Yellowstoned

This is ranch country. Big Sky, baby!

DAY SEVEN: Cody, WY to Deer Lodge, Montana (via Yellowstone National Park). Greetings from Scharf's Motor Inn, in beautiful downtown Deer Lodge, MT, Montana's 'second-oldest city'. So we're off I-90 now, between Butte and Missoula. Yes, we popped back up onto, gasp, an interstate for a bit.

Driving in tonight to Deer Lodge was hillarious because "K" and I both realized we'd both been here before on separate past trips: I was here while driving through on my x-country trip out to PA and I recognized the town's old prison and was all "Woah--I've been here before." And "K" got a moving violation here when she was fifteen, for causing a ruckus in what the cop back then called "...here in downtown Deer Lodge". Which is hillare, since there is STILL only one red light here. As our frontier gal at the front desk said, "Once you've been to Deer Lodge, you never forget it."

We are pleased to report, however, that tonight, the local po-po are vigilant and at the ready when it comes to nabbing deliquent drivers; see 'Exhibit B', below:(NOTE: I believe "K" is recovering from the flashbacks that this scene may have caused...)

Fortunately we arrived here at Scharf's in time for dinner and I'm pleased to also report that the steaks are MUCH better than the shoe leather I tried to eat yesterday in eastern Wyoming:

OK, so today I really felt like we were indeed back in the West: we left our hotel room in Cody, WY: (cold pizza: breakfast of champions!)

...and finally found some decent coffee in downtown Cody (Rawhide Coffee Company--holla!):

Then we 'provisioned up' so as to avoid dehydration for the trek to Yellowstone (note: the Nestle 0.5 l bottles use 30% less plastic, or at least that's the bio-marketing I fell for...):

Entering: Yellowstone National Park! By the way, I've purchased the annual National Parks Pass, valid for all parks, lands, etc. I can totally get you in for FREE. Provided you agree to the updated 'I have the pass--you get the gas!' stipulation.

Yellowstone Lake:

Yellowstone Lake:

Early-morning tai chi or skipping stones? You decide.

Madge the Wonderbuick's trunk, aka 'The Situation Room':

Wildlife abounds:

Keep on commenting on the blog--we love it and can't start the car without it. Goodnight for now--here are some more pics from Yellowstone NP and then Montana...