Billings, MT to Cody, WY

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THE BASICS
On Saturday, August 14, we drove from Billings to Red Lodge, MT, not a very long drive. We walked around the very busy town, full of tourists, and very large mugs of Red Lodge Ale pretty much did us in for that day.
On Sunday, we drove the Beartooth Scenic Highway via the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Perfect weather, spectacular scenery, and Linda drove it and was very proud to do so.
We started Monday at the Beartooth Nature Center, a rescue operation for all sorts of animals. A glorious place. On to Cody, Wyoming. Our neighbors were from Rhode Island, and chatting led to their sharing a crockpot-roast with us and a lotta wine. Fun.
On Tuesday, we walked into Cody town, a very hot experience. After resting in the afternoon, we drove out to the Buffalo Bill Dam, an awesome sight. And then had the roast beef buffet at the Irma Hotel, John's (once) and Buffalo Bill's (many times) old stomping grounds.
We decided to stay Wed. and Thurs. nights in Cody, and on Wed. headed eastward to a few small towns and then the Bighorn National Recreation Area. We didn't see the mustangs, but the scenery was dramatic.
On Thursday, we did laundry and grocery shopping to prepare for our next few days in Yellowstone. And we visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which is absolutely wonderful. We are not sure how well we will be able to contact folks once we get into the Park tomorrow. But we do know to beware of bears and prisoners (news flash: the Arizona prisoners have been caught, in Arizona).

THE FLUFF
Charles Kuralt called the Beartooth Highway the most beautiful drive in America, and it probably is. An incredible number of switchbacks, but there are frequent pulloffs to allow drivers to pass. The highways were packed with motorcyclists - in fact, we finally saw New Hampshire license plates and they were on motorcycles! It looked like so much fun (in my dreams...) to weave a motorcycle through those switchbacks and the bright sunshine. The only really unpleasant part of the trip was seeing the signs "Closed due to (sic) bear activity in area" at a couple of campgrounds.
We bought pastries in Red Lodge called "schnecken" (sp?) which means snails. They were delicious, but the bakery was not open the next day to buy more. We had coffee and banana cream pie instead at a Red Lodge hangout before we headed to the Nature Center. It is situated on a hill, so there are breezes to temper the blazing sun, which seems so much hotter at nearly a mile elevation. The flowers were gorgeous, apparently the project of many devoted volunteers. It was sad to see animals who could not be returned to the wild, but at least they are treated lovingly in their last years. One of the birds is one that Ted Turner had at his ranch not too far away, but he gave it to the shelter when it started annoying him.
It is a bit hard to believe that Cody has a population of fewer than 10,000, when you see all the community buildings and stores here, but as John says, it's tourist dollars at work. It really is a pretty neat town. And the history is real, if you are a major fan of Buffalo Bill. The huge bar at the Irma Hotel is a gift from Queen Victoria to him, for example. However, the buffet was almost devoid of vegetables and dessert choices, although the roast beef was splendid.
The tourist information center at the Buffalo Bill Dam is very informative. The dam was the tallest in the world when it was completed in 1910, and what an engineering feat it is! The story of the setbacks and the photos of the workers who faced bitter winters and spring flooding, and huge heights!, is very impressive. It was astonishing to look down to the base of the dam; it is so far down. The dam has made agriculture in this otherwise-barren region possible, and the contrasts between green and productive fields, and the barren brown expanses, is stark.
The scenery east of here can get pretty bleak-looking, but there are excellent dinosaur fossil digs and a bunch of oil drilling. There was only one town on our way back, Emblem, and we thought we might stop for refreshment there. However, when the population sign outside of town said "10", we were not surprised that there were absolutely no places to stop.
The heat does get to us, and it is nice to be able to turn on air conditioning in the RV. When we get to Yellowstone, we will have water but no electricity; apparently, the big rigs were consuming so much that they stopped providing it! So we'll have to use some imagination. Of course, it should be cooler in the park; John says rain or snow showers are predicted for Sunday night in Yellowstone.
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center here in Cody really is special. Actually, it is a collection of five museums, plus sculpture gardens. The Art Museum is arranged thematically, so there is a variety of art styles in the section devoted to cowboys, or horses, or whatever, all the way from 19th century to very modern. The Plains Indian Museum has enormous panels, and a large tepee, an earthlodge, and a wooden house. The beadwork on the clothing and accoutrements is so delicate and gorgeous. The Natural History Museum winds you through various ecosystems, from the highest mountains to the lower plains, and from now back to dinosaur times. There is also a Buffalo Bill Museum and a Firearms Museum, and if I have enough energy, I might visit them tomorrow before we head west.
I don't have many funny signs to list this time. I enjoyed seeing a license plate that said "GO GRNY". And a price list stated that "lap-sized kids" are free - very cute.
The big skies out here are so wonderful. We are not visiting every single place we could, but it would almost be enough just to walk, or sit, and stare at the skies.
I haven't figured out how to change the text size, or really to work much on this blog site, and I am constantly fearful that I will delete whatever I have written, so I do apologize for the small font.

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