'12/#32 CIVILIZATION!!!!!!!

We have been in Cody WY for almost 3 months & have been enjoying ourselves. The history in the area has come to life. It is like putting a face to a name. Text books, museums, & movies are fine but until you see the real thing in person it doesn't have real meaning. The scenery is breathtaking, majestic, awesome..... adjectives can't begin to describe. The wild life has been etched into our memories for ever. After all that we felt that something was missing.

Mary & I both grew up near big cities. I'm from Long Island just outside of NYC & Mary is from Arlington VA just across the bridge from Washington DC. We met, lived, & worked near St Petersburg & Tampa FL. Now we are living in Cody, a city with a population not much bigger than my High School. Talk about culture shock. Since we have been traveling we make a point of seeing local attractions, eating at local restaurants, & getting to know the local residents. That has made our travels the adventure that we are enjoying, but........again something is missing.

Watching satellite TV we see all the advertisements from NY & LA. It struck us that we missed some of the chain restaurants we frequent & the many different stores that are available in the metropolitan areas we were familiar with. It was time for a dose of civilization & the nearest city is Billings MT, 115 miles away. It takes about 2 hours to get there & many of our friends make the trip there & back in a day. We wanted a break from Cody so we took advantage of the hotel's employee discount & booked a room to make it an overnight stay.

Well here we are in Billings just driving around & checking things out. There are restaurants galore, stores of every shape & size, & there are people...lots of people! It may sound crazy but it felt good driving around in traffic. Not bumper to bumper traffic, just the normal flow of traffic found in most suburban communities. We have scoped out a few places to eat & will do a little shopping before we head back to Cody.

I will say goodnight for now in Billings MT away from our home in Cody because...

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#31 4th of July Continued

Things have been a little crazy around here, but I will get back to that later. First I would like to finish up our own personal celebration of our nation's birth. After the parades, the craft fairs, the shopping, & the rodeo, all under the most beautiful blue Wyoming sky we called it a day. We had fun & were exhausted so it was early to bed for us. Tomorrow, the 4th, would be another day.

To celebrate the birth of our country we felt that spending the day in our country's first national park was appropriate. Having been to the park a number of times we wanted to make it special. So what better way than to do it on a motorcycle? The freedom of riding, the exposure to the open air, & the unobstructed views for photography promised another wonderful day. The plan was to get up by 7am & avoid the last parade of Cody's 4th of July celebration. So much for plans, but who cares? It's our day off & we were just going to enjoy it! So instead our day started at 9:30am.

We had a quick breakfast & hopped on the bike. We were treated to the scenic tour of Cody via detours due to the parade. What would have been a 5 minute ride took about 20 minutes but the weather was beautiful & we didn't care. Yellowstone here we come. It is 50 scenic miles to the park entrance & then another 25 breathtaking miles to the next visitor center at Fishing Bridge. There was also an increase in elevation of over 2000'. What was a beautiful 90 degree day in Cody turned into a beautiful 65 degree day in Yellowstone. The only problem was that in our rush to hit the road we didn't pack for the change in weather. A quick stop at the clearance rack in the gift shop, 2 sweat shirts later, & a fill up at the gas pump & we were on our way.

This trip to the park we wanted to see something we hadn't been to before, so we headed north with Roosevelt Lodge & Mammoth Hot Springs our destination. Traffic in the park had picked up quite a bit since our last visit. With tourist season in full swing & the holiday it was expected but it allowed everyone to slow down & take in the scenery. That's what everyone is here for anyway, right? Not as many animals as we have seen in the past but we still managed to get into a buffalo jam. It is a little different on a motorcycle. Inside a 9000 lb truck a 2000 lb buffalo is more awe inspiring than intimidating. On a 700lb motorcycle things change. There were no issues but the difference gives one something to think about.

Between our late start & the traffic it was early afternoon by the time we got to Roosevelt Lodge. The lodge is more rustic than some of the other hotels in the park & they feature activities like horseback riding & wagon rides. It is still awesome scenery in the area but with no thermal activity & less volcanic evidence around it is not as impressive as some other parts of the park. It was getting late & we were getting tired so it was time to head home. Mammoth will wait for another day.

By the time we got back to Fishing Bridge we were getting hungry & a little saddle weary so we stopped to fill the fuel tanks on us & the motorcycle, plus give a little rest to our posteriors. After 200 miles we needed to walk & stretch a bit. Every time I mentioned that we should get going Mary cringed not wanting to get back on the bike. We had another 2 hours to go to get back home & I did not want to be riding during dusk since that is when the deer start coming out. I don't want to have a deer vs truck incident but I really don't want to have a deer vs motorcycle incident. We all know who loses in that one. So on the bike & homeward bound.

Now I mentioned earlier that photography on a motorcycle is different than in a car or truck. With no roof, window, or door pillars the view is unobstructed. As anyone who has followed our travels knows, Mary is quite the shutter-bug. This day was no exception. Mary  had to switch batteries on her camera then she started with my camera & used 2 batteries & 2 memory cards. By the time we got home she had shot right around 1000 pictures. Yes, 1000, all in one day. That is a new record for her. I have to say she got a ton of awesome pictures as usual, & once we go through them all I am sure they will get posted in the blog & on FB.

Well that is all for today, so this is goodbye from our home in Wyoming because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#30 Enjoying Workcamping Again!

With the registration desk behind us we jumped right back into workcamper mode. We started with 2 days off & work being the last thing on our minds. Relax, enjoy, & unwind were to be the watch words for the next 2 days.

Day 1 was July 3rd & Cody was in in full Independence Day mode. There are craft fairs, food vendors, & entertainment going on for 5 days. It all starts with the Extreme Bull Riding on June 30th. This event is the kick-off for the Cody Stampede Rodeo that runs through July 4th. July 1st is the children's parade that includes all the trappings of the regular parade but only goes for 2 blocks & also allows any kid from the state of Wyoming to participate with a group or on their own. We missed that parade but it sounded like a lot of fun for the kids.

On July 3rd(our first day off from work) we watched the next parade. Every local group & most businesses were represented. There were bands from around the state including the Wyoming State All Star Band. This band has over the years traveled to Ireland & participated in the Rose Bowl Parade & the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Quite a resume if you ask me! Fire trucks, police vehicles, & horses of all shapes, colors, & sizes made their way down the main street in Cody. There were numerous floats promoting local organizations & also commemorating the town's history & founding father, William"Buffalo Bill" Cody. Local pride in small town America.....there is nothing like it & it is a perfect way way to celebrate Independence Day. After the parade we walked down town to the craft fair & spent a little money supporting the local artisans. Some ice cream from a local shop & it was time to take a nap. Our day was far from over!

As I mentioned before the Cody Stampede Rodeo is happening all this time. We managed to get tickets to the semi-finals on July 3rd. This rodeo is not the normal Nite Rodeo that goes on every night in Cody. This a nationally sanctioned event that qualifies some of the best cowboys in the world to go to the championship rodeo in Las Vegas later this year. This is a BIG event on the rodeo circuit. Needless to say we had a great time. There were some beautiful animals & some very talented cowboys & cowgirls. It was as exciting as any sporting event I have gone to in the past & was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in Cody.

I will continue later, so this is so long for now from our happy workcamper home here in Cody Wyoming because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#29 I'm Not Dead!!!

As Mark Twain has been quoted,"rumors of my death have been greatly exagerated". It has been some time since I have blogged & I will tell you why. As work campers here in Cody WY we had somewhat mundane jobs. We enjoyed the people we worked with as well as the tourists that passed through the store. Two weeks ago there was an upheavel in the staffing. There were some firings & some quiting that left the front desk of the hotel attached to the store short staffed. The owners felt that we would be well suited to fill those positions & asked if we wanted them. Since she was between the proverbial "rock & a hard place" we said we would try it. She was very appreciative.

Well let me tell you, this job is not physical at all but is very complicated. Add to that the fact that we are right in the middle of peak season while we are trying to learn the job. It would by like learning how to make a parade float durring the Rose Bowl Parade! Needless to say it has been frustrating & stressful. We are coming home mentally drained, tense, & (most important) unhappy. It was time to step down from this "promotion" & move back to our original jobs.

Fortunately the openings were still there & we did agree to stay another week until the front desk jobs were filled. You have to remember that we are retirees who are now work campers. Our careers are over & we now work jobs, part time temp jobs at that. We do this so we can travel, see the country, & enjoy ourselves. This stressful kind of job that requires more training than we recieved is more suited to a long term job commitment. More training & better timing would have made a difference.

The past 2 weeks have been work & sleep, work & sleep and that is not how we planned on spending our retirement. Tomorrow will be our last day at the front desk. We will then be able to start enjoying ourselves & everything the Cody WY area has to offer. When we start that I will have more to blog about. So until then this is goodnight from our home in Cody because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

'12/#28 The Best Things In Life

We spent another day in Yellowstone with our friends before they headed north to Glacier National Park. The weather was more cooperative, in fact it may have been ideal. We spent a good amount of time around the Old Faithful Area. Reports say that the Old Faithful Geyser is not as impressive as it used to be. Time & geological changes have reduced it's intensity & predictability but I still wanted to see it. After all it is Old Faithful. Well we saw it twice that day & contrary to reports that it is disappointing compared to it's previous appearances it is still quite impressive. The whole area is awe inspiring with it's geysers, steam vents, & hot springs. Think about it....hot water & steam, flowing & spewing out of the ground! All this because of the volcanic activity below the surface!!! They say if the Yellowstone Caldera were to erupt it would be 100 times greater than Mt St Helens

While the geothermal features make Yellowstone unique there is lots more to see. There are the mountains, valleys, trees, flowers, & animals. Oh the animals! We have seen deer & elk with antlers that make you wonder how they hold their heads up. We have spotted coyote & got a brief glimpse of a wolf .There are weasel & marmots scurrying around the trees & near the water. And we have seen buffalo, oh have we seen buffalo! Single buffaloes up on a hillside or drinking from a lake or stream & the occasional buffalo standing in or near the road have cars stopping to take pictures. But the "buffalo jams" really occur when herds are moving across fields, or better still, across the road! This is calf season & there are baby buffalo everywhere. The herds move looking for food & water with the calves seemingly attached to mom or dad's side. Once in the fields the calves run & play while the adults stay near by grazing. If camera shutters were louder the noise would be deafening. The adults are majestic while the babys are adorable. We were fortunate to see a mommy & her baby walk across the lawn right in front of Old Faithful while the crowds waited for the next eruption.

After 2 days seeing the park with our friends it was time to say goodbye. The 4 of us commented on the joys of our chosen RV lifestyle & came to an agreement. While we see some of the most amazing things this country has to offer it is the people we get to meet in our travels that impact us most. The locals are the windows into the different cultures that make the US so diverse, but the friends we make are what tie us all together. We meet, we work, we keep in touch, & our RV family grows...and I think it makes us all better people for the experience. Mary & I consider ourselves very fortunate to have some of the best friends one could ask for.

So safe travels to our friends & goodbye to everyone until the next blog from our home here in Cody Wyoming because.....

Home is where we park it,


Frank & Mary

'12/#27Yellowstone w/Tour Guides

Yes, it's been a while but not much going on. Work, chores, etc & Mary ate something that didn't agree with her. That was our days off this past week. This week is going to be different. We have friends coming to town on their way north. We met them last year at Dollywood & have become good friends. We are taking a few days off to spend time with them & plan on seeing more of Yellowstone. This time our friends will be our tour guides since they workcamped in Yellowstone a few years ago.


The goal today was to see the critters of Yellowstone & especially bear or moose. We also wanted to see more of the geo-thermal features in the park. We saw buffalo again & fools who need to see them up close. That is what telephoto lenses are for. Buffalo can sprint over 30mph & have been know to gore those who get too close. Notice the fools in the photo above & my nice close-up below from the safety of the car.

We saw a coyote & a babby weasel during our travels. We also saw a nice rack on the side of the road. This rack was attached to an elk who had a friend with a less impressive set of head gear. Can you say "antler envy"? I forgot that we had seen big horn sheep near the entrance of the park. Hopefully we will see them again on our way out. Big horn sheep are something to see but they don't have elk antlers.

Our next stop was the Norris Geyser Basin. We have seen the West Thumb Geyser but Norris was much bigger & more impressive. It is mind boggling to think that all these geysers, steam vents, & mud pots with their steam & boiling water is a sign that we are walking on top of one of the worlds largest active volcanos. If this volcano should erupt it would make Mt St Helens look like a small burp.

It has been a long day so we headed for home & what should we see? The big horn sheep are waiting to bid us adieu. We stopped off to have dinner with our friends /tour guides & called it a night. We will continue our explorations of Yellowstone tomorrow. So for now it is goodnight from our home in Cody because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank & Mary

                                          

'12/#26 Back To Yellowstone

Here it is the first of June. That means we have been here a month. Time flies when you're having fun. Not much to say about the jobs here since it has been very slow tourist-wise. They say it will get busy soon & we hope so, because it can get very boring with no customers. The worst part of the job is watching the clock.

  This weekend we went into Yellowstone so Mary could see grizzly bears. This time we took the NE entrance since everyone is telling us that we will see wildlife there IF we get there early. So the alarm clock went off at 4am. Yes AM! Now if you know us at all you know we are not morning people. For the last 25-30 years the only time we saw times before 8am we were on our way home from work, so this was definitely out of character for us. 75 miles of beautiful & rugged countryside later we were having breakfast in Cooke City Montana. Out here in the wide open spaces they mean wide open. Once you leave Cody everything is at least an hour away. By the time we got to Yellowstone it was almost 8am.

The rest of the day was nothing short of amazing with prong horn deer jumping in front of the truck,deer grazing, & buffalo every where. No bears!The mountains are stunning, the valleys are serene, &a natural beauty is around every bend in the road. Pictures do it no justice but we take them anyway to share with everyone. We hope you enjoy them here & on our FB pages.

  The road started climbing as we approached Dunraven Pass. Just a week ago this pass was closed to traffic because of snow. In fact it had not been open yet this year. The snow at times was taller than our truck & this is JUNE! As we drove through the pass we got into a sort of traffic jam with the locals. This shot is through our windshield.

Coming down from Dunraven Pass we stopped to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We have been to the Grand Canyon & what this canyon may lack in size it more than makes up for in beauty. The colors from the mineral deposits & the water falls are breathtaking.

It was time to head home with another 100 miles to go so we pointed the truck east towards Cody. By the time we got home we had driven over 225 miles & walked countless more. We were tired. The rodeo was in our plans but that will wait for another day & another blog.

So this is goodnight from our home in Wyoming because...



Home is where we park it, Frank & Mary