeymoon.  We gave them the house for a week - but it only ended up to be 3 days because the condo we were going to stay in had problems with the air conditioning!  We went on a deep sea fishing trip on Wed. and the bride and I both caught trophy sized King Fish!!!  It was amazing.

 I've made two athames and some light catchers.  The athames were made for specific folks.  I've had several orders for the dragonfly.  It's so cool to have people appreciate what I do.

I also signed an artist's agreement with Local Colour in Alexandria, VA.  The owner is a marvelous soul who will be exhibiting my work for 3 months.  She has the dragon, the seashell pendant below and a necklace and earring set of hands.  Check out her FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/localcolouroldtown

VACATION

The first week in June, TDH and I fulfilled a 26 year old dream.  We went to Yellowstone National Park.  We had planned to go there in 1988 with the children but there was that big fire so we didn't go.  Every time we talked about going again, something else would come up.  Finally, this year it happened.  The following is the journal we kept.  I hope you enjoy.  We went on a tour called Total Yellowstone Package.  I would recommend this to anyone interested because you see most all of the highlights and some things most folks don't see.  It was so good that I was not ready to come home on the last day there.




6/6 Denver, Colorado Springs, Estes Colorado

We arrive in Denver at their massive airport that seems to be bigger than a lot of cities.  I’d guess only the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport is bigger..  


We use National as I have their Emerald service that allows me to choose any car in the lot. Last year when we went to Nevada I picked a big Dodge Pick-up, knowing we were going to be off-road. This time I chose a Nissan pick up and we got underway.  We both noticed it was not as nice right away.  I should have turned around and took it back but the airport was too large and confusing.


Manitou Cave Dwellings.  Our First stop was the Cave Dwellings at Manitou. (Figure 1) I know how Mary feels about Native American culture and these dwelling were only about 90 minutes south of Denver.

We get on interstate 25 and on the way, we see Castle Rock, a large rock formation, right off the highway. I had not eaten all day, and of course, the airlines do not feed you so we stopped at a Sonic for food. Their food is just as bad as out east.


Just past Colorado Springs, we arrived at the Cave Dwellings and Mary is awe-inspired!  There is a museum with artists from 1AD to almost present day.  It was so awesome that she didn’t did not take one picture in the museum!!  It was so engrossing the camera never left her pocketbook. The basket weavers (Anasazi) were amazing farmers and craftsman.  They used a method called dry farming so they could grow stuff in the high desert.  The pot makers (later people) around 100AD or so, hunted more.  The Cave Dwellings themselves were beautiful.  Places for all the business of life; a speaking room, storage room, sleeping rooms, kiva for sacred rites.  They lived stacked like apartments.  Pueblos came much later, and they had one there built in the early 1800s. At the museum Mary saw what looked like a hummingbird but was black and yellow, slightly larger than and eastern hummingbird, and with a longer tail  She said is was “so cool”.(Sorry, no picture of it)


Garden of the Gods.  About a mile away was the Garden of the Gods. (Figure 2) It is a state park that you drive through. “Oh my goodness” Mary says, “It is so beautiful I can't even describe it.”   It's a free park donated by one man to the state with the stipulation that it always stays free. At the entrance was a balanced rock the size of a house that was so beautiful and it was right there by the side of the road.  There are a million trails and a very scenic lookout at the visitor center where the mountain rocks look like camels and in the background, Pikes Peak. I saw an elk on the hill and took about 100 pictures.


We then got back on 25 to Estes State Park. I did a printout of driving directions and they kept us on 25 for 50 more miles, but Mary’s GPS on her phone told us to take another road. Just north of Denver we go on this road that went from 4 lanes to 2, then, once we got to Boulder, it was stop and go and sometimes we lost the road altogether. Construction eliminated the road altogether and we drove many miles on single lane dirt roads.


Fortunately the scenery was awesome and we saw elk in the front yard of a home!  On another home Mary was impressed with a Christmas tree made of household irons and wild gladiolas. 




Estes Park.  We checked into our hotel called Peak to Peak and it reminded us of the subterranean hotel in Ebensburg, Pa. It too was an old cabin-like hotel with practically no amenities.


The proprietors recommended a restaurant called Cables just down the road but we decided to mosey down through the town instead.  One side of the road was on the edge of the mountains and the other side was along the river.   We ate at an Italian place called Mama Roses on the porch.  Inside was a rehearsal dinner going on and no free tables, it was a little chilly when the sun went behind the skyline, and, or course, we forgot jackets, but being able to watch the river was awesome. It was up to but just not overflowing its banks. Across the way from Mama Roses was a burger joint called Poppy’s. (Figure 3) After we walked along the river to the next intersection and then along the road looking In all the shop windows.  At one t-shirt shop, they had cartoon of wild animals got up like Star Wars and the saying "May the Forest be with you."


Back at the hotel, we sat on the deck a bit and enjoyed the view and danced under the stars making our own music. Although our adrenaline was still running high we settled in to bed. About an hour later, I woke up and couldn't stop coughing. My cold-like sore throat has been lingering for a third week. Mary had some anti cough pill the doc gave her for her Bronchitis and taking two did the trick. Mary’s magic cough pill and a cough drop on my tongue did the trick – for about 3 hours.


6/7 Estes - Rocky Mountain National Park - Rock Springs

Up before the crack of dawn and still on East coast time. We found a coffee shop in Estes,- Kind Coffee, purchased some coffee and fresh cake and off we went. Right out of town begins the Rocky Mountain National Park, There are too many great views to recount, and Mary ran out of superlatives. After a while she just kept saying “Man-o-Man” 


It is a drive-though park with a lot of the highway in the still snow covered regions. Our travels went further and further up into the mountains until we found ourselves in still snow-covered areas. Once there was enough on the ground we stopped and had a snowball fight.(Figure 4)


We continued up route 34, eventually past the tree line. We were well about 11,000 feet, stopping occasionally at pull-offs and scenic sights. At one in particular, Mary made a “friend” with a local resident (figure 5). The animals, while not skittish, were not quite friendly either.  This marmot came within about 2 feet of Mary. “It was awesome” was all she could say. We also some ravens and what appeared to be magpies, a raven like bird that is black and white. We also saw antelope grazing in yards and standing on the shoulder just watching us go by. 


We continued on route 34 through the mountains and passes and, finally, through the other side. As we started our trek down on the western side of the mountains the scenery changed back, from rocky alpine, to wooded. We eventually got back down to rolling hills and campgrounds. By one of the campgrounds at the base of the maintains there were 4 or 5 elk grazing in and around the campers.(Figure 6)


Eventually we turned on to route 40 and the rolling hills eventually became dessert-like scenery. When I laid out this trip, this portion was only about an inch on the map.  Little did I realize that there were a lot of switchbacks to get down those mountains. We were supposed to be through the park by noon and an hour later we’d be hunting fossils in Utah. 


We were still no were near Utah  at 3PM, so we decided to not stop at Dinosaur National Monument, other than a nature break.   The road became very rural and for the most part, we could make decent time, except for one thing. Near the Utah border we had to stop and drive real slow as there was over a mile of sheep on the road in this open country (figure 7). 


Once in Utah we passed signs on the road about shell piles, sand dunes, dinosaur tracks but no signs or anything to direct you to them.  Flaming Gorge is beautiful, but no rest rooms or pull offs for about 70 miles. In the Rocky Mountain Park, there were rest rooms about every few miles or so. I guess the people in Utah don’t pee.


One time we did pull off in Flaming Gorge, it sounded like crickets everywhere along with birds. It was neat and eerie at the same time. As we walked around the sight, a cicada like creature landed on Mary and another landed on me. It was time to go. 


We made it to Rock Springs, Wyoming around dusk, checked into our hotel and ate dinner right away. We had a choice of the Mexican Restaurant in front of the hotel or the Mexican Restaurant attached to the hotel. We chose to stay inside. 


The food was good, taco salad and a chicken dish with some kind of butter sauce. We went back to the room and went right to bed.  We were both exhausted.  In Estes I had been up since 4AM and eventually got up at 5AM and we were on the road by 730AM.


This evening, although we fell asleep while it was still light (8:00PM mountain time), we were both up coughing during the night. More Nyquil, cough drops and magic pills helped get us both get through the night.


6/8 Rock Springs to Yellowstone – Snow Lodge

This time it was Mary who was up early. She got up around 3AM and put in the days before adventure into her Kindle. She got back to sleep around 4AM and we both got up around 6:30AM.  We were up and dressed and fed and on the road by 8AM.  Breakfast was free and it was awful. We definitely got what we paid for. The trip north to Jackson, on route 191 was flat and long. I did find my next house (Figure 8) Yes, the old dilapidated house sits in the middle of nowhere.


As we went further north, we started to see hills in the distance and white capped mountains beyond that. The ride down into Jackson Hole was spectacular. 


Jackson.  Once you get near Jackson Hole, the valley gets flat and suburbia sets in. The actual town of Jackson would remind you of a cross between a wild-west type town, and New Hope, only much more expensive. 


We walked around town, viewed the town square, with the arches of elk antlers (Figure 9), and went into a store with nature made art...fossils etc. Mary got a free sharks tooth from the proprietor. The mountain sharks teeth are much different than the once she picks up on the beaches down here. The one she got was brown and looked like a rock. Most of the ones she finds on the beaches here are black.


We continued our walk around town, eventually stopping for lunch at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. It is supposed to be famous.  They have saddles for seats at the bar. We both ordered a burger and a locally brewed beer. Hundreds of old silver dollars are embedded in the bar. So close, yet I could not touch any of them.  I cried. 
 

Grand Tetons.  After lunch we moseyed back to truck to continue our journey. Just outside of town begins the drive through the Grand Tetons National Park. We stopped for a picture or two (Figure 10) then continued to the Southern entrance to Yellowstone.

We stopped along the way taking pictures of the views and the Continental Divide. I had to tease Mary that we are getting tired of snow capped mountains. The drive from the entrance of Yellowstone to Snow Lodge took about an hour with more stops for pictures of waterfalls, lakes and another leg of the Continental Divide. 


Yellowstone – Snow Lodge.   It took another hour of driving to get to Snow Lodge, which sits a couple hundred yards behind the historic Old Faithful Inn.  The complex is the most commercialized village in the whole park.


Our room was not ready yet so we walked across the street to see Old Faithful and walked around the lower basin loop. It goes off every 90 minutes or so, and we didn’t have long to wait. What we didn’t know was the lower loop basin walk was part of our tour the next day.  


After checking in, we ate dinner at the Obsidian restaurant, the main restaurant in Snow Lodge I had bison short ribs with moose drool ale gravy. It was very good. 


We took another walk, to the Old Faithful Inn and it is even more beautiful than the Disney recreation back east.  We walked out back and saw Old Faithful erupt again. We made it to our Total Yellowstone Package - Trip Orientation which was at 8PM.  The guides were nice and fun.  They handed out gifts along with luggage tags and name tags.  There was another couple celebrating their anniversary (30^th), along with some other “bucket-listers” old folks who wanted to do Yellowstone before they croak, and a few whole families.

We headed back to the room for some sleep. The room was big, but sparse. There is no phone, no TV, no internet, not even pictures on most of the walls. I went through some withdrawal, missing out on modern conveniences, but I lived. Both Mary and I had another night of Nyquil, magic pills and cough drops. Exhaustion didn’t stop us from coughing without medication.


 6/9 Yellowstone – Lower Geyser Basin

I was up early while Mary slept in. I got out before sunrise, just as everything was lighting up. As I got to one corner of the walkway I saw Beehive Geyser erupt (figure 11)  while there was still frost on the boardwalk. This is one geyser that does not erupt with any regularity, so I was very lucky.  When I got back Mary was awake and we had our coffee (at least one modern convenience) and got started. 


We had our breakfast at the Obsidian then we met our group at the two buses; One Greyhound type bus and one smaller one that was handicap accessible. (Figure 12) Everyone was lined up at the big bus (think Greyhound) and there was no line at the smaller vehicle so that’s where we headed. For the morning ride we, and a couple where the wife was in a wheelchair, were the only ones on the little vehicle. Eventually others saw the wisdom of the smaller bus and three other couple joined us. We were off to Biscuit Basin. 
 

We saw a bison from the parking lot and got many pictures. We stated that if there were charms for sale, we would purchase one with the first major animal we saw in the park. Now we know that the charm for Yellowstone will be a bison.


We took a mile and a half hike to see Mystic Falls over rocky and hilly paths. Mary had to stop a couple times but persevered and made it to the falls. “Yahoo!” the walk back didn’t seem as strenuous. 


The bus took us back to the hotel.  Mary laid down with her feet up until it was time for lunch. A few minutes with her feet propped up did the trick. She was ok after some rest. 


They seated us with a young couple from Idaho who own tanning salons. 


After lunch, we met up with the group again and started our 3 mile hike from Old Faithful Inn through geyser country and various other thermal features back to Biscuit Basin. There must have be dozens of geysers and hot springs along the walk. Mary and I both got into geyser overload.


The bus picked us up and took us back to the Snow Lodge.  We had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn.  We sat with a mother and daughter from NYC. The mother is a lawyer at Sloan Kettering and used to be a nurse there back in the day. It was very interesting to talk to them.


We went to sleep around 7PM with the sun still shinning, Mary was really exhausted, felt her body shutting down at dinner.   I used a Nyquil and Mary a Dayquil, we just needed a cough drop to get through the most of the night. Hey – We’re improving!




6/10 Yellowstone Snow Lodge

Mary woke up once coughing but went right back to sleep. She woke up for good around 3AM and read until I woke up a little after 4AM. It looks like we are still on Eastern Time.   We chatted for a bit, made some coffee, and packed for the next 2 days. We will take just one suitcase and leave the rest of the stuff in the truck. 

We got our showers and headed out for an early morning walk. Old Faithful was erupting as we rounded the Visitor Center, and we walked a bit further into the geyser basin and watched the sky get lighter and lighter. Our meal coupons are good for any restaurant in Yellowstone as they are all run by the same company, so we opted for breakfast at The Old Faithful Inn. We thought that the dining room opened at 6AM but it opened a half hour later, so we wandered around the lobby to kill time waiting for 6:30.  We sat in rocking chairs by the front door but the front door wouldn't close. It was just too cold to just sit with the breeze blowing on us.


So we went up to the second floor and sat in a couch that had a blanket, and soon the blanket was over us. After a few minutes Mary had some more energy so she said “Let’s go up to the next level”. So onward we went up to the third floor to see if we could get to the crow's nest.  There was a lock on the stairway and a sign saying they did not allow folks up there anymore because of structural damage during the earthquake in the 1950s. 


As we were reading the sign, a bell man came up with an armful of flags. We asked about the sign and he asked if we'd like to go up with him to hang the flags on the roof.  We both jumped at the chance and said “Yes!!!”  


At each level the set of stairs got skinnier and creakier.  At the top we had to be up about 7 stories. (Figure 13). Looking over the banister and the sight even gave me the shivers.  At the very top of the inside of the lobby is a tree house designed and built by the original architect because he wanted the hotel to look like a woods with a tree house in the tallest tree. 


There was another locked door that led to the outside of the hotel and the pitched roof.  The final stairs were too steep and creaky for Mary, but the bellman and I made it to the rooftop deck. I took pictures while the bellman hung the US, WY, UT, MT and Yellowstone flags, and took some aerial shots of the area. Mary liked the picture of Old Faithful (Figure 14), but all are interesting in their own way.  The picture below left is the Bellman hanging the Yellowstone flag on the roof.  Below right is Mary holding on for dear life at the bottom of the final steps to the roof.

We all made it down safely and the bell hop explained that until the early 1900s only folks who had a reservation at Yellowstone at the Old Faithful Inn could actually enter the place.  It was not open to the public like it is now. “It was still the wild west and who knew what kind of brigands and outlaws were in the hills,” he said.  He also said that there used to be a band that played in the Crow's Nest each night and there was dancing on the lobby floor. He told us that when he first started working there he requested not to be put on the morning shift so he didn't have to climb to the roof to put up the flags. 


We went to breakfast after that but it was hard to settle down, Mary got a yogurt parfait which was great. We went back to the room and cleaned up and then meet our group in the lobby for our continuing adventures. We joined the group and off we went. Our first stop was the Kepler cascades, then the West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake and some close up elk on the boardwalk.  (They are getting to be Old Hat.) Then we were off to the Fishing Bridge, Pelican Creek were we saw some rare white pelicans, and lunch at Yellowstone Lake Lodge.

After lunch we stopped at the Upper Falls, Artist's Point (at the lower falls), and Yellowstone River, canyon area,  The guide noted that it is said that if you can not view the falls until you get to the overlook, it is a majestic moving experience. I covered Mary’s eyes and lead her to the overlook.  When Mary opened her eyes – she cried: the view is that spectacular (figure 15). We took many pictures but none can really do it justice. 


The tour then took us from the south rim then to the north rim. More great views and even an Osprey nest view from above.


From there we were off to Canyon Village.  We find out our room is a cabin.  I don’t mind as long as there is a bathroom (There is). It is the same basic layout as the lodge rooms.  Others in the group were complaining.


I open the curtains so we can see the woods behind us, a very pretty view (figure 16).  Up the hill to dinner, a walk around the general store, then the walk back down the hill to our cabin. It looks like rain, but we made to the room, just in time.  We get by without the Nyquil and magic pills, just the cough drops during the night.


 6/11 Yellowstone Snow Lodge to Canyon lodge

We woke up around 5:45am, made some coffee and as we were sitting on the bed looking out the picture window, a BIG black bear went ambling by in the woods about 20 feet from the cabin. I jumped up to get the camera but the bear moved fast for one just out for a morning stroll. 


We watched until he got out of sight in the trees. As we met everyone outside the cabins at 645AM and there was another couple who saw the bear on front of the cabins who got really good shots.  I hope we get to share some of these pictures as we all get back home. 


In the cabin next to ours we saw a couple working on their vintage car. Other in our group were trying to figure out the approximate age of the car, and what type it was, but Mary knew. She explained that it was just like her mom’s car and she remembered fondly of her mom’s ’48 Plymouth. (Figure 17)





It was time to head out again.  They handed out our box breakfast, a boiled egg, apple, yogurt, orange juice, and granola bar.  Not everyone was happy with it.  Luckily we'd had coffee in the room so we were okay. 


Our first stop was Dunraven Pass and saw Mount Washburn, a towering mountain that still had snow. We stopped at a shop for coffee and a restroom break and while we were there saw a black bear on the hill. Mary was inside getting coffee and I stayed outside to watch it and it as it came down the hill and crossed the road near the group. The bear crossed the street and continued up over, near the buildings (coffee shop and rest rooms) and finally went down the hill on the other side right in front of me (figures 18 a and b).



From there we went to Lamar Valley, the greatest animal viewing area according to the guide.  And we agree. We saw groups of bison, big horn sheep, elk, pronghorn, marmots, coyote, black bear mom with 2 cubs. 


We had lunch at the Roosevelt Lodge and we, along with a few of the group did the 1/2 mile trek along a cliff to see the Lost Falls on the Lost River. On the way up the trail we saw mule deer.  It was here that our guide, Rob, reminded us that 98% of folks who visit Yellowstone do not get into the back country, like we were doing. 


After that, back to the Roosevelt Lodge and back down the hill to take a stagecoach ride. (figure 19)   On the way out, a bison crossed the road in front of the coach and once on the other side proceeded to snort, toss his head and jump up and down a few times to let us know he wasn't happy with us being there.

After the ride we drove to Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge for the night. Traffic stopped a few times because bison got on the roadway. 


We arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge, which is by the North entrance of the park and checked in.  Mary was sore and exhausted, and could barely make it up the steps to our second floor room. She laid down and asked me to lay with her but I was too excited to sit still. I was like a small child a Disney World and I didn’t want to stay in the hotel. I knew we were leaving early the following morning, getting on the bus at 8AM, so I wanted to see the mountain of travertine that was just up the hill. 


A few minutes of my fidgeting annoyed Mary to where she got up and said “Ok. Lets go.” We took a walk to the lower level of the Hot Springs and just enjoyed the beauty. Then she told me that this is where we are going tomorrow morning. “Oops… Sorry”


We had dinner at the restaurant next door then back to the room to update the journal and rest. It's 8PM and still light out, but we are exhausted.  I hope Mary leaves out the part where I nagged her to go see the Hot Springs.  A couple of cough drops got us through the night.


6/12 Yellowstone - Canyon Lodge to Mammoth Lodge

Mary woke up early and got me up and at `em around 530AM to see the sunrise and the colors on the terraces at dawn.  We walked up a different, wooded trail for a bit before turning back because it was forested, and still a little dark. It was just the two of us and this IS bear country.  We retraced or steps and started walking the boardwalk. We got to Palette Springs again and we were pretty much the only ones there. We watched as the sun rose and saw the various pink, green hues, and we hope the pictures do it justice. (Figure 20). I read somewhere that the early morning or late afternoon is the most colorful for this terrace as the micro-organisms are most visible. During the day the terrace is beautiful, but white.

 Back to the dining hall for breakfast, we met another couple from the tour and we were thoroughly entertained hearing about their life in Tennessee vs. New Jersey where they lived before. 

Back to the room, showered (in a claw foot tub) and packed.  We had time to spare so we walked the opposite way of the Hot Springs, to the overlook of the valley entrance to Mammoth. 




Met up with other folks at the bus and found out that a bear DID come out of the woods near the trail where we were and wandered in front of the dining hall.  They all had a very good view of it and no one got served until the bear wandered off. 


Got on the bus which took us back up to Palette Springs ... We had been there the night before and that morning...We kind of hung back. Then the buses took us to the top of the springs and got “hollered at” for wandering away from the group.  Our tour guide calls us the renegades. 


Back on the bus again and headed toward Norris Geyser Basin along the Gibbon River and saw the break in the Caldera with limestone on one side and pyroclastic flow on the other with the river in the middle.  We saw Gibbon Falls, and Obsidian cliff.  


We pulled into a nice wooded picnic area in Madison where we had our picnic lunch, a box lunch with a sandwich, water, granola bar and chips.  It was funny to think, “Here we are, having a picnic lunch in “Jellystone Park”, and waiting for “Yogi”, and “Boo Boo” to make an appearance.  


After lunch, we were taken on a tour in a historical open touring cars from the 1930s. (Figure 21) They have been entirely rebuilt and seat about 15. I spoke up when I saw the roofs were just canvas, so I asked if they can be rolled back.  I think the other passengers are getting a little tired of me.


We stopped at Fountain Paint Pots and saw in that one area all of the different types of thermals; a geyser, a mud pot, a steam geyser and a hot spring.  Then we stopped at a geyser called White Dome and waited for it to go off, and it did!  We also saw a few lakes that were different temperatures from hot to cool, all in the same place.  


The touring cars took us back to Snow Lodge, our initial lodging location (and where we left the truck).

We repacked, and bought and some souvenirs then went for dinner.  We sat with Sarah (from San Antonio), and Janet and Larry from (Tennessee) and Donna and George (from Boston). 


After dinner, we went out to the front of Snow Lodge, met up with the rest of the group for a farewell campfire.  We all roasted some marshmallows and to say our final good-byes.. Everyone was there as well as our guides; Geoff, Rob and MieykoThe guides gave us all a CD with pictures they'd been taking on the tour.


It must have been very unusual, but almost everyone commented on how nice Mary looked with her hair down and how great her hair is.  She thought it was really funny. 


We stayed until it started getting dark, around 9PM and decided it was time to head back to the room.

It was our first night without even a cough drop.
 

6/13 Yellowstone - Snow Lodge to Cheyenne Wyoming

I got up early and was showering by the time Mary woke up.  I took some stuff to the car while Mary got washed and dressed. It seemed like the whole Lodge was leaving early and we were all showering at the same time. Two minutes into the shower and that was it for the hot water.  For some reason, Mary didn’t want to take a shower in the freezing cold water. 


We went to breakfast and for the first time all trip, got served quickly. To save time I got the buffet but nothing on it appealed to Mary, so she got oatmeal. She must have been hungry because she said “It was delicious”. 


We ran into George and Donna and said goodbye again. We had a 10 hour trip to Cheyenne to do this day, but they were traveling even farther.  I think they were going to South Dakota.


Back to the room for a last look around and then took everything that was left to the car and got on the road. How Mary packed all those souvenirs (ie. boulders and logs, coffee cups, wine glasses and who-know-what else she picked up), into our tiny suitcases is beyond my comprehension.


Not 10 minutes down the road and nature called. We weren't even out of the park and Mary needed a pit stop. We stopped at the visitor center at Grant Village, one place the tour didn’t take us.   They had a really nice display about the ‘88 fire, what caused it, why the forest depends on fire, and the flora and fauna that leave or come back because of it.   Back on the road again, we go from Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Forest then went East through the Wind River Indian Reservation. 


When we came to Yellowstone we came up from Jackson in the South.  Now we were almost to Jackson, and our road goes east. The highway gradually goes from mountains (snow covered) to forests to grasslands then to flat as far as the eye can see.


About 8 hours into our ride we stopped at Hells Half Acre. It's a 300-400 acre canyon with brilliant colors like the Grand Canyon or the Painted Desert.  It's all fenced in and not even a note in the AAA guide book. The are no facilities, restaurant, gas station, or anything.   I found it researching Wyoming, on the internet.  There was once a restaurant, but it has since closed and been torn down.




We continued heading to Casper, WY and civilization.


We arrived in Cheyenne around 5:30PM, and went to dinner at Outback, first time ever we got to an Outback where we got seated and served right away. After dinner, we used the hotel’s hot tub and really enjoyed relaxing with the jets on our aching legs.

Back in the room, Mary had a bit of a cough and took a cough drop but slept well after that.


 6/14 Cheyenne, Wyoming Denver, Colorado - Home

 We got up late (for us) around 7AM, showered and got dressed, then down
for breakfast. For a free breakfast, it wasn’t half bad.  

We packed up and were on the road by 8:15AM. The Airport ride was uneventful, other then seeing camels in a field.

Some notes about the trip.

Animals we saw - Bear- Black and Grizzly, Big Horn Sheep, Bison, Camels, Cattle - Black and Brown, Chipmunks, Coyote, Horses, Llamas, Marmots, Mule (or black tailed) Deer, Ground Squirrels, Pronghorn Antelope.

Birds - Bluebirds, Buzzards, Hawks, Osprey, Pelicans (White ones on Yellowstone Lake), Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Rookwings, Swifts, Swallows, Thompson's Seedeater

Fish - Cutthroat Trout. (Foot long in a tiny little creek)

The Lodgings at Yellowstone.

I read numerous articles about the lodging, and restaurants at Yellowstone and knew that these hotels are also part of the Yellowstone experience.

Snow Lodge was built in 1999 and is, by far, the most modern of all the lodges.  That said, it is still set up to be “as close to nature” as the others. There is no TV, no phone, and even the walls are sparse with little or no art on the walls. The eateries are a part of the building so getting food is no effort.

Old Faithful Inn and Restaurant is at least 100 years old is still a work of art.  The Restaurant is always crowded and the lodgings are spaced out over a vast area. At least the roads have been reworked.

Yellowstone Lake Lodge is a place where we did not stay but did enjoy a very nice lunch.  It is a very long updated building, with a great view of Yellowstone Lake, but it is a place I would not want to stay. It was very fancy but I can stay at a Lakeside Hotel just about anywhere.

Canyon Lodge is in the middle of a makeover and many of the cabins will be torn down. The views of those buildings still to be removed are an eyesore. The one we stayed in will remain, and was pleasant enough for our taste. Where we stayed we could not get phone service. The restaurant is on top of the hill so walking from the cabin to get food was what is about ½ mile hike.

Mammoth Lodge looks the oldest and appears as though it has not been updated in 100 years. While we enjoyed the old time ambiance, old time push button on/off switches, claw foot tub, etc.  The 100 years of dirt on the windows made it difficult to enjoy the view.