Dubois to Sundance

Photos.

Wind River

Yesterday morning we couldn't tear ourselves away from Senator John McCain's funeral at the National Cathedral. We finally got on the road after President Obama's eulogy. We felt sad but inspired driving off into the sunshine.
Our route led us along the Wind River, well known to Bob because of the movie by the same name. Soon we were in a canyon, surrounded by rocky cliffs. We got to an altitude of 9500 feet or so, and by the time we reached the summit, the temperature had dropped from the 80s to about 60F. The views were exhilarating.

We went through a lot of small towns, including Thermopolis, a place I've seen on a map but never visited. As we left town, I saw a group of people lolling  -- a bit like cattle, it seemed -- in a pair of square hot pools, located to our right, not too far from the highway. The steam rose from turquoise pools. Quite a sight, but I was so mesmerized that I missed the shot.

It took a long time to reach I90 in Buffalo and it was damn hot by the time we stopped at our last rest stop. I drove the final 100 miles or so in very light traffic.

We stopped for the night in Sundance, made famous by the Robert Redford/Paul Newman movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's a small western town, friendly and quiet. I had talked to Toni at the front desk of Best Western (the only property recommended by AAA) earlier in the afternoon when I reserved a room for the night. She greeted me like an old friend when we checked in. The hotel is under renovation, the carpeting and other furnishings are fresh and new.

Later on, we had dinner the Longhorn Saloon & Grill recommended by Toni. The establishment was full of locals and visitors. The drinks were cheap (scotch for Bob, pretty good merlot for me) and so was the food: pulled pork sandwich for Bob, steak tip salad for me. The steak tips were rare, as ordered, and so good that I almost wished I had ordered a steak.

Slept quite well in our large room. This morning the sun is shining in a marian blue sky.

Mourning Senator John McCain

In this busy week, we've made time to watch the tributes to the late Senator John McCain, R-Arizona. He died on August 25, a week ago today.

This morning, his casket left the US Capitol and stopped at the Vietnam War Memorial where his widow, Cindy McCain, laid a wreath. The procession continued to the National Cathedral, where the funeral began at about 9:00 a.m. ET.

The tributes to the late Senator are numerous and eloquent. The world needs a hero right now and Senator McCain has once again risen to the occasion. RIP.

Overnight in Dubois, Wyoming

Photos.

View from our deck

Yesterday morning we decided that we should have our night's stay reserved before heading out. It is Labor Day Weekend, after all, and we would be without cell service most of the day. Expedia and AAA led us to the Longhorn Ranch a few miles outside of Dubois.

The balcony runs the length of the building

Wonderful surprise! Our building is a new bunkhouse-like series of beautiful rooms with individual parking outside each door.  The room is decorated with mostly tasteful western art. Always a bonus: good plumbing. We opened the back door and stepped out onto a balcony that runs the length of the building, facing south. We had our cocktail hour there, watching the hills change color as the sun set.

Five or six elk appeared during the evening. Bob saw them first -- heads peeking through the western fence keeping them out of the motel area. The elk responded to his low whistles and cooing sounds. They stayed quite a while, finally heading west toward the woods. Magical.

A Grueling Day

Photos.

The idea of a road trip is always so exciting to me. A comfortable vehicle; good company; interesting people; lots of time on the open road. However, after a couple of days, I run out of stamina. Yesterday was that day.

After a poor night of tossing, turning and getting up to go to the bathroom, I felt tired and had trouble remembering the day of the day and where I was. I felt quite a bit better after another good breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee. Out we went. My traveling companion was his usual cheerful self and his good mood energized me. A little.

Sulphur Cauldron

It was a  chilly, grey morning, 33F. We were two of the few tourists in shorts -- lunatics from Minnesota. Most were bundled up, some for a frigid day: winter jackets, warm hats, gloves. What? In August? We did feel the chill a little at our first stops, but mostly I felt the pungent odor of hydrogen sulfide fill my sinuses. Sulphur Cauldron was impressive, but mostly because of the smell. I kept my comments to myself.

On past a couple of gawker slowdowns, including stops for two non-existent grizzly bears. "Just went into the woods, I think", said one observer. Smart bear. "Who needs this crap", said the bear. Missed a photo or two of bison walking along the road. The only birds I saw were huge crows and some ducks in Yellowstone Lake, but I did hear some bird noises. Wouldn't call it "singing", but definitely came from birds.

Bison in the cool grasses

Finally, a thrill. We saw a herd of bison in the grasslands, or maybe they were grassy wetlands. The little parking lot above the grasslands was full but my miracle driver found a spot. I have seen bison before, but never so many grazing so closely, but far from the crowd. Lots of babies. A wonderful, peaceful space.

I really had to go to the bathroom and I'm afraid I have to be really desperate to use an outhouse, so I waited until we got to a "good" rest stop and visitor center. Which one? No idea, but the restroom was great. Nice picture windows too. A better day already.

Grand Tetons

We were getting a little hungry by then, but we were too late for the park restaurant near us. We drove south and moved seamlessly into Grand Tetons National Park. We saw a grocery/convenience store and bought a delicious turkey and smoked turkey and cheese artisan sandwich. Bag of Fritos (bad but delicious).

We had a picnic lunch at what I think was the Coulter Bay Marina. Old picnic table; the best view. That sandwich and the last of the celery from home were great. Time for the last leg to Dubois, Wyoming.

Sunshine and Beauty

Photos.

I hadn't expected so much beauty during our two days on the "open road", so I wondered if our time in Yellowstone would be anticlimactic. It isn't.

We passed the famous Cody Rodeo as we rode out of town and almost immediately headed up the mountain. Our first stop was unexpected: either Buffalo Bill Dam was not in our travel books or we just didn't notice it. The Korean War veteran on a gulf cart cajoled us into taking the short shuttle over to the visitor center and, as promised, we didn't regret the little detour.

The views are spectacular, and the two women staffing the desk provided great information on our park visit, as well as the valuable suggestion that we make a hotel reservation before our phones we out of signal range. I really hadn't anticipated losing connectivity in this era of ubiquitous cell service, so this information was helpful. I booked a hotel in West Yellowstone right away and, sure enough, we were without cell service except intermittently throughout our time in the park.

As if on demand, two deer a large (to me at least) bison appeared on the highway soon after our arrival. The deer scampered up a hill so I was convinced that they were bighorn sheep until I looked at the photos later on in the day. Bob, of course, thought right away that they were either elk or deer, and, as is so often the case, he was right.

The bison was walking slowly up a hill near Yellowstone Lake, oblivious to the traffic stopped in both directions. We moved slowly away after the sighting, and saw another large animal in a large grassy field that looks like bison habitat "as seen on TV".

We stopped to see the geyser pools at West Thumb and I walked most of the boardwalk, taking a lot of pictures until I encountered a large tour group. I headed back up the hill and found myself thinking that the high altitude (elevation 7795 feet) really does affect breathing until one gets used to it. A smell of hydrogen sulfide from the thermal pools fills  the air in that area of the park. I really don't mind that odor, but I think it has irritated my nose and sinuses.

On to Old Faithful, where we saw our first real crowds of the trip. People were sitting on benches waiting for the geyser's famous eruption. Bob brought his bag chair and I sat on a log, but I'm far too restless to wait patiently so I got up and took some pictures until the eruption. We were experiencing some wind, so the eruption looked more like a water main break than the straight up geyser shower I remembered from my first visit. The crowd cheered wildly and then dispersed.

We drove out of the park at the end of the afternoon and stopped at the Brandin' Iron Inn for the night. It's a clean and comfortable 50s style motel, where our vehicle is parked near the door so it's easy to move stuff in and out of the room. We had dinner at the Slipper Otter Pub -- a great house salad with chicken, shared by the two of us. The short rainfall did not last and we saw a lovely sunset behind the clouds.

Revisiting the Irma Hotel

Photos.

Bar at the Irma Hotel

We decided to have dinner out instead of the cheese and crackers we had enjoyed on Tuesday evening.

Deciding against a full meal, we stopped in at the Irma Hotel for appetizers and drinks. The famous gunfight re-enactment was going on, so it wasn't hard to find a seat at the bar. Sidebar: a few years ago, a spectator was shot at this gunfight with real ammunition.

I was amazed that my $5 Pinot Noir (Han's -- never heard of it) was delicious. We chose the appetizer plate to share and I almost immediately regretted succumbing to greasy bar food. There was far too much food for us to eat but it seemed like the easiest choice at the time.

Our server/bartender was a young woman with two children, originally from southern California. She lives in Cody because of the rodeo. She is a professional roper -- not quite sure what that means. "As seen on TV?", I asked. "No", she said. "They make $500K a year and don't tend bar to make ends meet." Anyway, she loves Cody because she and do the Rodeo thing 90 days a year.

We didn't go in the old section to see the famous cherrywood bar from Queen Victoria. We were happy to walk along the main street in the bright evening sunlight.

Crossing the Bighorns

Photos.

We chose US 14 to cross the mountains to Cody. The alternate route on Hwy 16 but it is, in theory, longer. We should have checked for road construction before heading up the mountain, as we always do when we're traveling to Florida, or even on shorter junkets at home.

The glorious vistas were immediate. Red rocks, evergreen forests, cattle grazing in the valleys and on the hills. We soon ran into road crews too, rebuilding the highway. The driver of a tour bus ahead of us was an expert at navigating the steep mountains, shifting expertly and earning even Bob's admiration. Bob prides himself on avoiding the use of brakes on mountain passes, and the bus driver passed the "brake light test" with high grades.

The dust was terrible in the construction zone. For part of it, we were at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet and the workers were dressed warmly. A full fleet of heavy machinery was parked in a few locations spread across the construction area.

Finally, we reached pavement and moved out of the zone. The drive into Cody in mid-afternoon was on a straight, low traffic road. We checked into Comfort Inn in the Buffalo Bill Village complex and were happy to pour ourselves a drink.

This is an older building but the bed is very comfortable and the shower is great.