Wyoming Trip #5

August 9, 2022

We were packed and ready to leave for Cooke City at 7:45. Because of the summer flood in Yellowstone, we couldn't take the most direct route and had to go through Cody to reach our destination. We had a beautiful view of the Tetons as we headed north.

We made several stops in Yellowstone. The first one was at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, where we walked the trail to see the many colorful hot springs. 

Another stop was at the falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This is a top-rated tourist attraction, with many people milling around and taking photos. 

Spectacular!

After settling in at the cabin in Cooke City, we enjoyed a pasta dinner and later a 5-handed game of euchre, which Judy won!

August 10, 2022

Gloria, Ross, and I hiked the Bannock Trail from Cooke City to Silver Gate. Ray and Judy drove the van to the meeting point and walked a short distance to meet us as we neared the trail's end. We saw evidence of flood damage to the stream along the trail.

Erosion caused by the flood

Nearing the end of the trail

We found a small restaurant open and enjoyed a relaxing lunch. Many businesses in the area saw fewer tourists since Yellowstone's flood kept them from accessing this entrance to the park. 

Mount Republic Chapel of Peace

Looking toward the mountains

We stopped at the Cooke City General Store and were amazed to see many of the fixtures from the 1800s still being used today!

After a relaxing afternoon, we enjoyed a meal at the Beartooth Cafe, a favorite of Ross and Gloria's, and ended the day with two more rounds of euchre. 

Wyoming Trip #4

August 8, 2022

Our day's first stop was at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. There are many outdoor sculptures and beautiful paintings inside the museum. 

We stopped at Dornans to enjoy an outdoor lunch and took a group photo with the Grand Teton in the background.

Returning to Jackson, we stopped at the square and visited the Persephone bakery.

We came out with pastries for breakfast in the morning

Ray and Ross found time to play four holes of golf when we returned from our day of sightseeing. We all enjoyed a delicious salmon dinner.

Wyoming Trip #3

 August 7, 2022

We attended worship service with Gloria and Ross, after which we enjoyed a pancake breakfast prepared by Ross. Our hosts planned a busy itinerary, so we were off to Teton National Park after breakfast. The ride wasn't smooth, as the road was like a washboard. We pulled up to the roadside, wondering what everyone else saw, suspecting it was some kind of wildlife—a moose!

After leaving the area, we soon were traveling on a two-track road on our way to an abandoned dude ranch from 1912. Thirty of the nearly 100 original buildings are still standing, with some restoration underway. 

The Bar BC Ranch became Jackson Hole's
most famous dude ranch 

The main lodge is partially restored.

During its peak years, as many as 50 dudes could
stay here at a monthly rate of $300.

Lunchtime!

Tetons

We drove slowly on the two-track road to reach the main highway and later saw some pronghorn antelopes. On our return to Jackson, we enjoyed views of String and Jenny Lakes. Later that evening, Jim and Sally came over, and we enjoyed a taco supper and reminisced about our time together in France.

Wyoming Trip #2

August 6, 2022

    After our overnight stay in Rawlins, we only had about a 4.5-hour drive to Jackson. The landscape is desolate and almost desert-like. We stopped for lunch at a lovely little cafe in Pinedale. Their outdoor seating area was cute, but rain showers kept us indoors. The puddles at the curb made it challenging to cross the street to our car. We arrived at the Edwards' home at about 2:30, greeted by Daisy. Ross and Gloria were picking Judy up at the airport. After settling in, the five of us headed for a walk to the Snake River and Rendezvous Park.

Pedestrian Bridge over the Snake River

We continued our walk through Rendezvous Park.

Stepping Carefully

During our walk, we encountered a troll that was hard to photograph but made a big impression up close. The troll is made of reclaimed wood, driftwood, steel, and rocks made by Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist and recycling activist, calling the work of art Mama Mimi, 2021. He has more than 80 such sculptures around the world.

Enjoy these photos of the troll.

According to one website I visited the troll be on site for 3-5 years. 

Wyoming Trip #1

    Early in 2022, Ross and Gloria invited Judy, Ray, and me to visit them in Jackson. We were looking forward to the August visit and finally decided to take three days for the drive remembering that five years ago we had made the trip in two days. This time we'd be more relaxed.

    We left at 8:30 on August 4 and drove through some heavy rain showers the first hour or more. The central route west was on I-80.

    Driving through Iowa, we saw a large item, almost like a feather standing straight up and wondered what it could be. 

Wind turbine at the rest area

Plaque

Since it's hard to read, I've typed the primary information from the plaque below.

The Siemen's B45 IntegralBlade was manufactured under a patented process as one complete, seamless blade with no glued joints. The design and manufacturing process helps ensure a robust structure capable of reliably producing clean electricity for 20+ years. The primary materials used in manufacturing Siemen's wind turbine blades are epoxy, fiberglass, balsa wood and paint.

Length: 148 ft     Width: 11.2 ft     Weight: 23,098 lbs. 

Our first overnight was in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Friday, August 5

    We were on I-80 all day rolling through Nebraska, and came to Gothenberg, a small Swedish community. The highway sign "Pony Express Station" piqued our interest, and we left the highway to find the station. We learned that it was moved from its original site to its present location in a city park in 1912. 

An original Pony Express Station

A mannequin depicting an express rider

We were grateful for an air-conditioned car as the outside temperatures reached 102. Entering Wyoming, we drove through a rain storm, and the temperature dropped to 60. 

Our overnight stay was in Rawlins, Wyoming.

Celebrating our 60th Anniversary

I have a long way to go to catch up, and in this post, I'm writing about our anniversary party on July 8. I had been thinking of having a party to celebrate for about a year, but when we returned from France, we began making plans earnestly. We chose the local American Legion Post as it was familiar to many and locally centered. Invitations were designed, for friends from church, bridge players we know from the Greenwood Senior Center, and pickleball players. 

Invitation

Each guest had this at their seat.

On the backside was information from 1962.

We celebrated a few days early since Bart, Christy, and Persephone were in Indiana. They helped us decorate and get the venue ready for our guests.

                                  

Bridge Friends

Church Friends

Pickleball Friends

Church & Pickleball Friends

Bart & Persephone

Church Friends

Church Friends

Church Friends

Dustin, Carrie, Kylie, Bart, Christy, Persephone & Joe

As I write this, I enjoy seeing all the smiling faces who shared the day with us. I regret that I don't have a picture of Ray and me together that day. I do have photos of us from other occasions but not this one.