Only five weeks into our journey and I must say we have been in a state of 'wow' on many occasions already!  Oh, the things we have seen!

We left northeast Idaho and headed into Wyoming, and we found it!!!  The 'west' that is . . . I am still pondering this though - - we left the west and headed east to find the 'west'.  This is still going 'round in my mind. :)  I know we found it (the 'west') because by simply looking at the listings in the local telephone directory, it becomes obvious:  sports clothes, jewelry, leather goods, boots are all sold at the local feed store; headings in the phone book include 'Grazing Associations' and 'Branding Inspectors'; and the listings under the title 'Oil' fill most of two pages!  Yep, I think we found it . . . I mean, how many other places would have a location called "Hell's Half Acre" and a community that has a festival honoring the 'jackalope'.  Really!  Of course, my trusty sidekick and co-pilot had to have a 'ka-boy' hat to help him fit in here.  He looks quite dashing in it, actually!

The other thing I am pondering is the fact that here in the 'west' one seldom sees anyone with a cell phone up to their ear, or texting away, while walking down the street.  Curious . . . perhaps they have other things on their minds - - like rounding up the cattle or sheep???

Our first Wyoming stop was the National Parks - - Yellowstone and Teton.  We have been there before but this time we had the time to really experience the beauty and uniqueness of this corner of the world.  I tried to make images that were a little different but on those occasions when I couldn't resist the iconic photos, I at least tried to keep my tripod legs out of the permanent holes left by others:):)
 

The wildlife is active and visible, of course.  In addition to many bison, herds of antelope, and a mama moose and her calf, we also were blessed to witness a wonderful interaction between species.  One early morning while we were out photographing, we saw two grizzly cubs, about half grown, actually playing with two coyotes in a meadow.  What a sight!

 
In Jackson, we also visited the National Museum of Wildlife Art - - amazing facility.  Blew us away!  (Speaking of Jackson - - Esty and Bill - - the Bar J is still alive and well.  We had a great evening there.)

We know that wolves have been reintroduced into the parks, and we were lucky enough to find one that insisted on traveling with us on our journey.  We named him Walter (the wolf).  We find him very photogenic and willing to have his portrait taken at a moment's notice!  He eats very little and sleeps through the night, so he is not a burden to have along . . . might have to get him a sweater for the colder seasons though.

While in Cody, WY, we decided to do what everyone else does in Cody, and have a completely 'tourist' kind of day - - and we did it all.  We fully enjoyed a day at the Buffalo Bill Museum (really five museums, all very well done), followed by dinner at Buffalo Bill's famous historic hotel "The Irma" and the nightly gun fight in the street outside.  Then we took in the Cody rodeo so I could practice some action shots using some camera features that I had not previously tried.  (Thanks for the encouragement to do this, John Parks!)

On another day, we took a trip on two scenic highways.  The Beartooth Highway extends from the northeast corner of Yellowstone to Red Lodge, Montana, and has been called the most beautiful highway in the US.  I cannot dispute that claim - - it was breathtaking!  We did a circle trip that also included the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.  Once again - - blown away.  It was so amazing, it was hard to drive and look at the same time, but at 11,000 feet, Jerry's gasping could be heard over the ooo's and ahhh's when he thought I was looking more than driving, and that alone helped me stay between the white lines!  Needless to say, we stopped often with cameras in hand.

We also stopped for a couple of days in Thermopolis, the site of the world's largest hot springs, where we enjoyed some soothing mineral pool time.  Now we're en route to Gillette, WY where we will attend the Escapee's RV Club rally, which promises lots of educational information on the life-style of full-time RVing.  After we've become 'educated', we'll leave Wyoming and head east to the South Dakota Badlands, then south toward northwest Colorado.

As you can probably guess, we're still loving the adventure and there still has been no bodily harm to one another - - that is a good thing!!  Going into our second month, I think it is actually beginning to feel less like a vacation and more like a life-style.

Until next blog - - happy trails to one and all.

And the journey continues . . . .

We made it for three weeks - - yeah!!  So far, so good . . . well, almost. :)


We spent five wonderful days in Boise visiting a high school friend, Irene, and her partner Bob.  Had a grand time exploring the area, which included two ghost/mining towns.  Silver City has about 20 current residents - - couldn't resist the outhouse photo!  In Idaho City we found the historic 'boot hill' and enjoyed soaking up the history of this area.

Next stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument near Arco, Idaho.  We've enjoyed exploring and photographing the strange landscape where this type of lava is found only here and on the big island of Hawaii.  Friends Bob and Pat from Clinton were on their way home from New Mexico, and met us here for a nice visit and a little Craters exploration.
 

Also had the pleasure of attending a star party and astronomy presentation at this park where there is almost no light pollution! 

Another strange place we visited while here was the EBR-1 Atomic Museum - - a National Historic Landmark.  This was the site of the very first experimental breeder reactor in the world, used only for the production of electricity, which began in 1951.  The building/museum looks as if people just walked out of there when it was shut down in the 70's.  The pictures of the workers, which are part of the exhibit, gave us the chills - - no one was wearing any protective gear!!!  

Also took a day trip to explore Sun Valley and Ketchum - - great day!

Tomorrow we'll leave for NE Idaho, not far from Yellowstone, to begin exploring the Parks and surrounding areas.   Destination - - Island Park, ID, then on to the Jackson, WY area, followed by Cody, WY, and east from there.  Hopefully, we'll continue to have the nice weather we've been enjoying as we move eastward.  

All systems seem to be A-OK, with the exception of killing TWO tires in less than a week!!  When we arrived at our campground in Arco, we were surprised to see that one of the tires on Kody, the trailer, had literally exploded without us knowing it.  Got it fixed, and all seemed fine until this morning, when I discovered one of the tires on Kermit, the Tahoe, was flat!  All the tires on both the trailer and the car are brand new, and it was particularly disturbing to find that both had been damaged by nails/bolts!  Grrrrrrr.

Under the heading "things we've learned", I now know why the camping superstores sell these cute little expanding bars to put in front of the refrigerator shelves when traveling. The educational experience came when Jerry opened the frig and yet another plastic container of 'very special' beverage fell to the floor and broke.  Another rapid mopping activity took place, during which, once again, Jerry was not smiling . . . . next time we stop by a camping store, I think those little bars will definitely be on our shopping list!

More blogs and pictures to come soon - - whenever we find another internet connection.  Until then, enjoy . . .