PLACE: Yellowstone Park
WEATHER: HOT!!
We entered the park this morning. There was so much to see, I don't think I can remember it all. We started off in a camera shop in West Yellowstone. There we picked up some film for Mom's camera and Dad bought a bear that nods it head (He named him "Old Slewfoot"). When we headed toward old Faithful, we stopped at Firehole falls and took some pictures. The place was infested with thousands of tiny chipmunks.
Ruby and Mungo at Firehole Falls in 1967
Bramblerose and Olo at Firehole Falls in 2006
We were not expecting to see very many bears, as the man at the camera shop said they were pretty scarce this year. We saw our first bear just a couple of miles from Firehole Falls, and by the end of the day, we had seen enough bears (13), to prove the man's statement to be wrong.
Picture taken from a post-card purchased in West Yellowstone in 1967
Old Faithful was a beautiful site. She started before the ranger was done talking about her.
After Old Faithful we thought we might have a snack. As we were entering the cafe, Dad discovered that he had lost his wallet. (The entire familiy's stomach's sank). We found it sitting in the car seat, which was a relief to us all.
We then went up toward Mammoth Hot Springs. Along the way we saw more bears, and chipmunks. We also saw a moose in a pond along the highway and a bull elk above the highway, I got a real close snap shot of the elk. I think I could have petted him if I had the nerve.
Ruby's snapshot of the bull elk
We passed the obsedian cliff, which was a bit of a dissapointment, but still okay.
The Mammoth hot springs was really a beautiful site. It looked like a sheet of ice falling down over the rocks, but, of course was just the opposite! We then went on to Tower Falls, Yellowsotne Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Lake, Dragon Mouth Calderon, the mud geyser.
Postcard of Mammoth Hot Springs in 1967
Yellowstone Grand Canyon From photo purchased in yellowstone in 1967
Castle Geyser, from photo purchased in Yellwostone in 1967
Morning Glory Pool in 1967
Grotto Geyser in 1967
We then headed out of the park and began hunting for a place to spend the night. This proved to be quite an adventure as we were late and wanted a room with a kitchen. We ended up with a lu-lu! It looked great from the outside and fine at first glance but it didn't take us long to find out that:
1. There as no door on the bathroom.
2. The bathroom was next to the kitchen.
3. The kitchen amounted to 1 hot plate... which was actually in the bedrom.
4. The mosquitos were as big as bears, and quite plentiful.
5. The cabin was very, very hot and had a heater that never turned off.
6. Covering the whole mess was the smell of sweaty horse.
We did however, make it through the night.
August 21, 2006
PLACE: Bozeman, Montana
Weather: Perfect!
Mereyann and Ruby had a deal. They would arise at 5:30, and go to the Bozeman Aquatic Center to take part in the Aqua Aerobics, and maybe a little free swimming before the rest of the family arose and made preparations for the day. Ruby set the clock provided in the room for the appropriate time and Mereyann rechecked her setting to make sure, and they went to sleep.
Ruby awoke the next morning to a whispering voice "The alarm did not go off, but if we go now we can lap swim anyway." So Ruby and Mereyann got up and moved quickly to the Aquatic Center, noting as they left that Mungo and Myrtle's car was gone, leaving them in yellow-alert.
The ladies were impressed with the Aquatic Center. They had fins they could borrow and lots of space in which to swim.
http://bozemanmt.virtualtownhall.net/BozemanMT_Rec/swim
Ruby and Mereyann discovered they had a mutual love for swimming. They watched their time carefully and had some time for the hot tub and the end of their swim and after showering and getting dressed felt especially energized for the day. When they returned to the motel, Mungo's car was back. "Where did you go?" they asked. "I couldn't sleep and I took a drive, exploring the town" said Mungo. The ladies were greatly relieved.
The caravan of two hit the road, and after a brief, unsuccessful search for a cement frog, they set their destination for Yellowstone Park. The entrance took them to the Roosevelt Arch... the original main entrance to the park.
The first stop was Mammoth Hot Springs where they ate thier lunch in the shade of the lodge and then the traveled up to see the hot springs. These were far more impressive that what she remembered from her last visit, yet she was impressed then to. It was a huge hill covered with terraces of steaming white material that looked ice, but was mineral material created from very hot hot springs. The family hiked up wood stairs and board walks that were all over the hill. It was a very impressive first site in Yellowstone.
They drove then to a place that took them on a half-mile hike to a waterfall, where they saw chipmunks and wild flowers en route. They met some ladies who were willing to take their picture with the waterfall in the background.
The drive continued to mud caldrons and several waterfalls. They stopped and hiked more than once. There was a stop at Tower Falls gift shop where they filled their water bottles and took some pictures, and browsed the large gift shop that was there.
They headed across the fishing bridge to the Yellowstone Canyon. After parking in the canyon parking lot, Olo came over to Mungo's car. "There is something wrong with the clutch in my car," he said. Mungo rushed over to take a look. "Are you having trouble?" asked a stranger who was there. "I have had one of these and had the same trouble", he said. " There is a clip that is loose." With that the stranger reached under, fixed the clutch, and disapppeared into the crowd. The family thanked God for the angel He had sent them.
Yellowstone Canyon 
Baby Rube, at Yellowstone Canyon 
Being anxious about Olo's car the decision was made to head for the Cody, where the evening's accomodations awaited, and have his car checked out at a service station there the next day. As they began their journey to Cody, they had their first encounter with the Parks plentiful Bison population.
The drive took them past Yellowstone lake. There was a 30-minute wait for a pilot car on a gravel road, and then the beautiful, beautiful drive on the Buffalo Bill Highway to Cody.
Cody Lake
What is that? I don't know!
Driving through Wyoming's longest tunnel on the Buffalo Bill Highway
It was Olo and Mereyann's 3rd Anniversary, and they had separate, more ritzy accomodations than the rest of the family that night. Ruby, Mungo, Myrtle, Bramblerose and Ruby stayed in a well restored 2-bedroom log cabin, very close to down-town Cody. There were lots of hotels nearby.
They walked to dinner at the Irma Hotel. They knew about this place because they had seen it on The Amazing Race. Mungo was determined to have a buffalo burger. Ruby photographed the bar, which is "the most photographed bar in the world".
The world's most photographed bar. In the Irma Hotel, Cody, Wyoming
After dinner they spent time window shopping in the quaint downtown, that was full of galleries and gift shops.
It was after 11 p.m. and time for bed by the time they got back to the cabin.
No comments:
Post a Comment