Day 3 - Buffalo Bill Museum

We took a break from the park on our third day to go see the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody.  We had so many people tell us this was a must see and it was.  The museum is very well done and we spent half a day there.  On the way to the museum we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Dam.  Here are some fun facts:

• It was originally called the Shoshone Dam
• Drilling to find bedrock for the foundation began in the spring of 1904
• 82,900 cubic yards of concrete were used to build the dam
• 7 men were killed during construction
• Daniel Webster Cole was the engineer
• The final cost of the dam was $929,658
• Buffalo Bill Dam was the tallest dam in the world when completed in 1910

We noticed a bunch of logs floating up against the upper dam and found out that they scoop them out in the spring and trucks haul them away.  The process takes several days.

After seeing the dam we moved onto the museum.  They had Buffalo Bill's boy hood home there and I think it probably looked better at the museum that it ever looked while he was living in it.  It was located on the Mississippi in Iowa and moved to Cody by train. 

 

They also had five live raptors there that will be in permanent captivity now due to injuries that keep them from surviving in the wild. They have come in from all over the country and are well taken care of at the museum.   There is a red tailed hawk, great horned owl, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture and a golden eagle.  Can you pick them out?

 

Among their display of old wagons and I think we saw an early RV. Check out the inside of this wagon. That's a heck of a wood burning stove that heated it up very nicely I'm sure. I think I could spend some time in this fairly comfortably!

 

They also had some great displays of stuffed wild animals.  We also came across a nice gentleman who shared his prairie rattler with us - yes, it was alive.  He assured me that in 50 years nobody had every been bitten when he showed these rattlers off - but then he was originally from Texas and we are from Oklahoma -- I might have been his first victim.  I had to think seriously about how close I was going to get! 

 

After we got back to the RV, we rested, a bit and then took the girls down to the river.  We enjoyed relaxing by the water and the girls played a bit on the rocks and in the water.  The water was pretty cold though.  Bailey was the wettest and we had to bundle her in a towel to warm her up.  John's toes were tingling from the cold as well but NO - I did not wrap them in a towel! 

 

 

 

Day 2 in Yellowstone

 There is so much to see in Yellowstone!  In light of the rain and how long we were on the bike the first day we decided to take the girls and the car for day 2.  The park road is in the shape of a figure 8 so we decided to complete the north loop regardless of how long it took. 

As we did our first day, we saw hundreds of bison including some just wandering down the side of the road totally unaffected by the cars stopping all around them.  Our first stop was at the mud volcanoes.  The stench of these is almost overpowering.  There are boardwalks everywhere so tourists can walk all over the area to see these things.  They look like boiling and bubbling mud and are very acidic boiling springs. If you fall into one you can die or end up badly burned.  I put the dogs on leashes to walk over to these things and they put on the brakes because of the smell.  At that point I realized just putting them both in our doggie stroller would be best.  I think they had as many pictures taken of them as the mud volcanoes and sulphur cauldrons!

Across the road were the sulphur cauldrons which are more ponds of bubbling mud and steam coming out of the ground.  These are very acidic sulphur-rich gases that rise up out of the ground here.  The sulphuric acid breaks the rock and soil down into the bubbling mud.  I found myself thinking often how we were moving around on top of an active volcano and it's a bit eerie. 

From there we made our way up and around to the Roosevelt Lodge to get a quick bite to eat and take a break.  We ordered to go and ate on the front porch of the hotel so the girls could be with us.  Then we headed up and around the top of the north loop to Mammoth Hot Springs.  It was a bit of a drive but the landscape was completely different from where we had been and breathtaking.  When we finally arrived at the hot springs we were a bit disappointed.  What we saw were lots of boardwalks that involved quite a bit of walking and much of it uphill.  There was also no parking as the place was packed.  So we kept driving only to find that at the top there were more places to see the hot springs and to park with much less walking. 

 

After leaving Mammoth Hot Springs we were really getting tired so finished out the north loop and headed for the RV.  After leaving the park we make a quick stop beside the north fork of the Shoshone River to cool off and give the girls a break as well.  Bailey loves getting her feet wet and exploring on the rocks but April - not so much.  After putting the brakes on hard as she approached the water she finally got her big girl panties on and got near enough to get a drink.

 

Tomorrow we are taking a break from the park and heading into Cody to check out the Buffalo Bill Museum which everybody has told us is worth seeing.

Our First Day in Yellowstone

Our first day in Yellowstone was amazing.  We rode the motorcycle having no idea how long it would take us to get around.  Because our RV and car hauler is so long we are staying outside the park and it takes about 30 minutes just to get to the East Entrance.  Then it is another 30 minutes to get to Fishing Bridge which is where you get started on the figure 8 drive through the park.  That long drive in, however, is beautiful and we have no problem seeing it several times over.

As we come into the park after coming over Sylvan pass we good an amazing view of
 Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Tetons off in the distance.  The lake was absolutely still - just like glass.  As we are going by the lake we notice all this steam coming up out of the ground just ahead.  You see these things all over the park.  Then we come across a bison just walking along the road.  Again, you see bison all over and sometimes large herds of them.

As we got closer to Canyon Village we went down both the south and north rim drives and saw a beautiful water fall from a variety of angles.  Unfortunately, neither of us are in good enough shape to walk down some of the steep and long The green that we saw in the falls was very pretty.  One of the other pretty sites is all the fly fishermen up and down the Yellowstone River.  It's like watching a dance.

While eating lunch at Canyon Village the skies opened up and down came the rain in torrents.  I ran out to the bike grabbing the helmets and our jackets.  After lunch we had to suit up in our rain gear and we were both very happy we had worn our full face helmets.  It rained on and off all the way back to the RV.  We were out for about 7 hours and I cannot tell you how many times we got on and off the bike but we were beat! 

But we were not beat enough to take a car ride with the girls into Cody after dinner to get some ice cream at DQ!  I love DQ and wish we had one in our area at home.  I remember one in Norman when I first moved there in the 80's but it's long gone.

We Arrived Outside Yellowstone

Today we finally arrived at our destination outside the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park.  Yesterday was an easy, uneventful drive.  We left Grand Island, NE and drove west on I-80 to Cheyenne, WY.  We gained an hour so arrived mid-afternoon.  It was nice to just chill out and get some rest.  Although the KOA indicated they had a heated pool, it was not very warm outside and the water didn't feel too warm so we bypassed the pool. 

This morning we got up early as I figured it would be a long drive.  Although we had been told the drive from Cheyenne to Cody wasn't bad as far as steep grades, I still had some unrest about it.  Overall, it really was an easy drive and the grades weren't too bad.  About three hours into our drive we stopped at a rest center and encountered two large tour busses of people from China.  One of the \young men came over to see our dogs and spoke fluent English.  He actually lives and works in Vancouver but was traveling with the group from China.  Our rig drew a lot of lookers from this group - especially the car and motorcycle hauler.  They were also fascinated with the fact we lived in our RV.  The young man was interpreting our conversation for them. 

Our first road encounter occurred as we were almost out of Thermopolis and boom - we come to road construction and have absolutely no way to turn around to avoid it.  No warnings whatsoever!  They had ripped up the entire road heading out of town and up into the mountains.  Yep - a pilot car was going to lead us for a few miles over hard pack dirt that road like a scrub board.  This was incredible that they tore up the entire road and not do one side and then the other.  There was a nice pull out at the end of that trek so we pulled out to not only let the cars behind us get by us but to make sure the car and motorcycle were still tied down!  When we arrived in Thermopolis it was past lunch time and we had not eaten.  We found a large parking area next to the A&W Lanes which was fast food and a bowling alley.  The parking lot we were in had some craters and sure enough I bottomed out the front of our car hauler so I had to slowly back it up with the car hanging off the back of it but all went well and we moved on.

The drive through Kansas, Nebraska and until we got past Thermopolis was pretty borning but wow after Thermopolis the scenary got very nice.  As soon as we started through a pass with a river running beside it Bailey jumped up on the dash and stayed there checking it all out.  We encountered a few steeper climbs but nothing too bad which was a relief.  We even drove through several short tunnels.  I noticed that none of them posted their heighth but we easily fit.  I didn't have reservations since we had passed big rigs on the road so they had to be high enough to accommodate our RV.

About 4 pm we arrived in Cody, WY and from there it was only 25 more miles.  The drive to our final destination was beautiful.  There was a large body of water beside the highway which we definitely have to go back and check out.  We made reservations at the Green Creek Inn and RV Park months ago - thank goodness.  I don't think we would have found a place to stay if we didn't have that reservation.  This is the last place to stay before you go into Yellowstone.  It only has 9 RV slots and several motel rooms but it's very clean.  We met a nice young couple and their two kids next to us from Lebanon, Missouri.  Can't wait to get into the park tomorrow and see the sights. 

We're On Vacation

 Thursday Night (7/11/13) - It's my oldest son's birthday so a big happy birthday to you Chad.  John is home from work and officially started his vacation.  So to kick it off I dropped a very sharp knife in the top of my foot!  Yikes!  It did bleed and I thought I had done something much worse than it really was.  After lots of pressure and keeping the foot raised the bleeding finally stopped so no trip to urgent care thank goodness.  I am such a baby with those kinds of things and get light headed and all that. 

Friday night (7-12-13) - It's my youngest son's birthday so a big happy birthday to you Erik.  We are about as ready as we are going to be for our first day on the road tomorrow.  We started our day by heading to Camping World to get some valve stem extenders for our inside rear tires.  While there we had to check out the doggie section and sure enough found a cute new toy for April.  Bailey doesn't play with them much and April had torn up a few so it was time for something new.  We gave it to her to see if she was interested in it and she carried it around the store and to the checkout counter.  So cute.  The cashier tore off the tag and gave it back to her and the two of them started playing with it together.  Bailey would get it and tear off with it and April would catch her and take it away.  Then they would roll on the floor together with it.  The customers were thoroughly enjoying them play. 

 

In the afternoon, while working in the RV, I suddenly heard a loud hissing noise which didn't sound good.  I truly hoped John was drilling something but had a sinking feeling he was not. I raced outside to find him standing by the back tires saying "this is not good"!  Ugh.  While trying to put one of the valve stem extenders on he busted the valve stem off and yes, that loud hissing sound was the inside rear tire losing all its air!  As usual, I had my 'what are we going to do' moment which usually involves a lot of emotion.  So we called the Good Sam Roadside Assistance folks and they saved the day and sent us a very very nice young man from a truck tire service.  He was so pleased to see we were parked under a canopy where it was much cooler in the 100 deg heat.  He had us fixed up in a very short time and put a valve stem extender on that tire at no charge.  He also gave us one for the other side but told us to have it put on next time we were at a tire store.

So I hoped that was the extent of our events for this trip.

 

Saturday (7/13/13) - After a good night's sleep we were up at 6 am and all hooked up and ready to go by 8:15 am.  We tow a car and motorcycle behind our rig as you can see from the picture I posted.  The heat and humidity was rising steadily as we were hooking up so John was glad not to have to drive the front half of the trip so he could cool down and relax. 

 

We stopped in Newton, NE at a truck center to gas up and grab lunch.  We had planned to fire up the generator and turn on the AC so we could eat in the restaurant and leave the girls in the RV as it was now in the low 90's.  The generator fired up just fine but the AC didn't seem to want to come on.  So I told John I would go get lunch to go so we could eat in the RV with the engine running so we at least had AC from the dash.  While waiting on our to go order John showed up and said he got the AC on.  It just took a bit for it to make the connection.  Not sure why but it was on.  After lunch we got ready to go and now the engine won't start.  It turned over just fine but even stranger, we could take our hands off the key in the ignition and it just stayed where it was and kept cranking the engine over.  Ugh!  Now what is wrong.  John tried several times and to no avail.  So I headed back into the service center to see if there was anybody in there that could assist us.  Just as I started to talk to one of their technicians, John called to say he got it started - thank goodness!!  We are guessing it was fully in park as he pulled the gear shift to neutral and then back to park and it started right up.  Needless, to say we didn't turn it off until we arrived at the KOA in Grand Island and just hope it starts right up in the morning.

 

For the last three hours of the trip we finally kicked on the generator and ran the main AC to knock the heat down a bit as it was getting pretty toasty.  But all in all, it was a nice smooth trip.  The girls slept most of the trip and travelled very well.  April wanted to be in our lap the entire time but she travelled well.

 

Upon arrival at the KOA around 5:30 pm we pulled into our site, left the car/bike hooked up, got the rig setup for the night and hit the pool.  It wasn't heated which was perfect.  Very refreshing!  They were serving steaks, baked potatoes, garlic bread, corn on the cob, and salad for $10 so we indulged.  It was way too hot to cook.  We met several nice people in the short time were have been here from Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, and California.  The girls also made friends with a cute little dog named Sadie.  You meet so many nice people when you are in RV parks. 

 

Tomorrow we are off to Cheyenne for our next stop. 

Getting Ready for Vacation

It's July 10th and we are getting ready to head out for a two-week vacation in our motorhome to Yellowstone and the Bad Lands.  We are so excited but there's always a bit of anxiety when you plan to be moving down the road in such a big/long rig hoping that all goes well - no accident and everything works right. 

John is off tomorrow so he plans to use the day doing some final things like unloading some things in our basement storage that we don't need to be hauling with us, getting tie down straps for the car organized and making a nice space for storing those and the leveling blocks.  He also has to attach the rig he made to fasting/lock our new tailgater satellite dish to our back ladder. 

The girls have had their baths so they are squeeky clean.  Bailey and I are headed to the hospital at 6 am in the morning to do an inservice with some of the OR staff.  There is another lady and her dog coming as well so they can all get some pet therapy.  When we finish up with them we plan to visit a couple of patients that have requested a visit from one of the dogs.  Then we head home.  I got all the things like laundry, grocery shopping and so forth done today.  So tomorrow I plan to put up things that we don't need on vacation to get them out of the way and clean all the nose prints off the windshield and other windows. 

Right now I'm thinking how nice it will be to be headed to cooler weather and then our weather folks are forecasting much cooler temperatures for a few days next week.  I am praying for rain here while we are gone as we desparately need it. 

We plan to spend two nights on the road, six nights at Yellowstone, another night on the road and four nights in the Bad Lands then one more night on the road and home.  Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels and an enjoyable vacation.

A July 4th Treat

It's the July 4th Holiday and we are pet sitting for our friends.  Yes, I know a really tough job!  Let's see they have a huge home, an inground pool with gorgeous landscaping and a hot tub.  Oh yes and a bath tub!  Sounds like a really tough job doesn't it.  The girls and I are sitting on the back porch enjoying the peaceful morning in wonderfully pleasant weather.  It's actually a bit overcast and seems like we might get some rain.  I hope we do since we could always use it.  Yep, I see the cement around the pool getting wet.  Awesome.

 

Our friends have gone to a family gathering in Texas and I hope they have a wonderful time away.  We arrived early afternoon at their home on the 4th.  After getting things put away I made some cobblers to take to an ice cream fellowship while we watched the fireworks.  John is on call and had to head to one of the hospitals to fit a patient with a brace.  Then we both got to enjoy the beautiful pool for a couple of hours.

Along the back side of the pool is a small birdhouse and there were baby birds in it this past week.  In fact I'm pretty sure I saw one of the parents in the bird house yesterday.  But after checking it out this morning it appears to be empty so the babies have flown the coop! I'm glad they made it without the animals getting them. 

 

We recently purchased what looks like a luggage case for a motorcycle but it's designed so you can put your dog(s) in it.  John added a plexiglass windshield to it and attached it to the back of our motorcycle.  Yesterday the girls got their first ride in it.  I'm sure it drew a lot of looks while we rode down the street.  Both of them kept their goggles on and seem to ride just fine.  Bailey actually like to drape her front legs over the side and like forward so the wind could blow in her face!  She has been riding for a while in a harness on the front of me but April is new to motorcycle riding. 

 

Last night we went to a friend's home to watch the fireworks and eat homemade ice cream.  Their house backs up to the park in Moore where the fireworks are displayed so we stepped through their back gate into a field with our chairs and treats and watched the display.  They have a great view of this.  Of course trying to drive home was a bit of challenge.  Just getting out of their driveway was a challenge but we made it.  What a nice way to end a great day.