The Day of the COWBOY

Yep, it's the "First Annual Day of the Cowboy" in Dubois, Wyoming! Hey, a tribute to the Oklahoma State Cowboys! We love it! And we're all wearing OSU "stuff" & I even ride along with the parade. Well, the parade isn't that big..about 100 horses, two covered wagons, some politicians & a biker throwing candy. Anyway, we were awakened by the group of 8 who were leaving for home today...the Watts & Mcneights for Santa Fe , Brian & Ashley for Hays, Ks & Bob & Mel for Denver. That was at 6:00 am, and we had to get up to say goodbye. So the remaining six fixed a really good breakie of eggs,ham, veggies & potatoes! I washed dishes, with Terry & then we all pack up for a trip to town & the celebration. Me & KK take our bikes & ride a few miles before the parade starts. I get a good 23 miles in & KK 10, with the temps in the mid-60's & NO WIND! I see a loaded biker in town & chat with him about the ride over the pass & then to Missoula. The parade. as mentioned was ok & over pretty quick. there will be lots of food in town, music, a shootout & a whiskey tasting & BBQ..what a day! We shop a little and then meet up at the Sundance cafe for a late lunch, Great food but lousy service..at least they apologized for that. I had the chorizo tacos, KK the chicken burrito-massive-and the others split a chorizo burrito. Oh, and a few brews, margrets and a wonderful view of the Horse Creek from the deck. So who's in a hurry anyway?( Terry, Bruce, settle down) A stroll around the boardwalk, some Cowboy music-Happy Trails to You-ice cream & up to the cabin for reading, napping & packing. But hey, we all get to have private bedrooms for the last night here! Bruce washes his car..Terry & Fonda do some packing & everyone washes clothes. Now we're out on the deck, hoping to see some varmits-rabbits won't do. This is Bighorn Sheep area, and we haven't seen one all week..except for the statue at the museum. About this time, Marsha, who looks over the place, came up and told us a few things about the Randolphs & the surrounding countryside. She said that there would be 100's of elk right by the house in the winter..right. A good visit & she seems to be a real good person. Some of the group are watching a movie so I make a batch of nachos & we have a few drinks to top off the day. We're out of here tomorrow, after a MXA special breakfast.

A scream in the night

A scream, but nothing bad..no critters in the house..but a nightmare by KK and woke us all up at about 4:00 am..sounded like a wildcat on the loose. (and how did she scream thru that mask?) Then it was difficult to go back to sleep, but we're finally up about 7:00. KK is up first & turns on the coffee..thanks! Most of the crowd is going fishing today, back at the Whiskey Basin. What will we do? More later..ok, it's later, and after some light breakies, almost everyone goes fishing at various spots, and it turned out to be a great day for fishing & looking for glyphs, and Deb saw an eagle's nest, over in Whiskey Basin! Not too many fish caught, but a grand time.... Except for Bruce, who lost 3 lures & broke his rod.Me & KK went back over the pass to Yellowstone. We stop at the Jackson Lake Lodge and have lunch..I had the Knife & Fork Hot Dog & KK had the Salmon BLT..they were FAB! Back on the road to Yellowstone & a right turn just past where the boys camped, toward Cody, but then a left (north) toward the Canyon Village & the massive waterfall into Yellowstone Lake. There's a few elk on the way, some bison, mud volcanoes, more bison..one on the boardwalk!..and more bison and then out in the open, a "Buffalo Jam" appears. At least a half mile of cars and after 30 minutes, we've moved about 200 feet, so I decide that we better turn around or we won't make it back today. No waterfalls this trip! So back south, with a few stops & finally back into the Tetons & some great views of the mountains. We look for, and find Antelope Flats Road, where we see at least 50 more bison & a few elk & deer. Back to the main road, toward Dubois..73 miles..and yes, the construction. Not too bad this time and it's 51 degrees at the top of the pass, Home by 9:45 & everyone is in bed except Deb & Bruce, as some are leaving tomorrow morning. Oh, and the Haws have gone to the local rodeo & get home about 10:30. That's about it.

Whiskey Basin Blues

A bright sunny morning & the air is clean & washed. Some sittin' around in the early morning, with coffee & cookies & then down to Dubois for a breakfast at The Sundance Cafe..oops, they're closed, as it must be their turn to close & go fishin'. So it's over to the Cowboy Cafe again and a great breakie. I got the Spicy Elk sausage omelet, as did Terry, KK got the veggie omelet with biscuits, Fonda had the B&G Supreme..outstanding! We see the "Maytag" repairman again-he had come up to the cabin yesterday to fix the dishwasher-and I ask him about the local spots he told us about. He raves on , but suggests the Whiskey Basin area, just east of town, with three lakes and lots of hiking areas. So we're off to that location & the Nance's are with us, but the Haws chose to shop. A right turn about two miles out of town & another six miles to the first lake, which is private. A few ranches out here, dude and otherwise. We stop at the first area where you can camp and chat with some locals-actually from Casper. Nice facilities too, but no hookups. These lakes are glacial, from these mountains in the last ice age, with the Torrey River flowing from the mountains, where you can see the glacier! the folks tell us about the area & the petroglyphs down the canyon-watch for the poles beside the road. Off we go to check out the glyphs. Almost all the way to the trailhead, where you can hike 3 miles to Lake Louise & even on up to the glacier. We are not prepared to hike, so we head back to town to shop a little & have a cold Alaskan Ale at the Whiskey Creek Saloon. By now it's time to go back to the cabin& take a nap..oh, and wash our car. It's almost illegal to drive it, as the mud is covering the lights, so I wash it , but it's still dirty, but much improved. some naps, hikes, books, blogging, facebooking & starting dinner. Eddie, once again, has come through, with steaks for everyone..at least. Baked potatoes, blackeyed peas, salad & wine-a great meal! clean-up by Bruce, Tom & Brian..cooking by Terry. After dinner, Terry smokes his pipe on the deck, KK & Deb go for a walk, Bob makes a call & I add to my journal. And here we go, another poker game breaks out-six of them playin' all kinds of games-nickels mostly. everyone else reads or on their PC's. OH, I smell brownies cookin'! Looks like a late night (it's 9:20) . Well, the game broke up about 10:30 & woosh, everyone heads to bed. Mel is the BIG winner! We stay up for a while & post a few pics & read. The wind is still howling..probly 25-30 mph up here. A pretty good day..no biking (I was going to go down to tow and ride but the wind is horrible.)

Raindrops & rainbows

Wow, we're awakened by Deb's alarm at 6:00am, as they're headed to Yellowstone for the day & 3 of them, Mel, Bob & Brian are going to camp Wednesday eve in the park. We plan to go to Jackson, but no hurry and then a storm moves in pretty early & rain, lightning & thunder hits us. So a leisurely breakfast to wait it out and some good stories from Eddie from last night..yep, he's up already. The park crowd get away at 7:30 and we blog, read & eat. Every time someone new gets up, we hear the "road closed" story over again. The rain quits..twice..& we have lunch here & head off to Jackson Hole. The construction zone is horrible, but we finally get to Moran & into Teton Park, before taking the "dam" road to Jackson. It's a beautiful drive, with lakes, visitor centers & fab views of the clouds over Grand Tetons. Fonda is fretting about getting to Jackson & having enough time to shop..relax girl, we'll get there. A little traffic jam going into town-road crew cleaning the highway, but the ski area looks nasty & a couple of airplanes take off while we wait. Into town, population 9600, elevation 6500'..that's a first. The visitor's center is really nice and we could spend two hours here, but we head up to the square & all of the shops & restaurants. I go back & move the car to a public parking area & we shop for a while & then have supper at the "Million Dollar Cowboy Bar"...cold beer but so-so food..buffalo burgers, elk burgers. A little more shopping and down to the car by 7:00 and a short cruise down to the DQ! On the road toward Dubois and a 73 mile drive over the pass, and this time in the muddy area, we get hosed by a truck and the car looks like it's painted camo. We do see a few deer on the way back, but nothing special. I try to clean off the car when we get back, but it's pretty bad. A good day today, but too much rain, but it did cause a really special double rainbow on the way back, and one so bright, COOL! Back to the cabin and more thunder & rain, chatting, blogging and looking at pics. Tomorrow? who knows...

Double "Parked'

Yep, we're up early for our trip over the pass to Yellowstone National Park, but we "have" to go thru Grand Teton park to get there. On the road just before 8:00 & west-bound for the construction area on the pass. It's pretty massive and we have to stop a few times & have some lead trucks too. (And pay attention to the signs that the pass will close at 10 pm till 1:00 am!-more on that later.) Over Togwotee Pass at 9658' & down to the Ranger Station in Moran. A quick stop for some cards & a book & on down to the entrance of Grand Teton Park--yea for Senior passes! The Haws are with us and we all get in for no charge. The Watts & McKnights are in Ed's van & they get in free too! Then we see lots of cars stopped at a lake, so we "have" to see whats' up. It's a beautiful spot at Oxbow Bend & the reflections from the lake of the Tetons are unbelievable! WOW! On thru the park to the John D Rockefeller, Jr Memorial Parkway & into the south entrance of Yellowstone National Park--senior pass again! It took us 2:40 to get to this point & another hour to the Old Faithful Area. Lots of scenic spots along the way:cascades, Falls, the Snake River Canyon, waterfalls & just before noon, we arrive at Old Faithful. Let's have a picnic & some Eskimo Joe's pics! A short walk to the geyser area, where there are thousands of people gathered for the next eruption, which is about every 90 minutes. There are even grandstands around the geyser area & as soon as it's over the crowd races for the gift shops & restaurants. Old Faithful is FAB! & lots of pics, and ooh's and ahh's. We shop for a while but decide to hike the boardwalk around the lower basin of geysers. Then off of the walk & then we take the low path across the river & up a 200' climb to the observation point & we witness another geyser erupt & also the Old Faithful again. We then proceed on to the Solitary Geyser, visiting with some Boy Scouts from Atlanta along the way & this geyser is well worth it...every 5 minutes it erupts with massive bubbles & really cool. Back down to the boardwalk for more geysers & pools. A Ranger tells us about the impending eruption of the Beehive Geyser in 15 minutes & we grab the Haws and go down to watch. This geyser only erupts once a day, if that & a big crowd gathers & it's spectacular! hundreds of people get soaked & run for cover. Back to the gift shop & some ice cream and to the car to drive a little north to some more geysers at the upper basin--a nice boardwalk here too. Now we head back south & stop at a few scenic spots..the Kepler Cascades, the Lewis River-where I cooled off my feet- & Falls, before getting to the entrance and out of Yellowstone. Back into the Tetons & a stop at Jackson Lake Lodge, where the Haws aunt & uncle often went. We see a large herd of elk feeding down in the meadows. Let's eat! Into the Pioneer Grill and it's a neat place..a continuous bar with lots of waitresses, cooks & extra help. The food & service is great..philly cheese steak, a knife & fork hot dog, and burgers. Back to the elk herd & at least 60 of them feeding & now real close to the road, in the Willow Flats area. It's getting real dark but it's quite a sight! We better get on the road & up to the pass where there is construction & the closure of the road. Well guess what? We are the last car over the pass at 10:05! And now, the rest of the story...the Watts & the McKnights don't quite make it & have to turn around to find a restroom & something to eat. They wait 'till 1:00 and and get thru, after sleeping some in the van. They survived & got in about 2am..what a story! no biking today..see ya...

Dubois Shoppin'

OK, I blogged until 11:30 last night and got thru Sunday..The hide-a-bed sleeps pretty good, but the sun coming in the windows wakes us up pretty early. There are pull-down shades under the chamois window coverings, but there are still windows up high. Animal heads, skins, skulls & antlers everywhere. A light breakie & then everyone goes down the mountain to Dubois to shop & look around. Eddie & Tom have gone to Riverton to get Ed's brakes fixed, so we take the girls..Joyce & Ruth Ann with us. I take my bike and go for a short little 12 miler, and the wind is massive from the west. then a nice lunch at The Cowboy Cafe-good burgers & fries! A little more lookin' around. Back up to the cabin & just chillin' out-we can't take it! Let's do something...so I go on a short hike on the property. Most people are reading..it's like a library in here! I write some post cards & go to town to mail them, buy some beer & go by the campers to get the hummingbird feeder from Terry's popup, so we can put it up at the cabin. Yea, we have hummers! Supper here this eve, so the boys fire up the charcoal grill for the chicken breasts, and the girls make the salad, mashed potatoes (fake) & green beans. A great meal--thanks Eddie! Seems to be a cooler evening, no clouds, but the moon is just over half full & lookin' good, especially thru some high-powered Bi-nocs-there's the "Sea of Tranquility!". Ruth Ann & Ashely clean up & some picture taking starts, with me & Tom. A card game breaks out & also a fire outside is real fine.We're up early tomorrow for a trip to Yellowstone, Did I say that Bruce slept on on the deck last night--he's our mountain man! see ya

To the Top

A pretty good sleep, but I woke up too cold & got me a sleeping bag for warmth. There was some traffic during the night, but no trains. Our A/C drowned out most of the noise. The morning was clear blue skies & about 50 degrees around 7 am. The coffee is ready, so a couple of cookies & as the Haws go to shower, I go out for a short spin of 7 miles. Load up & head to breakie at the Platte River Restaurant-another spot recommended by the KOA folks & really good! Omelets, waffles, gravy & biscuits & we're stuffed! Back to camp to tear down & head off toward Dubois by 11 am. A beautiful drive westerly across Wyoming, with beautiful valleys, snow-capped peaks & the Riverton Indian Reservation. A scheduled stop at Wally World in Riverton to buy groceries for the group, and ....a stop at a DQ! KK got her dip cone! On to Dubois & the KOA, where we left our campers for the week. Unhook & unload for the trip up to the cabin. Deb calls & will come down to meet us and take us up there. It's a 5-mile drive up gravel & blacktop roads to a fabulous vista! Talk about a view! this one is unreal!The "cabin" is quite lovely, with 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, a media room..not bad. We unload and get all the food into the frig and the Watts & McNights call for assistance. I go down to get them and now all 14 of us are present. ( Mike , KK, Terry, Fonda, Deb, Bruce, Brian, Ashley, Mel, Bob, Eddie, Ruth Ann, Tom & Joyce.) Let's have a beer & some sandwiches! Some chatting about old times at Sandy's in Stillwater, some hiking, pictures & just kickin' back. Now a card game breaks out and they clean Eddie out. Oh, and star gazing,but the mosquito's are bad, so everyone gets ready for bed at 10"30! WHAT? how old are these people? A few showers and to bed at 11:30 for me..mountain time..and I do mean mountain. See ya tomorrow...