'18/#23 We Can't Hide, And That's A Good Thing

We just got back from our two days off and are exhausted. The daily routine of work will let us catch our breath. Now I am not complaining because we had a great time the past two days. On our days off we normally make the trek to Bozeman to do the bulk of our shopping. We love where we are but there is no place to grocery shop in West Yellowstone. We make the 1 1/2 hour drive to Bozeman and make a day of it. We take our time, go out to eat, and just make it a relaxing day. This time was a little different.

On Monday friends that we worked with in Zephyrhills had made it to Teton National Park which is a little over an hour away from us. Well, when you travel thousands of miles to get someplace and then 50 or 100 or even 150 miles separate you from friends......well that is what we consider in the neighborhood. Wendy and Charlie agreed to meet us at Old Faithful for lunch so we could catch up. Little did we know that most of the caravan they were traveling with had decided to tag along. It was great to see Wendy and Charlie and it was fun to meet some of their travel friends.

After a good time with everyone and promises to keep in touch we did a little sight seeing before we went home. It took us over an hour to travel the 30 or so miles each way with the "animal jams" stopping traffic. This is when a buffalo or elk or bear or eagle is spotted and everyone stops in the middle of the road to see and take pictures. The thought of pulling off the road never seems to cross their minds but that is what we have to deal with during the height of tourist season.

The next day we got up way to early, for a day off, to go to Bozeman but with good reason. More friends just happened to be passing through our area and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them. It had been a number of years since we were neighbors in Florida. With us hitting the road and them moving to Georgia social media was our main connection so an in person meeting just had to happen. Scott and Peggy met us in Yellowstone with their 5 kids ( 3 of whom we have never met) and spent almost 2 hours just reminiscing and catching up on what was new in everyone's life. They were in the middle of an adventure of their own, moving from Georgia to Alaska to start a new life. They were all excited and doing well and we couldn't wish any more for them but to be happy with everything the future holds for them. Of course they want us to come see them in Alaska and who knows?

Back home after another "critter jam" it was dinner time. We were too tired to cook so we snacked and wound down and called it a day. Tomorrow we would go to work and slow things down and maybe get around to putting the rest of our groceries away in our home in West Yellowstone because......

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#22 It's Nice To Get Back Home

Since the last blog we did head home from Cody Wyoming and we did come through Cooke City. Cooke City is the North East Entrance to Yellowstone. That means that this summer we have gone through all 5 entrances to Yellowstone. The west gate is right where we are staying so that is home base. The north gate is through Gardiner and was very disappointing. The south gate was coming up through Teton National Park and if you saw the photos you know that the mountains are picture post card ready. Going out the east gate was muddled by the construction at Fishing Bridge but it meant we were going to Cody so that was OK. And finally Cooke City at the north east gate drops us into my favorite part of the park, Lamar Valley.

The ride from Cody to West Yellowstone via Cooke City is a roundabout way to go but for scenic views it shouldn't be missed. The Chief Joseph Highway crosses the Shoshone National forest through the Absaroka Mountains and is an engineering marvel. Steep climbs, hair-pin turns, and dangerous drop offs keep you on your toes as you try to safely enjoy the views.

Cooke City is a little town in Montana that thrives off Yellowstone tourists in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter and has that small western town feel. The usual gift shops, and food establishments many with wooden walkways out front add to that feel. Most important is it is the last stop before entering Yellowstone after almost 2 hours of driving from Cody.

Entering the north east gate we drove through forests with creeks and rivers keeping us company. And then the forest opens up and there is Lamar Valley. I get goose bumps because the valley looks like it must have hundreds of years ago. Thousands of acres dotted with thousands of bison, it is just awe inspiring. We stopped several times to take pictures. Then we found a large and active herd of bison. We are into the "rutting" season when the buffalo start their mating rituals. We parked the truck and just sat there for almost and hour just watching. We finally decided to move on just as the National Geographic film crew showed up to start filming for the 4 night Yellowstone "Live" that had started the day before on the Nat Geo channel. We were recording it at home so we just moved on.

After 6 hours of relaxed driving and wild life sight seeing we made it home. It was a good couple of days seeing friends and getting to see some more of this wonderful country. For now we are just glad to be in our own bed in our home in West Yellowstone because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#21 Since We Were In The Neighborhood...

In this RV lifestyle that we live we travel thousands of miles at a time. Often we settle in places where shopping is 50, 75, or 100 miles away. So when we are less than 150 miles from friends we haven't seen in a while we take the opportunity to see them. Just 101 miles and 3 hours through Yellowstone National Park and we have returned to what I like to refer to as "the scene of the crime". Back in Cody Wyoming, after 6 years of travel, we came to see some of the people we worked with back then.

In the morning we stopped by the business office and caught up with Shandi and Angela. They were at work so it was a brief visit. We still got to catch up and reminisce a little. We found out that our boss, Judy, was not in town so hopefully we can catch up with her another time. Never the less it was good to see the girls.

Later we had dinner plans with Pernille and her family. We worked with her and saw her son a number of times at work with her. Her husband we only met once or twice and her youngest wasn't even born yet. Still we had a great time and wound up just sitting and talking for 3 hours. Again it was good to catch up.

Now, how do we cap off such a wonderful day? Why not a trip to Libations? What is Libations you ask? Well it might be the best liquor store ever. In addition to a large assortment of beer, wine, and alcohol they have booze based slush drinks. Think Slurpees for adults. Tonight we chose strawberry daiquiri and "pain-killer". Mary says the strawberry daiquiri tasted great and .... well the rum based pain-killer lived up to it's name. Two more features of Libations is a classy sitting area to enjoy your adult beverage and a drive through for your beverage on the go. Who new such a place existed?

Tomorrow we will hit the Walmart here in town for a few groceries and head on back to West Yellowstone. We will take the scenic Chief Joseph Highway and avoid the construction at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. It is a longer trip but it is such an awe inspiring drive.

Tomorrow it is back to the old workcamping grind in West Yellowstone. It will be good to be back in our own beds in our rig in Montana because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary