we're back home

Good to be home, more pics when I get to it.
-cameron

back to yellowstone

So I say goodbye to wi fi and probably won't be able to post until we get home because it's camping from here on out.
It's been a lot of fun, Cody, Wyoming is a cute town and it was really nice to meet Elise's Aunt Connie and Uncle Dave. They really made us feel at home and treated us to some great food at The Irma Hotel.
I am a bit sad that we didn't take advantage of all the fun things to do here. However our first day here Jasper and I did run down to the Wholesale Fireworks store and get some great stuff.
-cameron

We are at the half-way point of Elise's Yellowstone vacation.

Tomorrow morning we leave the comfort of Cody's Super 8 Motel, managed by Elise's Aunt Connie and her husband Dave. They have been gracious hosts and provided a very comfortable stay. They even treated us to dinner at the historic Irma Hotel ... good food ... where we met a gentleman bearing a remarkable resemblance to Buffalo Bill Cody.

Yesterday we went fishing at a small local lake. Despite the wind, Elise was able to catch (and release) a small perch. Cameron got a couple of nibbles and Jasper enjoyed himself a lot ... especially playing with the night crawlers! I think they are ready to go fishing again.

For about a week now, Elise has not been taking any decadron (the steroid) and I'm pleased to say that she's handling it very well ... that is, she is not experiencing the extreme tiredness or fuzzy thinking that was a problem last time. Since we've been on this Yellowstone trip, she usually takes a nap during part of the day to conserve her energy to do some activity later in the day or evening. And some times she's takes a full day to recuperate and rest up for the next day's activities.

Tomorrow we'll be staying in the actual national park for this first time during this vacation ... at a campground close to the middle of the Yellowstone. It's suppose to be dry tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a few snow flurries (that don't stick) while camping there. It's forcasted to get to freezing during the night. I'm just looking forward to setting up and tearing down the campsite only once in these next 5 days instead of every evening and every morning like we do when traveling here and back.

(post by Suanne)

more yellowstone pics + the road to Cody

captions later tonight

today and yesterday

Jasper at breakfast

Jasper jumping from bed to bed at our hotel room

Elise at breakfast

sunset in west yellowstone

A buffalo a couple feet away from me

old faithful

Jasper playing with kids at old faithful

hot springs, very hot

Hi from West Yellowstone

Today we begin our 2nd full day in West Yellowstone. We are really taking advantage of the hotel stay, both resting up and taking excursions into the park. This late Tuesday morning, Elise, Cameron and Jasper are napping and later today we plan to visit Old Faithful. Yesterday we visited the Fountain Paint Pots. They were fantastic. The boardwalk over and around the thermal areas was wheelchair accessible, so we were all able to get up close to these amazing volcanic sites. One thermal pool was very deep,clear, and vibrantly colored aqua blues, steamy, and surrounded by a rusty orange colored shallows. Another pool was boiling and popping gray mud, sulfur smelling. Further on, a small opening in the earth had red mud that roared as it boiled angrily. There was another pool that looked just like an innocent fishing pond except that water boiled along it's edge. And in the distance we could see a small erupting geyser that
never stops. I'm sure Cameron will post pictures that he and Elise took.

Other highlights of yesterday's drive included the wildlife. We saw lots of bison (buffalo) and lots of their new calfs jumping and playing at dusk. Cameron took a small diversion on a "road less traveled" and we came upon a cow elk laying down just chewing her cud ... only about 10 feet from the van. We also took a 2 mile drive, 800 feet down into Firehole Canyon ... seeing Firehole Falls which drops a spectacular 40 feet. The lush green, steep rock canyon walls, and rushing white water were inspiring.

Right now, I'm going to do some window shopping. West Yellowstone is very much a touristy town with lots of buildings make like log cabins in the old west style.
Suanne

on the road

We have been having a lot of fun. Last night we had a dramatic thunderstorm hit with hail about half the size of a golf ball. It's been a challenge at times but always fun. Here is a couple pics. Small post due to being at a resturaunt.
-cameron

bowl and pitcher campground near spokane.



on the road


Missouri Headwaters campground