Off to Buffalo (Bill) Country

It started grey and quickly turned wet as we left West Yellowstone. Of course, on the bright side, we had enjoyed the breakfast room to ourselves and the queue for the Park entrance was non-existent. Nevertheless, once into the park we were soon held up by some bozo on a motor bike who drove in the centre of the road, way slower than the modest speed limit. Being cold and wet , the steaming geysers and vents were shown off to best effect! We stopped by Old Faithful Village and had a coffee in the hotel and then beat a retreat, off to Cody. Driving out via the East entrance was a first for us, as we had previously been prevented from doing so by massive fires. The drive surpassed our expectations, We expected little and got a lot! The scenery between the Cody turn-off and the East gate was spectacular. Rivers, huge lakes, snow-capped mountain passes, forests and sheer rock cliffs. And a sighting of a grizzly bear!!

The journey took around three hours to complete and after passing the impressive Buffalo Bill Dam, we entered Cody, home to America's oldest rodeo. We located our hotel, checked-in early, and then decided that Friday was washing day. The local laundrette was immaculate, where the staff were friendly and helpful, and free wifi and coffee was on hand! We met another couple of road trippers there, whose next stop was Jackson Hole. They were searching for nearby accommodation, that had less exacting room rates than the Hole, itself. We were able to suggest they look at Driggs, which answered a similar problem wed encountered some time ago. We went for dinner at O'Hara's, a nearby Irish brewery bar that boasted good food and drink. They were right to and the service was excellent, too! Afterwards, we walked amongst the local shops, noting its Old West heritage and current national pride.

And what musical memory will we take from today's spectacular, if a little wet, trip? Well, something by Duane Eddy .... "Forty miles of bad road" (in our case, considerably more!)