The Road to Gillette

Cody to Buffalo..

Wednesday, we pulled out of the campground about 8:20am…Other than a few bumpy spots due to road work, it was a smooth and interesting ride… The first half was boring but then, the scene changed….

The roads became very curvy and we went up, up, up….  

Until we reached an elevation just over 10,000 ft

 

Before long, it was time to go down, down, down….  

   

And not long after we got to the bottom, we were all tucked in to Deer Park Campground in Buffalo, for one  night.

Buffalo to Gillette….

Thursday we got off to a good start towards Gillette. It was an easy drive. We arrived at  the Camplex with no lines. After parking, we all headed up to get ourselves checked in. Later afternnoon we had a staff meeting and happy hour, and got to catch up with old friends..

Let the Escapade Begin!!!

Since then, it has all been a blur. We have had more meetings, staff dinner, more happy hours, lots of hugs, entertainment, seminars, shopping, dinner out  and oh ya, work!!! We have been sharing the duties of Hospitality and the Popcorn booth, with Mac and Lynette.  We have kept quite busy, which is why no pictures..I hope to get a few in the next few days!

Cody, Wyoming

We left Island Park last Thursday morning. It was a really neat drive through Yellowstone..

    

       

Look at this house..

We arrived at Yellowstone Valley Inn &  Campground shortly after noon.

Barb and Bob, Barb and Roger and a new couple, Don and Susie were already at the park.  Mac, Lynette, Chuck & Kathy and John and Bridget arrived later afternoon. It was great to see everyone and get caught up on what has been going on with our friends.

Although the campground is all gravel, we are surrounded by incredible beauty..

Behind our site..

Across from us (Don & Susie’s site)

Across the road…

Out our side window at night…

 

We have kept busy seeing some sights, but have also chilled out and visited, had a few happy hours, dinners and card games..

Buffalo Bill Dam & Visitor Center.. 295 ft down in the Shoshone River…    

The tunnel…

The Old West As It Really Was…

The Old West in miniature at Old West Tecumseh’s Village..

The popular Irma Hotel, where a gunfight takes place outside every evening..

Tomorrow morning we will head to Gillette, to attend and work with staff for the Escapees Escapade.  Several couples left today, as they have to start a day earlier.  We are looking forward to this event, that our friends Bob & Molly are directors for this year. They sure have been working very hard to make this a huge success.  Can’t wait!!

Hitch Itch and a Birthday

Well it has really hit us all here.. Hitch Itch, that is..We are ready to roll on. For some reason, this has been a very long month. Once you see the sights of Yellowstone, shopped several days in West Yellowstone and driven around the surrounding area, there just isn’t much to do. We are in dire need of grocery’s from a big store and a nail salon, lol… Kevin has even done all the cleaning he can do!

 

Saturday, we did have a reason to celebrate. It was Kathy’s birthday.. Chuck treated us all to dinner at a rather different place for us all. 

 

  The birthday girl..listening to a Happy Birthday song..

We had lots of tapas…starting with a cheese and meat plate. That was followed by meatballs, chicken, shrimp and a very tasty potato, egg dish somewhat like a quiche..

Sample of the meatball dish…

We all left with full tummy’s and headed back to the park for cake and ice cream…

 

Thanks Chuck for treating us to dinner and Thanks Kathy for having a birthday, and letting us celebrate with you!!  Hope you have many, many more..

LIG

Exploring More of the Area

We had a few more sights to see, so Mac, Lynette, Kevin & I headed down the road to visit Johnny Sack Cabin Big Springs..

This log cabin and wheel house, was built by this German immigrant, starting in 1929,  and is now a landmark in the Island Park area.

Johnny Sack’s…

Everything was made by him and primarily out of hand tools…

   

Beautiful handcrafted work..

Outside the springs were so crystal clear.. This is one of the 40 largest natural springs in the world.  It is said, that it produces over 120 million gallons of water each day.  Wow….

 

And home to rainbow trout, muskrats, and ducks…

 

On the way home, an ice cream stop on the river, was in order..

A great day with friends…

On Tuesday, Kevin & I started out early to drive over to the Earthquake Area…where in 1959, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in North America, struck the Madison River Canyon…

We visited the visitor center, where you can still see the impact it had ..

Fianlly, there is new growth.

When 80 million tons of rock crashed down into the canyon, it blocked the Madison River. The water backed up behind the rocks and formed Earthquake Lake, pictured below…

Further down the road we drove past Hebgen Lake, where the land under it tilted upward…Many people who were vacationing, were trapped.

The area has been rebuilt and once again, being enjoyed by many…

 

We detoured on a dirt road following the river, hoping maybe to catch some wildlife…

Only saw this momma and her baby….

We were home early afternoon, and just in time for a card game with the gang…. Another great day!