Wild Wild West

The clouds and rain of yesterday disappeared overnight and we awoke to a beautiful sunny morning with some fog on the mountains surrounding Gardiner. We were able to break camp quickly, stop by downtown Gardiner for some coffee and souveiner shopping and were driving into Yellowstone by 9:30 A.M. Our first stop was by the Norris Geyser Basin to see some impressive geysers, crystal clear boiling pools of water and steam vents. The Norris Basin is the hottest of the geyser basins in Yellowstone and the heat was evident everywhere. The caravan then proceeded to the Mud Volcano to see some large mud pots which are basically boiling pools of mud. The most impressive feature there was a boiling spring called Dragon's Mouth Spring. This spring emerges from a cave with waves of boiling water and steam and a sound that mimics a dragon's breathing. We then headed south east to the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. Along the way we saw numerous buffalo with one herd standing right at the edge of the road and a pack of four wolves that crossed the road in front of our car. Their size was very impressive and they appeared to be stalking a group of buffalo. We then stopped for a hike up Avalanche Peak. This hike was cut short due to lots of snow on the path which made it difficult to follow. Upon returning to the trucks, we headed east out of Yellowstone. The entire group was slightly saddened by this departure as the time we spent in the park was very special and there was still much left unseen. I suppose that will have to wait for another trip someday. After exiting through the eastern gate we proceeded along the Shoshone River to Cody, Wyoming. After the short drive we settled quickly into the campground and went into town for supper. Prior to eating we watched a recreated gunfight in the street that the kids enjoyed thoroughly. There were outlaws, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickock, a cavalry officer and two saloon women (Rickman and Trey both appreciated that). After the good guys won and the women were saved we went to dinner at the historic Hotel Irma that was built in 1903 by Buffalo Bill Cody and named after his daughter. After a very filling meal (with somewhat slow service...I think I'm seeing a trend here) we went to the Cody Rodeo. The rodeo featured bucking broncos, cattle roping, barrell racing, and bull riding. We all enjoyed this as well. Tomorrow we will break camp again and then tour the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. After the museum we are off to Deadwood, South Dakota and the Black Hills.