Day 15- To Cody, WY

We’re so close but not there yet. Yellowstone is around the corner. Well, we still have 35 miles to the eastern entrance. Today, we woke after what should have been a great night’s sleep. We were all alone above 9,000 feet and it was cold. The generator worked really hard. I’m thinking it was the altitude and since it was working so hard, it ran out of gas somewhere around 1:00AM. We ate our breakfast with eyes searching the wood line outside our camper with hopes of seeing any kind of wildlife but that didn’t happen. I figure there’s still so much good grazing in the valley and things are just beginning to green up here. I suspect the heat and bugs will drive them up here later. As we descended towards Cody, the Tensleep Creek caught our attention. It was well above flood stage, running wild outside of it’s banks. It was running so wild, we watched as it tore through two homes and just missed a third. Tensleep, we are told, is an old Indian name for the length of days to get to this point on their summer trek or ten night’s sleep. On the side of a school in Worland, WY I read the words, “ As regulations grow, freedom dies.” I thought it was very timely. And about that time, 4 State Trooper k-9 units went by us at a good clip. We spent the next few minutes guessing what the hurry was, drug bust, lost child, race riot ( just kidding ) and then there was the last thing we thought of, and actually turned out to be, a training exercise at the local junk yard. Our arrival in Cody was too early to check in at the Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park so we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Cody Historical Museum. Carl talked with the gentleman at the admission desk, asking if they offered a discount for veterans. The fellow asked to see his idea, stamped our hands and told us to enjoy the exhibit. We spent most of our time in the Yellowstone Natural History exhibit and the rest of the time in the Plains Indians exhibit. Still left to explore was an extensive firearms collection, a Buffalo Bill museum and a western art exhibit. It was a most enjoyable afternoon although a day would not be an unreasonable amount of time. Our site has a marvelous view along the raging Shoshone River, which is nearly at flood stage also. They had more snow than usual in the mountains this past winter and there’s a lot left to melt. Oh, I forgot to mention we passed several signs explaining about their attempt to lessen the Sage Brush on the plains. The plant, which isn’t native to the area, uses up water, prevents good grasses from growing, is only eaten by Pronghorns and provides sap rich tinder for wild fires.