CC w Chris Day 7

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2014 09 08 Day 7



We left the motel a 8:09 and stopped for breakfast in Spearfish.



The first hour or so of the ride was the same flat, straight, boring ride that we had become accustomed to in South Dakota. The ride was made a little easier because we listened to the audio play “The Best Man” by Gore Vidal. I enjoyed the play very much and it made the ride much easier.



After a couple of hours into Wyoming, the scenery became very un-boring. Approaching the mountains is an awesome experience. They begin as a small bump on the horizon that steadily increases in size as you get nearer, and when you reach them, they tower over you in overwhelming majesty. As you drive up the mountain, the land below recedes until you can't see the details of the houses and roads, but are able to view a magnificent vista that seems to stretch for thousands of mile before you. Even Chis found this view impressive. I suspect that she wished I hadn't stopped to take pictures quite so frequently, but she was a trooper and didn't say a word.



At one point on rt 14 there were a bunch of cattle on the road. We had to stop until they decided that they wanted to be somewhere else.



We stopped for lunch at Dirty Annies in Shell, Wyoming, which can't have a population of more than 6 people, and I think they all work at Dirty Annies. It was a very pleasant lunch.



The ride into Shell was absolutely beautiful. We came down the mountain into a canyon that was so pretty even Chris kept saying how beautiful it was. Everything out here is immense, including the sky. I can't even begin to describe what it feels like to experience such majesty.



After Shell, it was about another 60 minutes until we got to Cody. We arrived at the motel around 3 pm.



After we checked in we relaxed in the room for about an hour, then got gas and went to a car wash to get the bugs off the car. We parked the car at the motel and walked down the main street to the Irma Inn and Restaurant, where we had dinner. The food was awful, but the decor was fabulous. I believe the bar and the area behind the bar is the original bar that was there when Buffalo Bill Cody owned the place. Absolutely beautiful.



We decided to stay in Cody until Thursday, which will give us 2 full days to visit Yellowstone.







Chris has said on more than one occasion that this is her favorite motel, her favorite city, and her favorite state.

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