WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO my baby is here. It is 11:15 pm on Thursday August 7, 2003. My knee is killing me as I stand just outside to the security checkpoint waiting for the 11:04 pm flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to arrive bringing my baby to me. I had been at the airport for just over a half hour and was pacing back on forth wishing for once that the plane would arrive early. It had been six long weeks since we saw each other and I was starving for a hug and needing to fill my eyes with the sight of the man I love. Then the passengers started filling the hallway and it was quickly becoming a mire of bodies. I was afraid that we were going to overlook each other and lose each other in the crowd. Bill was just about to walk toward the seating area when we caught a glimpse of each other. The Boise airport had undergone a huge renovation and our usual meeting area was no more. A big smile erupted on both our faces as we made our way into each other�s arms. What a wonderful feeling being back in his arms, it is definitely where I belonged. Hummm�something is different about him, not sure what yet, but I will figure it out.
We made our way down the escalator to the baggage claim area. I quickly hunted out a seat to wait and rest my throbbing knee. As soon as Bill realized what I was up to, he just about forced me to sit down. Telling me to stay put while he fetched his bags. No argument out of me, it was late and I had been very busy packing the truck for our trip the next day. Okay I figured it out; he got a second hole pierced in his ear. �New earring baby� I say. �You noticed� was his reply. �Well of course I did baby and I like it�. He proceeded to tell me that he wanted it to be a surprise, that he wants to buy a set of studs for us to wear, but didn�t want to have to remove his hoop.
His luggage finally arrived. With Bill refusing to allow me to carry anything heavy, I pulled the bag on wheels and he carried the rest. (Okay just get used to being pampered Kathy). Bill had a very long day and was hungry and exhausted. I told him to rest while I drove us the 25 minutes to my house and I would cook him some dinner. Before ya know it, he was snoring away. My poor tired baby.
By the time we got to my house Bill was somewhat revived and was ready to visit for a bit while I cooked up a Chicken and Crookneck Squash with Fresh Basil Stir-Fry. We finished off the meal with a piece of homemade and very tart frozen key lime pie. It was my first attempt and we both agreed that it was very good, savoring every last crumb and licked the forks clean. Now for my favorite part, going to bed and snuggling up with my baby.
Friday morning, coffee brewing and tempting me out of bed, I rolled out and poured us both a cup of coffee and brought a cup into Bill. �Stay put� I tell him, �You�re getting breakfast in bed this morning�. No arguing out of him. I cooked up a carbohydrate filled breakfast of ham, fried eggs and pancakes topped with blackberry/strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. Then in the shower with the two of us and scrub-a-dub-dub before getting dressed and finishing the last minute packing of ice chest stuff for our trip.
We finally had everything loaded and were headed south on I-84 ready to start our newest adventure. Our first stop was in Twin Falls, Idaho at Snake River Harley Davidson shop. Twin Falls is 125 miles southeast of Nampa with the space in between nothing but high mountain desert. What a dreary drive, nothing to look at, but lots of nothing. I sure get a kick out of watching Bill as he expresses his fascination by all this nothingness. Me, I would be happy to see some trees once in a while.
Once in Twin Falls we found our way to the Snake River Harley. This was not here when I lived in Twin, man have things changed. The Twin Falls founders actually allowed a Harley Shop in town. I am surprised they were not afraid of the town being overrun by Hells Angels and biker chics. They are nothing but old-fashioned farmers with their stubborn ideals.
Back on the road again with a hot cup of mocha and playing a game of guessing who was singing the country music songs, Bill doing surprising well, we headed east on I-84 to find Vernal, Utah. Vernal is where my daughter, Tina and her husband Caleb live and we were going to spend 2 nights there before heading to Yellowstone Park. Tina and Caleb moved to Vernal in February while I was working in Denver and I was sure looking forward to seeing them. Caleb�s father and stepmother live in Vernal and Caleb and Tina both found good jobs and moved there. Caleb was working for Schumberger and Tina for the pharmacy on the Ute Indian Reservation. I am real happy for the two of them, but do miss seeing them when I had the urge. Maybe this is God�s way of helping me prepare to my move to Connecticut, somehow making it a little easier for us. At least as far as the Tina part of the picture, Rachel, Kylie and the rest of my family are a different story all together.
Bill and I continued to joke about the sagebrush and the so-called trees that looked more like grown-up sagebrush, saw a couple of dust devils and talked our way over the Utah line and down the highway until we reached the town of Ogden. Ogden was the next stop on the route to find the, yep, Harley Shop. This one was called Harley Davidson of Northern Utah. A quick stop to fill up on gas and Diet Pepsi then back on I-84/15 headed for Salt Lake City. Once we made it to Salt Lake, we took a brief detour to see the LDS Temple and wandered through Temple Square. The Mormon�s are very proud of their temples and allow us unworthy souls to wander around their grounds from time to time. I think they are trying to impress the rest of us with their wealth in an attempt to convert us. For me, I can think of a whole lot more important things to spend money on, like the starving people found on street corners begging for a handout. Each of us has our own priories I guess.
Leaving Salt Lake behind, we find our way to I-80 East and head for the town of Park City where part of last year�s winter Olympics were held. The mountains were very beautiful even in the summer. I bet it was a very impressive sight during the festivities. Turning south from there we made out way to Hwy 40 and the town of Herber City, and then up over Daniel�s Pass at an elevation of 7995 ft. It was a very beautiful drive and there were actually some real trees to look at. We drove past Strawberry Reservoir and through other towns along the way, until we finally made it to the town of our destination, Vernal, Utah just as the sun was going down. Now to figure out where Dina�s KOA Campground was. We had made reservations and assumed that we would drive into town and spy it along the way. Well we drove and drove and drove until we were heading out the other end of town without seeing as much as a glimpse of the place. Figuring we were not going to stumble on it as we thought, we pulled into a convenience store and asked for directions. We had apparently past it somewhere in the middle of town, where we were supposed to make a left by some bank and head out of town in that direction. Turning around and driving through a billow of smoke from someone�s burn pile, we find our way back to the middle of town, actually finding the bank we were told to look for. Turned right and headed out. We didn�t have to go but about 1 � when we found it. Okay now. Let�s get our spot picked out, set up camp, call Tina and Caleb, have them come get us and let us follow them to their house. Bill and I were both tired from the long day and probably couldn�t follow their directions if it were to just go straight until you hit the dead end.
Tina and Caleb came and got us and we followed them to their place. It was only about 2 miles or so from where we were staying and it didn�t take long. They have just moved into this new place the day before and I was expecting everything to be in boxes still. WOW!!! Was I ever surprised! They had all their boxes unpacked, everything put in its place and pictures hung on the walls. Tina was so proud of herself. She knew what I was expecting and wanted to prove me wrong. That�s my girl.
I had made a huge pot of chili, at Bill�s request; well maybe not the huge part, but Chili nonetheless. He actually liked my chili and thought it would be good to take camping. I haven�t figured out yet that if you only put in half the stuff that you only get half the Chili, so I always make more than we would ever eat. I figured I would just take whatever we didn�t need to Tina and Caleb, so they could enjoy some too. Plus we could have some for dinner while we are there and Tina would not have to worry about what she would cook. I also brought some Bratwurst sausages and grated cheese, had Tina pick up some buns, salad makings and chop some onions. While the Chile heated, Caleb and Bill fired up the BBQ and cooked the sausages for us, yum good chilidogs. By the time we finished eating we were pretty tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to camp and crash for the evening. We even forgot to eat some homemade frozen key lime pie I brought.
We somehow found our way back to the campground and to our tent. Took a very refreshing shower and was sound asleep before we know it. I had told Tina that we would just cook our own breakfast at camp and they could give us a holler when they got up. We both figured that 10am would be a good time to meet. You know nothing tastes better then a hot pot of coffee when you are camping. We cooked up some eggs with sausage and bell peppers and enjoyed the peaceful morning amongst, oh about 200 other campers sprawled out over a grassy area. Oh well, we would have some privacy when we got to Yellowstone. At least we hoped so.
Tina and Caleb called and said they were getting ready and would be over shortly. They were planning on taking us for a drive up in the hills to show us how beautiful the surrounding area was. Caleb was raised in this area and knew it real well. They really loved the area and were excited to show us around. We drove up and around Red Cloud loop, stopping off at their favorite park area to see the painting on the rock cliff of a 200-foot flag called �Remember the Maine�. I am not sure how high the cliff was, but the flag looked pretty small from the based of the cliff where we were standing. Caleb said that the painter hung from ropes off the side of the cliff to paint it. Amazing.
We left the park and drove for several miles around curves and up over hills. We saw a doe and her fawn and stopped to take pictures. Then stopped some more and took more pictures and stopped some more and took more pictures. Bill loves capturing the sights on film and Caleb was a real sport about stopping each time Bill requested it. Each time Bill stood up in the back seat of Caleb�s Blazer without the top on it, he sang a few bars of the Halleluiah chorus. It was so funny we all laughed each time he did it. What a character he is. As we continued the drive we left the paved road behind and took to the dirt roads checking out different sites. We drove past Marsh Peak, which still had snow on it even in August and took pictures of a Pond on Red Cloud Loop. Found a restroom/outhouse and stretched our legs. It was so beautiful up here in God�s Country.
It was getting late and we still had lots to do today so we headed back off the loop. Past Red Fleet and back into town. We stopped off at the Dinosaur Museum and wandered around there for an hour before heading back to Tina�s. Caleb had a wedding to go to so Tina, Bill and I went out to Caleb�s parent�s house where we were going to get a chance to ride on their horses. I had e-mailed Caleb�s step-mom Linda and asked if she thought it would be okay if Bill could ride one of her horses around the pen some. He hasn�t had much of an opportunity to ride and I thought it would be a perfect �out-west� sort of thing to do. She agreed and we planned to meet there in the afternoon. When we got to Linda and Dan�s, we went straight out to the pen and watched Tina brush down Starlite and ready her for the saddle. Tina has been working real hard to learn all she can from Linda and Dan about grooming and training of horses. She has found the love of her life. Starlite and Tina hit it off great and Tina sure enjoyed showing us what she has learned so far. It was real cool watching my daughter as she patiently tended to Starlite�s needs. Once she was through grooming her, she led Starlite into the round pen where she saddled and haltered her. With assistance from Dan, Tina mounted Starlite. Starlite is a Saddle bred horse and stands just over 17 hands. Tina with her short legs was not able to get her foot in the stirrup without either something to stand on or a helping hand. She walked Starlite around the pen several times, altering direction and stopping at different locations. Horses are very much a creature of habit and will stop at the same spot each time if you let them. Tina has been working to overcome this with Starlite and was doing real well. Now for the thing we have been waiting for, Bill�s turn. After Bill was introduced to Starlite and got a few pointers from Linda, Dan gave Bill a boast up. Boy does he look nice in a saddle, Mmmmmm. my cowboy baby. I was real proud of him as he walked Starlite around the pen and taking direction from Linda turning her around and headed the other direction from time to time. What a treat this was for Bill.
When Bill had his fill, it was my turn. I made a few attempts to mount without help but ended up getting help from Dan. Man was Starlite ever tall. I spent time doing the rounds and alternating direction and stopping and starting at different spots too. Poor Starlite, she was not going to be allowed to pull her stunts.
We were all dusty and needed to clean up after the long day before going to dinner, so we headed back to Tina�s to wash up. Bill and I didn�t have time to hit the campground so we put on our new Harley T-shirts. Wait!! I didn�t tell you about them yet. Yes we had new HD shirts we picked up that morning at Beer�s Harley Davidson in Vernal. I usually don�t get t-shirts, but wanted something to remind me of Vernal so decided to. We got teased for wearing matching shirts, but I liked the idea myself. Made me feel like a high school girl with a major crush on a boy. Once all cleaned up, Tina called Caleb and told him we were ready to go to dinner. He was going to leave the wedding reception with his sister Mandy in tow and meet his parents and us at Cattleman�s for dinner. We were all starving and ready to sink our teeth into some beef. The Cattleman�s had a special �all you can eat� Sirloin Steak dinner. Bill got that and I ordered the Salmon and stole bites of his steak. When dessert time came, Dan suggested that we all shared one. There were seven of us and he thought that one order of this dessert thing was going to be enough, okay, we trusted him. Boy was he right. It was huge and filled up a large dinner plate. How could anyone ever order that for himself was beyond me? We all had a nice size slice and had plenty for all.
Leaving the restaurant, saying our good-byes and thank yous, Caleb took Bill and I back to the campground. What a long, fun filled day we had had and we were both ready for a shower and bed. I hoped to get a nice long restful sleep that night and might have if the mosquitos didn�t find me so tasty. I ended up going back to the showers to rinse off again. Man was I itchy. Why they were ever created God only knows. I am sure it keeps him in stitches each time one of us poor saps toss and turn from their blood sucking bites.
Up the morning of Aug. 10, we decided to do some laundry before heading out for our trip to Yellowstone Park. Our next stop was going to be the Flaming Gorge Harley Davidson, in Rocks Springs, Wyoming and according to their website didn�t open until noon. We calculated how long we thought it would take to get there and adjusted our departure time accordingly. We stopped off at Flaming Gorge Bridge and took pictures of the area. We met a nice couple on a Harley and talked them into taking a picture for us, and then using their camera took one for them. It is great meeting different people along the way. Each have their own stories, but we all have the same love for the sights.
Once in the town of Rock Springs, we found the HD shop. The Flaming Gorge HD shop boasts the fact that they have the largest Bar & Shield sign. The store itself was done in a western motif. This was certainly different from any we have seen so far. Bill picked up his shirt and down the road we head again. Next stop will be Jackson, Wyoming. I have always referred to it as Jackson Hole, but was later to learn that the term �Hole� was the same as �Valley�, or �Park� or some other term stuck on the end of a town�s name meant an area just outside of the town proper.
On our way to Jackson, Bill made comment on how the west was supposed to have wildlife wandering around and he has yet to see anything. Well that was because he didn�t really know how to look for animals. I started looking and pointed out a herd of Antelope, a badger and some deer. I�m not sure if he really appreciated me showing him or not. Like I was showing off or something, well maybe I was, but I remember oh so well when I was a greenhorn at spotting animals. It is definitely a learned skilled and I am not nearly as good as some.
We stopped in Jackson and wandered around the town a bit. The town was crawling with bikers on their way to or from Sturgis, South Dakota. We were traveling through this area during the week of the big bike rally in Sturgis and there were bikers everywhere we looked. Sure made Bill and I wish we had his bike here so we could join in on the fun. We walked around the little park area they have and took a couple of pictures of the elk antlers they have arranged as archways on all four corners. Climbed back in the truck and continued our journey to Yellowstone Park. We had reservations there that night and were getting real tired of being in the truck. We didn�t get too far outside of Jackson when we spotted billows of smoke just to the east of the highway. As we drew nearer we were able to see the flames. A range fire had started by the lightening and was quickly heading toward the highway not too far from the Jackson airport. Like other travelers, we just had to pull over to the side of the road and watch it for a bit, take pictures and wonder if it were going to get as far as the road before it was put out. Once we were satisfied with the amount of pictures taken we headed on down the road while eyeballing the flames. Wow what a spectacular sight it was. Stopping off to look at the Grand Teton Mountain Range to the west and snap snap of the camera again. All of this territory was new and exciting for Bill and it was fun showing it to him. Just wait until he sees the sights of Yellowstone.
We finally reached the park entrance close to sundown. The gate tender was warning people of the road closure to Jackson because of the fire. Wow they must have closed it just after we past by. We were sure glad we didn�t mess around longer in Jackson or we would have been stuck there. We were given a map of Yellowstone and with it was able to find our way to the Grant Village Campground where our reservations were. Paid our fees and was given directions to site 349. It was right by a restroom and seemed to be comfortable enough. Pine trees and lots of campers filled the area. Oh well so much for running around naked. Like I would anyway. Once the tent was set up and things organized, we cooked a nice dinner of fried pork, bell peppers, onions, and fresh lemon basil. Who says a person has to eat hot dogs when camping. Because of the bear population we had to stow everything in the vehicles, even the camp stove so we loaded it all back in the back of the truck hoping the tonneau cover would protect it and found our way to the showers then it the sack. We were exhausted and ready to sleep for the rest of the trip.
Well maybe not quite that long, but we were not in a huge hurry to get out of the sleeping bags the next morning. In fact we stayed snuggled up and enjoying each others company for quiet a while. After making love and telling each other the things lovers do, Bill got brave and asked me to marry him. Said he wanted to ask me over a special dinner or something, but well I kinda helped him along with hinting to the fact that I would marry him if only he would ask�hehe. Okay so I spoiled it for him but I didn�t care. I just wanted to hear the words and see the look of love in his eyes. �I would be honored to be your wife baby� I tell him. He said he didn�t have a ring since I had mentioned something about not letting him pick it out but we would look for a set when we got back to Boise. He had been playing with a leather thong and wanted to figure out a way to make a ring out of it to have something to offer me. Hey speaking of that baby, where is my ring you were going to make? Don�t be thinking I have forgotten it. I could not have more pleased with the setting in which he popped the question, wrapped in each others arms lying in the sleeping bags at Yellowstone Park. Very cool my baby. I think if lightening had stuck us that moment, we would have died the happiest couple alive. Now get out of bed and make some coffee dear. Well fine!! Hehe.
After we had eaten breakfast, drank coffee and took showers. We headed out for our first day of exploring Yellowstone Park. A quick stop off at the reservations building to confirm and pay for our two guided tours, we drove up the east fork road driving along side of the Yellowstone Lake. Our first guided tour was for 6:15 that evening on the Lake Queen II for a tour of Yellowstone Lake. We wanted to locate the departure place before venturing too far away. Once we found it and felt comfortable with finding it again, we took off for a day of exploring and sightseeing. We saw Mud Volcano, Sulphur Caldron, The Yellowstone River, Upper Falls, Lower Falls, Artist Point, drove past Mount Washburn and ended up at Tower Falls. The colors and smells of the sulphur beds were spectacular and many a picture was taken. Somewhere along the way we came across a huge herd of Buffalo. It was mating season and the bulls were herding their chosen ladies away from the other bulls. We pulled over, of course, and took about a zillion pictures of buffalo, then when we were ready to head out again we couldn�t. A few buffalo decided to take their sweet time crossing the road, stopping and looking around and forming a giant roadblock. It was too funny. By the time we got going again we had had our fill of buffalo that was for sure. Stopping off at Roosevelt Lodge to get something to drink, use the restroom and stretch our legs, Bill got caught by a lady who wanted to talk his ear off. It was quite humorous and I left him trying to ease his way away chuckling to myself. He was scowling at me as I waved to him and went into the shop. Oh there he is, he finally got away and joined me. Mmmmm look baby ice cream. I just couldn�t pass it up so while Bill was off buying something, I bought us ice cream cones. Boy did they taste good. We found a bench outside the lodge and licked our way through the cones before jumping back in the truck and heading back the way we came. Getting stuck by the buffalo again, we finally made it back to the Lake. We had all of our food in the truck so we snacked along the way and were happy and content by the time we arrived. We were about 45 minutes early and after checking in, wandered along the boat docks, Bill explaining about different types of sailboats and such. We found a place to sit and waited as other people arrived and the place started filling up. Once it became about time to get the show on the road, we were allowed to board the boat. Captain Bud was trying to turn over the second engine and was having a heck of a time, he was afraid he would have to cancel the trip, but did manage to get it running and we were on our way. Barbara, the tour guide, gave all the required safety rules and seemed a bit cranky at first. I was wandering if we had made a mistake doing this, but after she finished the boring stuff she came around and turned into a great tour guide. She told us all sorts of stories about the lake, how they were working to restore the balance of the lake trout by netting and killing about 9,000 fish a year. We asked what they did with all of them and she told us that because of government regulations all they could do was kill them and put them back in the lake. What a waste of perfectly good trout. The least they could do was serve them at the restaurant and help bring in well-needed income for the park.
We were able to see two fires from the boat, one was on the east side of the lake and the other was on Frank Island. I guess the fires had been burning for a few days and were allowed to burn without too much interference since it was a national park and things were to be left as it would in nature, this included the deadfall and fires. The firefighters monitored the fires very close to prevent damage to structures if possible but didn�t always try to put them out. As night fell the fires became very visible and there were many people taking pictures of the fires with the lake in the forefront. It was a sight to be seen for sure. Back to the docks, we thanked Barbara and were really glad we had made the trip. It turned out to be very enjoyable and was well worth the money and time. We wandered into the gift shop where Bill picked up some shirts for the kids and a few bottles of water and yet more box cameras. We had already gone through 4 of them along with using his digital camera.
Back at camp, dinner cooked and showers taken, we feel into bed happy and content. We had reservations for our second guided tour (Sunrise Photo Shoot) first thing in the morning. First thing my rear, more like in the middle of the night. We were to meet at Old Faithful Lodge at 5:45 am and were told that it was about an hour drive there so we set the alarm for 4 am. I had been smart and precooked the beginning of breakfast burritos and just needed to heat it up and fill the tortillas. Make coffee and get dressed. We left camp at 4:45 and headed to the Lodge. One hour my foot, there was no traffic at that hour and we made it there in about 30 minutes, well before we needed to be there. We checked in with the tour guide and climbed back in the truck for a short nap. I was really having a hard time staying awake and fell right to sleep. It�s a good thing Bill was used to getting up early, cause I would have slept right through the tour if he wasn�t there encouraging me to wake up. Man was I ever tired. When we made our way back to the awaiting van, we found hot coffee, hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. Mmmmm.
I think there were about 10 of us fools in all. We were promised lots of great photo opportunities and an insider�s tour of the park not usually seen. The tour guide�s name was Mike Columbia and he has been working as a tour guide for several years. He loved the park and loved showing it off to people. Mike first took us to Black Sand Basin where we were going to watch the sun rise up over the mountain. Around the pool area there were lots of interesting colored pools of water and he explained what made the different colors and how you can tell the temperature of the water just by the color. Mike told us about the Bobby Sock trees and how they have been standing for 200 to 300 years hardened by the absorption of minerals actually preserving the trees. It was easy to see where they got there name because of the white mineral deposits running up the base of the trees about 12 inches or so. They looked like they were all wearing white bobby socks. He explained that 60% of the world�s geo-thermal activity was found in Yellowstone area. The majority of the trees in the Yellowstone area are Lodge Pole Pines. They are the only tree that can withstand the dry summers and harsh cold of winter. The dead fall take up to 90 years to decay because of the dry climate. He talked about the fires and how the average summer saw 20 fires each year. The highest amount of fires recorded thus far was in 1988 when there were 50 fires and burned 700,000 acres.
We drove on up the west fork road and saw an Osprey splash into the river after a fish. Mike was talking about the different wildlife seen in the park including wolf, bear, elk, deer, antelope and of course buffalo. Just as we were talking about this Mike got all excited and pulled off the road to show us the wolf that was running across the meadow just off the road. Funny thing is, the �wolf� had on a collar and was dragging a leash being followed a bit back by a guy on a bike. Mike was somewhat embarrassed to learn that his wolf was a husky after all. Too funny.
Mike took us to Pocket Basin where we all climbed out of the van for a hike across the hill to what Mike said was his favorite place in the entire park. Hidden over the hill, which really was the top edge of a one-time volcano, we came to the place he wanted to show us. Mud Pots bubbling up and splattering mud several feet away. It was the coolest sight I had ever seen. We saw a real wolf track in the mud and traces of elk and deer. We made a loop back around the base of the hill along the Firehole River where Mike told us a story about some of the park employees coming here to go swimming one night, one of the gals didn�t realize how hot one of the pools was and jumped in scalding herself pretty bad. The Park was still fighting the lawsuit over that. We made our way back to the van and drove around a bit more. We saw a big bull elk standing in the middle of the river north of Madison and a few other elk off to the side. Bill took some real great pictures along the way. Mike was a great tour guide and if we ever make it back to Yellowstone we will be sure to sign up for his tour again.
Once back at the lodge we hung around and watched Old Faithful do her thing, eat lunch in the Old Faithful lodge and then drove up the west fork road to Mammoth Hot Springs. Stopping off at Midway Geyser and Fountain Paint Pot. We came upon a herd of elk wandering across the road and stopped to watch and take pictures. Bill got out and walked across the road and took some real nice shots of elk up front and personal. I took pictures of Bill taking pictures�hehe. By the time we made it to Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces we had had our fill of ponds, geysers and paint pots. So on the way back down the road we did very little stopping except to stop and put our feet in the river. We were told how the geysers keep the rivers pretty warm so we had to feel it for ourselves. They were right the river water was nice and warm and felt great on our tired feet. Back in the truck, we made it to the Grant Village store where we picked up a few items to have for dinner. I was making fajitas and wanted some sour cream and tortillas. What a great dinner that was. Hot dogs!! Blah!!
Up on the morning of Aug 13th and the last day of our trip. We had a long ways to go but still hung around camp until 9:30 or so. I feed the Gray Jays crackers and pieces of crookneck squash. Bill cooked breakfast and I put my aching knee up and iced it. All this walking and getting in and out of the truck had my knee swollen and pretty sore.
So what is with my knee anyway? Well about three weeks ago I was riding my bicycle along the greenbelt in Boise with my brother and niece when this guy came around the corner and decided that he liked my lane better. I turned way too sharp to avoid hitting him and laid my bike down, hitting my right knee pretty hard on the asphalt. We were about 2 � miles from the truck and I had to walk the whole way back. Every time I stopped to rest my knee it started to swell and stiffen up. After the third time of stopping I decided I had better keep it moving and get myself back to the truck before I couldn�t walk anymore. I drove my truck over to my parents house were we always go after our Sunday bike ride and asked my mom for a pair of shorts of some sort that I could change into. I needed to get my tight jeans off and take a look at my knee. It was pretty scrapped up and swelling more and more as time went by. I propped it up on the arm of the couch and put ice on it. The longer I laid there the more stiff it became and the more it hurt. The numbness from the initial shock was wearing off and I was in pain. I decided I had better go get it X-Rayed, so my dad took me to the ER. No broken bones and it should heal with time comments and back to my parents with me. I was having a hard time walking and knew it was going to take a long time to heal. I managed to hobble back out to my truck and drove home, put my leg up and stayed put for 2 days.
Back to Yellowstone�We left the campground and headed out the West entrance and into the town of West Yellowstone. Stopped and wandered through a few gift shops and bought a mocha to go. Heading out of town, we came across a Mountain Men Rendezvous, where we stopped to walk up the length of the tents and down the other side. They were selling all sorts of trapper type items from furs to homemade beads and frontier cloths. Bill picked up a couple of leather working needles, oh and don�t forget the Kettle Korn before heading on our way.
Pulling into Idaho Falls, we called and got directions to the Grand Teton Harley Davidson Shop. Bill got his beloved shirt and off we were again. We wanted to make it to the Craters of the Moon National Park before too late so we would have some time to wander around it before taking on the last leg of our journey. We arrived at the Craters of the Moon around 1:00pm, stopped in at the visitor�s center and picked up a few souvenirs. We drove out among the miles and miles of lava rock following the road as it wound around the park. Stopped off at a few sites of interest and took the monitory pictures. Now for the fun part. I have been to Craters of the Moon several times, but up until a few months ago when I came here with my sister and her family, I had never been here with someone who was willing to venture into the caves. Flashlights were required in three of the four caves and very helpful even in the fourth. First we made our way down to the bottom of Indian Cave climbing over lava rock and watching out for still frozen puddles of water. It was noticeably cooler in the cave and was very awesome to say the least. Coming out the other end of this cave, we hiked across the lava fields following the rock pile markers back to the paved path. On to the next cave. We walked about � of a mile to the Boy Scout Cave. This cave was pitch black inside and was somewhat harder walking. Much cooler then the first and when we turned off our flashlights we couldn�t even see our hands in front of our face. Very cool. On down the path we came to Beauty Cave and working our way down to the bottom and into the opening, the temperature dropped at least 30 degrees. It was real warm outside and it was hard to make ourselves want to leave the cool quiet cave. Bill took several pictures as we made our way back to the truck and finished driving the remainder of the seven-mile loop drive. Once back at the visitor�s center, we found the restrooms and snacked on some cheese and meat we had with us.
Okay on the road again with about 3 hours left of our trip, cutting across to Highway 20 and pulling into the truck stop by Mountain Home for fuel and stretching of the legs, jumping onto I84 for one last stretch. One more hour baby and we will be home, I promise.
This trip took us across the high mountain desert of Idaho, into the busy town of Salt Lake City, up into the high elevations of Northern Utah and into Wyoming. Across the multi-colored terrain of Yellowstone and back into Idaho for a close-up look at what happens when a volcano decides to spew its guts across the land. Sixteen hundred and sixty seven miles from start to finish bringing us full circle. Bill has seen most to the west coast states now and is still amazed at the wide-open spaces and miles and miles of nothingness.
The rings where picked out and ordered to size. Bill bought us what he calls �Our Engagements Rings� a pair of Blue Sapphire stud earrings, one for him and one for me. Have you ever heard of anything as romantic as that? I sure love you baby.