Saturday, July 31, 2004

Cooling It In Hot Springs

We played in the lake on a paddle boat and then went downtown to a great local history museum. This was an old three story school house that is now a museum. They were having a Pioneer Days event and the admission was free! There was an auction and crafts fair and great homemade food at the booths.

We took a walking tour of the downtown area. The Larive Lake RV Resort is quite nice. We lounged around by the lake later in the afternoon.

There is a nice little park along the river

Hot Springs

Friday, July 30, 2004

Hot Springs, SD

We left Fort Robinson about noon. We Stopped at the Mammoth Site. This is a location where a lot of Columbian Mammoths fell in a sink hole. The site shows many in the quarry just as they were found.

There is an odd water fall downtown that seems to defy gravity.

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Hot Springs
Mammoth Site

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Fort Robinson, Nebraska

We arrived at Fort Robinson about 25 miles east of Harrison, Nebraska. Walked around the old fort. There are two good museums, one related to the fort the other a natural history museum. Most of the buildings are closed. This is a large park with more than the fort. We went downtown to Crawford, a nearby little town. We planned a hayride dinner but got rained out. We heard that at Harrison earlier today they had a good hail storm, just showers here though, until hayride time, then we had a real good thunder shower. Lightening struck very nearby. The steak dinner, that was to be several miles away at the base of some cliff, was moved into a converted horse barn. A little different! We then went to a play at the theater which was about people watching a play. It was very well done.


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Fort Robinson

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Fort Laramie and Agate Fossil Beds

On the road today. We Stopped at Fort Laramie. Also checked out the graveyard there. We stopped at a couple of towns to look around and arrived at the Agate Fossil Beds NM at 6pm after the visitor center closed. We hiked up to the quarries nearby and to the Bone Cabin to check them out. We left the Fossil Beds about 8pm and went a few miles up the road to Harrison. They provide free camping in their park. If we had arrived in daylight, we would have seen they even provide electricity.

Flowers, Old Building Walls

A bunny climbed out of the down spout, Sunset

Fossil Bed Quarryies
All The Fort Laramie Photos
All The Agate Fossil Beds Photos

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Oregon Trail Ruts

The Oregon Trail Ruts and Register Cliff are traces of the Oregon trail. One does need to wonder why they took the path they took over the rocks though? Register Cliff is badly damaged by more recent vandals?

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Guernsey and Oregon Trail Ruts

Monday, July 26, 2004

Guernsey, Wy

Went to the Frontier Days Pancake Breakfast by the Old Train Depot.

We then all went by where we were parked to show the family how we live. Then we got back on the road. We went to Guernsey, Wy to the Trail Ruts Golf Course. No, we don't play golf but they do have a very nice and inexpensive RV park. Several Oregon Trail points of interest near here. The trail actually went through the golf course.


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Guernsey and Oregon Trail Ruts

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Cheyenne Family Get Together

We went to the Old West Museum in the morning.

We went to Don's nephew Larry's house for a family get together.

We heard the steam whistle and of course we had to try to see the train. We drove down to the switch yard to see the Frontier Days steam train. Many of the cars come from other locations so the local cars and engine were separated from the other cars.

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Saturday, July 24, 2004

Cheyenne Frontier Days

Up early to get downtown to watch the Frontier Day Parade. A long parade! We then had lunch at the Cheyenne Smokehouse BarBQ. Great! It's in a Bed and Breakfast on 18th st. All this topped off with a visit to Frontier Park. We visited the Indian Village and listened to an Indian story teller (named Baily?).
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Friday, July 23, 2004

Cheyenne State Museum

It's raining heavy today. It doesn't look good for the Frontier Days parade tomorrow? We were lucky at getting another site in our park for the next two nights. After moving, we picked up my sister and met my nephew Larry for lunch. We then went to the State Museum.

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Thursday, July 22, 2004

Cheyenne

Laundry day. Looked around a farm supply store, a huge Hobby store and other shops near the laundromat. Went downtown to look around a great western art, crafts and ? store. Dinner at the Terry Bison Ranch. This is definitely for meat eaters.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

On The Road

We're on the road today. Hwy 80 doesn't have much to see from Rock Springs to Laramie. We stopped in Laramie. Looked around the University of Wyoming including the Anthropology dept, the library, the arboretum, and the bookstore. Toured the Iverson Mansion. Arrived in Cheyenne. Went to dinner with my sister Virginia. We went downtown to look around. Looked at some of the big cowboy boots. Each one is decorated differently. These are like the San Jose Fiberglas Sharks, The Grants Pass Oregon Bears, etc.

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Laramie

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Jackson

We left Grand Tetons NP and stopped in Jackson for Breakfast and a look around. We then took Hwy 191 toward Rock springs on our way to Cheyenne.

Don and Dawn In Jackson at one of th Antler Arches,
On the road to Rock Springs
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Jackson

Monday, July 19, 2004

Jenny Lake

We went to Jenny Lake. On the way, we finally saw a moose. Wow!. Bad pictures though. We took the ferry across Jenny Lake and Hiked to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point and up the Cascades Trail a ways. While the morning was very cloudy and threatening, the day turned out perfect by clearing up completely.

Hidden Falls, Casscades Trail

Don on Cascades Trails Above Hidden Falls, Don at Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point, Lou on Cascades Trail

Cascades Trail, On Jenny Lake Ferry
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Grand Tetons

Sunday, July 18, 2004

Grand Tetons

Yesterday we hiked around several locations East of Fishing bridge and drove east looking at the fire damage. I'm doing more research on how to take pictures without the camera that I left at camp.
Today, we left early and moved to Grand Tetons NP at Colter Bay. We took a drive on the outside (east) road, looked at Landslide Lake where a landslide created a lake in 1925. Still trying to see a moose, no luck yet. Heard a coyote howl. It rained much of the drive. Nice Lighting show.

Grand Tetons, Cunningham Cabin
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Grand Tetons

Friday, July 16, 2004

Yellowstone, Natural Bridge

We hiked to the Natural Bridge near the Lake Marina. An easy hike to an interesting feature. It's the only natural bridge in Yellowstone. We then headed south and stopped several places along the road to Grants Village.

Natural Bridge, Roadside Flowers

Natural Bridge (Note Tree growing on Bridge), Roadside Bouquet
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Yellowstone

Thursday, July 15, 2004

Yellowstone, Rainy Day

This morning it was stormy and it rained rather well. We scheduled a boat tour on Yellowstone Lake in the afternoon when it had cleared. The boat had engine trouble and the trip was canceled. We stopped at the "No" Fishing Bridge (Fishing was banned about 1991) and we listened to a ranger speak about the Cutthroat trout restoration project. The brige is a prime spawning ground for the cutthroat.

Lou and Dawn and Milo in doorway, Our Site
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Yellowstone

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Yellowstone Beaver Ponds

Today we hiked the Beaver Ponds Trail at Mammoth Hot Springs. There were more wildflowers on this trail than we've seen before. We were a little disappointed when the first few ponds we came to were not beaver ponds but were natural tarns. But we were pleased to find the last ponds on the trail were beaver ponds. There were two dams and one lodge. Unfortunately, the beavers don't come out much until late afternoon so we missed seeing them.

Beaver Pond Trail, Beaver Dam

Flowers

Flowers
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Yellowstone