Comfort Inn At Buffalo Bill Village Resort Cody

Leaving Gillette, WY we crossed the Big Horn Mountain on our way to Yellowstone National Park. Up on the mountain, some 10,000 feet up, we encountered low clouds, snow, hail and lots of road construction. I was able to see the scenery but Sammy had to keep his eye on the road. The mountain was made of rock over 500 millon years old...limestone... dolamite..even ...

... reach Shoshone National Forest, which Theodore Roosevelt called the "most scenic 50 miles in America", an assertion with which we agreed with Teddy wholeheartedly. We camped near a beautiful creek that led up to red sand buttes and made our first attempt at cooking with Lou and Teresa's backpacking stove, consisting of a four prong pot holder sitting on top of a small propane canister. We were quite successful at making Uncle Ben's Spanish rice :).

... including a seven year old, charging their horses and loping back without any helmets or chest protectors and barely keeping their stetsons on their heads.  <br><br>At one point of the programme all the kids were invited into the arena to chase a calf.  The calf had a ribbon on its tail and the kids had to grab the ribbon.  It was hilarious but also a little dangerous as the calf was bucking at the kids as they approached its backside ...

... and other outlaws drank. It was a brilliant experience <br><br>We visited a miniature portrayal of Cody and the area over the last hundred years and then ventured to a country and western showdown for Edie's birthday supper. This was a buffet and music evening with western music. A Chuckwagon Dinner at The Cody Cattle Company. Funnily enough it was fun and Edie was called up for everyone to sing Happy Birthday to her. <br>Not quite a party but Edie had a great day. <br>

... Cody. Cody still has vestiges of its old west history, blended with modern tourist conveniences. It is a stop on many bus tours, so it can be crowded but we were early enough in the tourist season to be able to enjoy it without fighting crowds. We visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which is a complex of five museums celebrating the culture of the west. Unfortunately, the Whitney Gallery (well known for its western art ...

... of the Third Kind movie. There was an entry fee to go into the monument park area so I decided to give it a miss, especially after paying to see the Crazy Horse monument!<br><br>I stopped in Buffalo for lunch at a Cowboy Saloon and had a good old cheeseburger and root beer!! The drive from Buffalow to Thermopolis was quite nice as it went through the Bighorn mountains area. <br><br>Thermoplis claims to be the home of the worlds largest mineral ...

... rally fame). Of course, we had to see it, so we pulled off and had a look. There were lots of BIG biker bars that are only open during bike week, but we got some pictures and headed back out. An hour later we began to see signs for the Devil's Tower. We had thought that it was back near Mt. Rushmore, but fortune smiled upon us once again. A short 30 mile detour and we got to see this amazing attraction. It is the granite center of an ancient ...

... walking down, as in around lakes, etc, one could get devoured by mosquitoes. The other really impressive thing about Yellowstone besides the animals for me was that each of the 5 or 6 distinct areas have quite different features, weather, and interesting aspects. There was our lake area. There was a 'grand' canyon with a great hike and two beautiful falls. There was the arid northern part with ...

... ve to le*ve it for now becu*se it's 1:20*m *nd i'm sitting in the h*llw*y *lone getting * sore butt. I h*ve to get up *t 6*m tomorrow to go white w*ter r*fting here in Cody Wyoming. went to * rodeo tonight *nd it w*s pretty fun. going to yellow stone tomorrow! one week left of the tour then Im on my own-bl*h. I enjoy contiki *nd being *ble to h*ng out with ppl. Well better be going to bed now. be good *nd s*fe. hope everyone is well. ctch you l*ter hopefully. love kim

... the geysers and the wilderness areas, go into a gift shop or a restaurant, sit down to enjoy a meal and get hit with a wall of heat which is worse than that outside! OK, so for the continuity of the time-line, Sunday and Monday were spent in Yellowstone and Monday afternoon we moved on to Cody, Wyoming, where we arrived late afternoon yesterday. Checked into our hotel, went swimming in a very unusual pool/hot tub that were both lined with stainless steel! Maybe I just ...