Yellowstone-Part One

I think that there are too many photos for one entry so I'll divide them into heading out and returning.
First off the me say that I am 32 miles from the park at the place where Ceili is parked-add that to the many miles within the park and I will tell you I did not see all of Yellowstone! Only the northern loop.  I turned where I should have gone straight in order to see Old Faithful but I'm grateful I made the mistake!  As it was I drove 4-5 hours.  Much stopping and starting going on for photos.  I think there's a pull off for photos about every 100 feet!  It is a beautiful place and I will return to West Yellowstone and the south loop when I am leaving Montana next month.

Going this way there are miles of these great open valleys.  Usually the place where you might find wildlife, sadly I did not.  Well there's family of ducks swimming in the stream- you can't really see them.  I tried to cut that section but it was too blurry.  Also in this stream, but not in this photo was a beaver dam, no beavers though.

This is the same stream as before you can almost see the ducks on the left!  Mostly I took this one for the mountain in the center.

This is upper Twin lake,  there were a pair of loons swimming-only reason I know they were loons is that I saw one dive!  They were far away even for my eyes and the camera always makes things further.

Lots of lodgepole pine along this route, a tree tunnel in places.  While lovely tree tunnels get boring after a bit!

We turned just before Norris (the mistake) and went to Canyon Village.  One of the many places one can buy something to eat and little (or big) mementos of your trip.  For me: postcards, a patch, and magnets.

From Canyon Village you head north or taking the return trip-next post!

Out and about.

Isn't this a great old barn?

Built from logs.

Found it just outside of Pray, MT.

Pray is so tiny they probably Pray they still have a town in a few years!

Pray was one stop on a small jaunt Quinn and I took this afternoon.

Also visited Chico.

Which has a Hot Springs Resort which I plan to try on Monday.

And Emigrant.

Not much in either place!

I also took a look at Livingston-where there was a lovely quilt shop!

(Why do I buy nothing at all in one shop and several pieces in another? 

It's not like they don't all have lovely fabric!)

Other than the quilt shop and the grocery store I didn't even park the truck.

Just drove around and looked.

Small, old and somewhat worn but still thriving it seems.

Tomorrow, I promise more in the photo department.

We are going to Yellowstone National Park!

Montana! At last!

It only took 12 days to get here!
This is what you see when you first come into Montana-looks just like Wyoming!
State lines can be so arbitrary.

We are settled in at Emigrant, MT.
If you were looking at a US map I'd be just above that green square in Wyoming that says Yellowstone National Park and just below I-90.

This campground is nicer than the last.
I love the owners in Sheridan but the campground it a bit tight.

I was sitting in that blue chair looking out at this:

Emigrant Peak (I think)

Yellowstone River in the front.

There's a nice breeze and we don't need the air conditioning-just delightful.

Quinn and I have a nice long walk we can, and do, take.

In fact, that's next.

There is a lovely large green space where we can play "soccer" as well.

Tired tonight.

I always have trouble sleeping the night before moving.

Don't know why, I'm getting so much better at it!

If only I could back the trailer.

Tomorrow, sightseeing.

On the road with Quinn

Traveling with Quinn can be fun!

I meet lots of people who stop to visit and admire her.

She meets lots of new dogs,

and even gets friendly with some that are bigger than she is.

(She tends to think that ALL Golden retrievers are Zoe!)

Traveling with her means lots and lots of walking!

I'm sure I get my 10,000 steps in every day-even though I broke my Fitbit, sigh.

There are challenges though.

She doesn't eat well and sometimes has digestive issues. (That's all you need to know!)

She is used to a large fenced in backyard and now

it's a leash or tie out (unless I put up her playpen).

She's good on the leash, but I'm sure she'd just love to run around.

Some campgrounds have a "Dog park" as do some cities and she loves those.

She can play "Soccer" without her training leash!

She has a long double coat.

To keep it looking good she needs brushing at least every 3rd day.

I'd need to do that wherever we were though.

The other thing about her coat?

She gets HOT easily.

When she gets hot she can get car sick-not good.

So sometimes I wear a jacket and we have the air conditioning on!

She also has a shade cave.

Made from one of those car window covers it keeps the sun from half the seat

and keeps the air conditioning down on the seat.

When I put her into the truck I lean down and hold my arms out and say UP.

She puts her front paws on my forearm and I lift her into the truck.

No matter which door I use she always walks to the other side of the seat.

Then when I get in she walks back.

Then when I'm in and my seatbelt is fastened she comes and sits beside me.

Then she'll lay down with her tailbone touching my leg and that's where she stays.

She is a creature of habit.

Tomorrow we leave Sheridan behind and head into Montana.

First to a place called Emigrant.

Close to Yellowstone National Park.

Where we will stay for four nights.

We have enjoyed our time in Sheridan it's a nice place.

A very active Parks and Rec department with MILES of paved walking/biking paths.

I've driven around most of it.

Most of the houses seem old and quite small.

Some of them would qualify as a "Tiny Home"only they were probably built in the 1920's!

There is new construction as well.

All in all I think it must be a nice place to live.

Errands and small jobs

Sun going down over the mountains.

Today was a day of errands and small jobs.

I had my hair cut, nearly completely off. Shortest it's been in a really long time.

Not sure if I like it but it will grow, both literally and on my sensibilities.

Hit the Grocery store for bottled water.  I buy gallon jugs for the trailer, it is not good for Quinn's water to change anymore than it is her food. Somehow I ended up with 60 some dollars worth of stuff!

After a drop off at the trailer I took myself to lunch at The Sheridan Inn-you can read all about it here. 

The food was good, especially the loaded baked potato soup!

Then it was back to the trailer-in and around all that was walking Quinn, both at the campground and on the trails in town.  

I loaded some cd's of Larry's that I found when packing up.  

It always takes a few tries to remember how to do it without pulling out my hair.

Mended some pants-okay I sewed on some buttons!

So I'll leave you with another photo taken this evening.  That's the Campground we are staying at in the foreground.  Ceili is being bashful and not showing herself! 

I think I might put on a movie and stitch or not.

Medicine Wheel

The Morning Walk.

For  our walk today  Quinn and I did something different!

What am I saying Quinn had no part in the decision.

We drove about 60 miles one way to Medicine Wheel National Monument.

The walk from the Parking lot is about 1.5 miles.

Quinn and I didn't quite finish.

10,000ft altitude, long walk, flatlanders -not a good thing.

(I've had a headache and have had two naps since we got back.)

The highway is insane!  Almost above the tree line,  and very twisty.

The drive from the highway to the parking lot, gravel, one lane, in places an eyebrow hanging by its fingernails to the side of the mountain.

I'll admit to nearly chickening out but a glance a my tattoo reminded me to "Be Brave".

Here's a photo gallery of what we saw on our hike!

Where there are no trees-there is WIND!

It was hazy up there, not sure if it was smoke from the Bitterroot Fires or something else.

When I looked out on this, I thought that in our national forests if one knew how you could disappear and never be found!

Right before the last climb to the wheel you can see to the West, if it was clear you could likely see Yellowstone
All the other photos taken looking East.  The wind here was significant.

Some wildlife!  A Blue butterfly.

Educational plaques about stone circles and Sacred Wheels.

We are staying here in Sheridan until Friday.

It is somewhat difficult to find camping spaces  but I have worked out the path I plan to take and will set up all our sites tomorrow.  Then we will only have to show up!

On Friday we will move to Emigrant, MT for four days!

Sheridan Take Two

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Today after a walk with Quinn along the river I took my camera and went downtown!  The Historic downtown in Sheridan.

I have a love affair with old architecture, all the details added to a building in days gone.  Today's building are never as interesting to look at!

This one on the left is the Sheridan office of a vineyard.  I love the corner entry! No ugly modern facades either.

Almost every building on Main Street has details visible on the second floor.  I always wonder what's hiding behind the more modern facades on the first floor.

There was one building being rehabbed by a company specializing in resurrecting old buildings.  That is a hopeful sign.  Now if the city would just go to a less obnoxious traffic light!

Here's a few more photos (and not nearly all the ones I took!)

I love that this one is dated-1907

Arched entry to the same building.

Art Nouveau Movie theatre!