From Buffalo to Yellowstone

We finally got the brakes fixed and started west again.  The plan is to spend two days in Cody, then on into Yellowstone for a full two week stay. 


What do you do on a Friday night in Cody?  Go to a rodeo of course.  This was the start of the 2011-2012 Inter-collegiate competition.



The University of Montana had the largest team.  Sue loved their uniforms, a wrinkled vest and that’s it.


Eight seconds would seem like an eternity if I were on that bronc.  But then again, I would never be able to stay on for 8 seconds.


This was one fast cowgirl.  She had to ride her horse into the middle of the ring, jump off, and then tie up a goat.  Sue pitied that little goat.


Before we left Cody Sue decided to try some Rocky Mountain Oysters.  I didn’t see anything appetizing about them, and didn’t even try a bite when she offered some.  She said they had an odd texture, but anything tastes good when dipped in a little cocktail sauce.  No, they didn’t taste like chicken!!


Our Yellowstone adventure is about to start.


We didn’t wait long to see Old Faithful erupt, and this time it was recorded by a Chinese film crew.


On the advice from a ranger, we hiked two miles to Grizzly Lake to a “good fishing spot”.  Sue brought the camera along for all the great action shots of me landing the big one.  Oh well, it really was a picturesque lake and a nice hike.


There are buffalo everywhere.  These were near the road in Hayden Valley. 


A couple of pictures of the Fire Hole river plus Sue and me.


One of the many elk we’ve seen.


What do you do if you are a Buffalo and you want to get to the other side of the river?  You could walk down the bank, get wet crossing the river, and climb back up the other side, or you could walk across the bridge.  Smart buffalos use the bridge and expect the cars to wait, and they do.  The guy walking in front got a little nervous and picked up his pace.


After crossing the bridge he was polite and moved to the side of the road.


There are active hot spots everywhere.
The pictures below are from our hike up to the fire tower on Mount Washburn. It’s rated as a strenuous hike, but we’ve heard big horn sheep are sometimes seen along this trail.  Sue and I wanted to see big horn’s for years and just never have.  Maybe today.
Personally I’m beginning to think they are only mythical creatures and the Park Service is using the myth to increase park attendance. 



No stinking sheep – They must be mythical creatures.
After hiking back down we talked to a ranger who told us we need to hike around the top more.  It’s over 10,000 feet and cold and very windy up there, but we decided to try again in a few days when, hopefully, the weather will improve.  This time we got blasted by snow and sleet.

Picked up our camper and travel west to Buffalo, WY.

This was our first look at the Carriage Royals International 5th wheel which we purchased from Tiara RV in Elkhart, IN.  We’re happy and excited now!


Now the work begins.  We had the back of the truck loaded with initial supplies for the camper and that truck was FULL!


Sue’s trying to get everything organized.  I’m just taking pictures.


This was the the first meal….chicken scampi.  It’s one of my favorites!!


Now we park with the big boys at rest stops.


My first day pulling an RV, and as we traveled through Chicago, a severe thunderstorms strikes.  What a way to gain experience.


One of our first campsites was on an island in the Mississippi near La Cross, Minnesota.  We enjoyed it and stayed three days.


We went on a side trip to see Lock #9.  While there we watched a tug pushing 12 barges through the Lock.  That tug captain knows his stuff!


South Dakota  has some interesting sights along route I90.


We stopped for lunch in Mitchell and toured the Corn Palace.  Notice Sue is having a corn on the cob at the Corn Palace.  She said you have to eat corn at the Corn Palace!


We saw thousands of acres of Sun Flowers in South Dakota.  They were so beautiful!


This is Wall Drug.  It doesn’t live up to its reputation or the hundreds of signs on I90 leading up to it, but it was still fun to visit.


Sue spent some time with Annie Oakley while I met this “lady” smoking a cigar while she tried to talk me into a game of 5 card stud.


This soddy was located just outside the entrance to The Badlands.


Starting a day trip through the Badlands.


Traveling the park road you see why this country got the name “Badlands”.


If you are mechanically inclined you may see something wrong with this picture.  I noticed that I lost trailer brakes on the trip between Wall, SD and Buffalo, WY.  Someone forgot to add the cotter pin that keeps the disk retaining pin in place.  The disks are missing and the caliper piston pushed against the rotor, ruining it.  We didn’t expect to need a brake job this soon, but at least it’s under warranty.


While waiting for the parts to be shipped to a local service center we will be staying in Buffalo, WY, a very nice town at the foothills of the Big Horn mountains.


On a day trip up into the mountains we found this view of some the the peaks over 10,000 ft.


There’s another advantage of spending some unplanned time here.  This trout wasn’t very big but he was tasty.


Our wedding anniversary is in a few weeks so we decided to celebrate early with a dinner at The Virginian.  We ate buffalo in Buffalo!


While here in Buffalo we visited Fort Phil Kearney.  This fort was involved in many Indian fights. 


There’s a running/biking/walking trail near our campgrounds, while we were walking back to the campgrounds last night we saw this 10 point buck.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get the brakes repaired so we’ll be back on the road soon.