...nearly buffalo'd in Yellowstone National Park

After a final night’s rest in Yellowstone National Park we loaded our car and began our drive toward California. Leaving the Park was not without excitement, however, as we narrowly missed driving into a buffalo which was walking down the middle of the road on a blind corner in the Middle Geyser Basin area. To complicate matters a silver automobile was stopped beside it in our lane of traffic taking photos. It was inches from the buffalo and by the time I was able to stop our vehicle we were inches from the buffalo and car. It was a close call. I couldn’t get around the car and buffalo and we were still on a blind corner so I pulled into the ditch for safety. Fortunately no other cars appeared from behind and we were able to continue our journey unscathed. This, of course, was after the buffalo walked passed us rather unconcerned about the havoc he had caused.
Not too much further down the road we saw a traffic jam indicating another wildlife spotting along the road. Sure enough a herd of cow and calf elk were on both sides of the thoroughfare. We got some up close photos and continued driving out of the Park. After stopping in West Yellowstone, Montana, for gas we hit the open road.

We drove some…and some more…and some more. We drove to Twin Falls where we turned south on Highway 93 toward Wells, Nevada. At Wells, we got on Interstate 80 and drove toward Elko. Even though it was getting late we decided to keep driving in hopes of making it to Winnemucca…and we did! After checking in at the Holiday Inn Express Motel we drove to the edge of Winnemucca where we ate dinner Basque style. The Martin Hotel was built in 1898 and is on the National Register of Historic Sites. It has long been a Basque restaurant and the food was delicious, even the beef tongue. It is also a great place to talk with fellow diners as the food is served family style and you may share a table with complete strangers whom you will know very well by the end of your meal. Too bad all restaurants aren’t that way. We would probably learn to get along with one another much better.
This morning we loaded the car and lit out for California leaving Winnemucca until the next time we need a Basque meal. The drive across the remainder of Nevada was uneventful and we crossed the border into California around noon. We ate a picnic lunch in the Sierra Nevada mountains amidst the smoke of several wildfires. Back on the road the number of cars on the road grew exponentially as we traveled toward Sacramento. We eventually made our way to Healdsburg arriving just 7 ½ hours after leaving Winnemucca. It was quite a trip and it all started as we were...nearly buffalo'd in Yellowstone National Park.

...another day in Yellowstone National Park

This morning we woke and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could stay here at Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park for another night?” So Lizzie called the front desk and unbelievably they said our room was available for tonight. We thought that was funny since we had not been able to reserve it for two consecutive nights over a month ago when we made reservations. Nonetheless, we were elated and immediately jumped in our car and drove toward the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Passing through the Hayden Valley along the way we saw lots of buffalo, elk, and waterfowl. We pulled into the parking lot at Artist Point and joined an overwhelming congregation of rental cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and large tourist buses. We walked to the viewing area where we took some photos and went back to the car. We drove to a nearby picnic area and after lunch we took off down the Wapiti Lake Trail which passes through the open meadows of the Hayden Valley. There were very few hikers making it a stark contrast to the mass of people just two miles away. We made it about 1.3 miles down the trail to a place where we climbed a small knoll that gave us a commanding view of the area. In the far distance we could see many buffalo and elk. It was magnificent and on such beautiful day a difficult place to leave.
When we got back to the car and headed to Canyon Village for ice cream. Crawling with vehicles and tourists, their hands full of shopping bags, ice cream, and cell phones, it, too, was a vivid contrast to the immense wildness of the Yellowstone just a few steps away.
We joined the crowd and ate our ice cream. Then we drove through the campground before turning back to make the passage through Hayden Valley once again. This time it seemed like every buffalo in the world had decided to stand beside the road. They were everywhere. We dodged the hastily stopped vehicles as their drivers jumped out for photos and eventually arrived at Sulphur Cauldron where we walked the boardwalk and marveled at the boiling mud and water. Emily thought it smelled terrible and I had to agree that the rotten egg odor was a little rank but eventually we all got used to it.
Soon enough we got back in the car and drove toward Grant Village where we all decided the vibe is much more laid back. We ate a picnic dinner in our room and we were glad to to have spent...another day in Yellowstone National Park.

...day number one at Yellowstone National Park

Today we drove from Riverton to Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at Grant Village around 3:00 PM, and after checking in we went to Old Faithful where we just missed the eruption. So we waited about an hour-and-a-half for the next one. In the meantime we ate ice cream and walked around the geyser area. Finally the eruption we were waiting for happened and we took plenty of photos. We then drove toward Madison Junction and stopped at Whiskey Flats for a picnic along the way. Enroute we saw some buffalo, fly fishers (a tremendous hatch on the Firehole River was visible from the road), and some elk. We drove through the Madison Junction Campground and couldn’t believe how close the sites were to one another. We turned back toward Grant Village and took a couple of side roads along the way. The most amazing was the Firehole Loop Road where we watched water boil up from the earth sending columns of sulpher smelling mist into the sky. We saw two coyotes as we drove and got back to our room just as it got dark. It was a great way to spend...day number one at Yellowstone National Park.

...a visit to Grandma's house

We spent the better part of a week visiting Grandma where the activities included saddle donations, swimming in the mineral hot springs at Thermopolis, and a picnic near the Continental Divide at Togwotee Pass. It was great and the weather was Wyoming beautiful.

We started the week by contacting a man who conducts horseback riding classes for clients with Special Needs. My mom had two saddles which had not been used for years and years. Since it didn't seem they would be used any time soon she decided to donate them to a good cause. Richard was extremely happy to receive them and was anxious to put them to good use.

Our next adventure involved a trip to Thermopolis where we went swimming at the Star Plunge. We had a fun time swimming in the mineral water and particularly enjoyed the Vapor Room which was more or less a mineral water sauna. We also drove around Hot Springs State Park and saw some buffalo. They like to scratch against traffic sign posts.

On Wednesday we took a drive to Togwotee Pass where we planned to have a picnic at Falls Creek Campground. The campground was closed for construction purposes so we sallied forth and found a spot in the woods on a small knoll. Just as we stopped a man pulled up in his vehicle and said he had seen a grizzly bear cross the road 45 minutes earlier. It seemed the perfect spot for a group of Alaskans to eat lunch. Afterward we drove to an overlook and gazed at the Tetons before returning to Dubois for a brief shopping spree. Then it was off to Hudson for a prime rib dinner.

The next day we did laundry, packed our luggage, and ate goulash with my uncle and cousins which was a great final touch to our...visit to Grandma's house.

...the Fourth of July Montana Style

After making the 9 ½ hour drive from Boulder, Colorado, to Billings, Montana, we celebrated Independence Day. The morning started with a mini family reunion at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant where a couple of us ordered the Country Boy breakfast. One of us was able to finish the entire thing while the other had to concede to defeat. Later in the afternoon we visited our cousins at their house and we finally met Wally, their Australian Shepard. On our way there we heard Little Richard sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” on XM radio. It was good!

Later in the evening we ate barbecued buffalo burgers and those with any energy left went to see the fireworks display. The next day was reserved for haircuts and shopping. We also went to the Outback for dinner that evening. It was a great stay and we were happy to celebrate...the Fourth of July Montana style!

...our trip began in Rocky Mountain National Park

Our much awaited trip has commenced. We left Anchorage last night and landed in Colorado this morning. Airplanes make the trip easy and fast.

We rented our car and drove to our friends house where we moved our belongings in and prepped for a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way we stopped at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Estes Park before finding a spot in the park for a picnic. We ate our lunch and then drove up...and up...and up to the alpine area of the park. We saw a massive bull elk along the side of the road and a large herd of cows, calves, and young bulls high in the alpine. We stopped at a number of pull-outs to look at the view and finally pulled in to Alpine Meadows Visitor Center. This is a place of immense beauty and scarce oxygen. All of us from sea level were seemed desperate for air. We walked around the Visitor Center and then headed back.

When we got back we all went out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and ate a delicious dinner and reveled in the fact that...our trip began in Rocky Mountain National Park.