Day 33 - The Medicine Wheel and some good ole fishin' !

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Today is July 15 and I can't believe half of July is already over. Time is just flying by out here on the road and August is going to be here before we know it. We're still not exactly sure when we're going to head on back home yet, all we know is that Kayla starts school on August 2nd so we really need to be there to help her with that. Although, she says that she can handle it on her own, I just wouldn't feel right not being there. It was kind of noisy around here this morning due to all the motorhomes that were surrounding us but it was okay, we needed to get up anyway. It almost felt like we were at a RV park or something, minus all the screaming kids of course. Sheridan, Wyoming is quite the little hot spot and from the looks of this parking lot it's going to be crowded today. I finished downloading some pictures and eating my bowl of Special K while Tim looked up a few things on the map. On our way into downtown Sheridan we stopped by the local gas station to fill up the tank and get Tim a cup of coffee. He was tickled when he got back in the motorhome and told me that his coffee was free. He couldn't believe it but this particular station gives a free cup of coffe with every fill-up. We thought that was awful sweet of them and was a nice surprise. We made our way into Sheridan and drove through downtown checking out all the neat old western stores and stuff. There wasn't really a lot to do in town so we just took a few pictures and headed on over to the Bighorn Scenic Highway. We drove on this highway until it took us all the way to the Bighorn National Forest. We had to go through some road work on the side of the mountain which was a little scary but we survived. There's a big mountain called Medicine Mountain up in the Bighorn National Forest and at the top of that mountain is a thing called the Medicine Wheel. It's in our book and we had read about it on the internet so we wanted to go check it out. Our original plan was to go see the Medicine Wheel and then make our way on across Wyoming but on our way there we came across the Bear Lodge Resort. I had been wanting to fish ever since we left home but we just never have really gotten the chance. Between the license thing and the bait stuff and all that it was just too complicated to deal with but Tim knew I really wanted to fish so he stopped at the lodge so we could check into it. They had a big lake out front and he was hoping it would work out so we could spend some time there fishing and relaxing. We went inside the main entrance to this rustic luxury resort and decided to grab some lunch while we read all about the amenities and stuff. I had a BLT with a cup of vegetable soup while Tim enjoyed a hot ham and cheese. We flipped through the brochure and asked the waitress tons of questions and before I knew it I had a two-day fishing license, a cup of worms and was casting my pole in the water. Tim decided the Medicine Wheel could wait until later on today and we were gonna just stay there so I could fish while he sat on the bank and read his book. It was awesome !! I caught about 10 rainbow trout, which were catch and release, but that was okay with us because we didn't want to keep them anyway and Tim got through several chapters of his new book. We stayed there for hours just relaxing and enjoying the afternoon. We knew we wanted to get up to Medicine Mountain before it started getting dark so we threw all the fish back, packed up everything and headed on down the road. I had the best time catching those fish and Tim just loves relaxing and endulging himself in a good book. I'm so glad we came across this place, it was a nice surprise. We had read in the book that it wasn't suggested for motorhomes to drive up Medicince Mountain due to all the sharp curves and stuff but Tim was determined we were going to get there so we decided to try it. When we arrived at the bottom of the mountain, there was a family coming back down in an SUV so Tim flagged them down and asked them what they thought about us taking the motorhome up to the top. They said they wouldn't do it if it was them but it was possible. Well that's all he needed to hear. He looked at me and said "We're doing it" !! I just held my breath and closed my eyes. I could just see us now getting stuck on the side of the mountain or worse, falling to our death off the side of the mountain, but there was no stopping him. I just figured if it got to a point where I was uncomfortable, I would get out and walk or wait for him to return. Well after all that stuff we read, all the signs that were posted and after talking to people at the resort and the bottom of the mountain about it, it ended up not even being a big deal. We went up it just fine and I couldn't have been happier. Although it would have been nice for someone to tell us that you can only drive within three miles of the top and then you have to park and walk the rest of the way. We had no idea until we got up there and saw that the road was roped off and there were signs everywhere saying that was as far as you could go in a vehicle. Well thank goodness we had the mountain bikes strapped to the back of the motorhome. Tim unstrapped them and lifted them to the ground and after pumping up the tires, we headed straight to the top to see that Medicine Wheel !! Three miles on a bike is really nothing at all and we started off great until we topped the hill and saw the dang mountain we had to climb !! We just looked at each other and started laughing and figured we would bike as far as we could and then we would walk the rest of the way. I have to say that I am pretty impressed at how far we both made it before having to hop off the bikes and walk for a little bit. I mean we were at 9,642 feet, riding straight up a mountain with a huge lack of oxygen..........I think we did pretty darn good. Between riding and walking we eventually made it to the top and got to see the famous Medicine Wheel. It reflects 10,000 years of Native American culture and the site is sacred and revered by the Indian people. It was really cool and definitely worth the trip up to the top. We rode our bikes around while we were up there and admired the amazing views from atop Medicine Mountain. We stopped for a few minutes on the way down and played in the snow before heading back to the motorhome. The nearest Wal-Mart was the one we had stayed in last night back in Sheridan so we decided just to head back over there for the night so we wouldn't have to drive in the dark. On our drive through Bighorn National Forest, back to Sheridan, we had a mommy moose and her baby run out in front of us and of course we thought that was awesome. Thankfully we saw them in plenty of time so Tim slowed down and we watched as they crossed the road and then jumped the fence to safety. Before leaving Bighorn we also saw a sheperd watching over his herd of sheep as well as several elk and a few more moose. When the sun starts setting, the animals start coming out and tonight was no different. There were tons of deer and pronghorns so we had to be very careful and keep a close watch on the road. After backtracking for well over an hour we finally made it to the Wal-Mart in Sheridan. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then just sat around reflecting on the day together. I was so excited about getting to go fishing and we felt good about getting some good exercise on the bikes. We got to see a ton of awesome wildlife and overall had a great day. We discussed our plans for tomorrow and then headed off to bed. Tomorrow is a very special day but you'll have to wait and see why !! Sweet dreams !!

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