“a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).
One evening, Steve and I were privileged to join in the singing, dancing and making merriment with guitars, spoons, and voices! There was a special hoedown 80th birthday party for Jack. Jack lives at Shoshone Lodge and works there for free because he loves the area and the people so much.
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Dusty, dusty, all is dusty! Rubbing my thumb and forefinger together—dust is always there. Dust covers the pages of my journal. Vehicles drive by, people walk by, dog, deer, even the wind whips up and dust clouds instantly appear. There’s no relief from layers and layers of dust!
While touring Canyon Falls (part of Yellowstone National Park), we saw bison walking right near the road. Traffic slowed to a stop and there we were out in the open with no protection should the huge beast decide he didn’t like us staring at him. Fortunately, he continued to meander along the grassy edge near the pavement and we were able to power up and move on quickly when the vehicles ahead moved.
We witnessed many crazies in the park:
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Powder Pass, Big Horn Mountains (outside Buffalo, Wyoming) – elevation 9,600. Temperatures started out at 61 and rose to in the 90s during the day.
Lunch in Ten Sleep WY at the Crazy Woman Café. The name Ten Sleep got its name because it took ten nights to get from one camp to another.
Earthy smell of pine trees which were thick on both sides of the road.
Toured the Buffalo Bill Dam built in 1910. Amazing rush of waters held back by a 320 foot concrete wall providing power, irrigation plus a recreational lake, and much more. “Ranger” Alex drove us in his golf cart from the far end of the parking lot to the museum. Alex retired from military and this was now his Forest Gump job and he loved it!
Day #9 – got to 32 degrees overnight! The cabin desk clerk says they’ve had frost before and some of the leaves have started to turn already.
Drove through the eastern Yellowstone entrance doing the southern loop. Met our Grand Rapids, Michigan friends, Kathy and Ron, on the porch of Old Faithful Inn and watched our first showing of Old Faithful geyser. Saw a bear cross the road and bison in the fields—one bison walking along the edge of the road). Witnessed many thermal phenomena where sulfur hangs in the air.
Love our cabin at Shoshone Lodge, just 3 miles away from the east Yellowstone entrance.
Many I’ll get brave tomorrow and ride a horse…although I had a bad experience the last time I rode many years ago.
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