Wyoming is the last state in the fifty states that rhyme...

Day 12: Idaho to Wyoming.  Waking in a parking lot in Idaho Falls, Idaho is not entirely what I envisioned when we were planning this RV adventure. But you learn a lot of things rather quickly while on the road and among those things is to be adaptable. Things change. Weather changes. Kids nearly get heat stroke. And some team members need to depart for a bit. You just go with it and it makes everything better for everyone. Anyhow, you also learn that most W@lmart's lets you sleep in their parking lot. For free. So when you are going to be arriving late and leaving early there is absolutely no need to pay for a campsite. But still, it seems strange. (At the first one outside of Denver, D Money called and the woman told her multiple times that it was fine but we had to sleep in the RV - as though the housewares or camping department were an option. We were also informed that we needed to buy something. Done and done.) But yes, Tuesday - our day 12 - was a whirlwind. Literally. We woke up early under the blue glow and headed out to conquer Wyoming! First though, we had to make it through a bit of Idaho. And that meant deep ascents. Followed by minor ascents. And more deep ascents. At this point in the journey though, JM Oakes was pretty much an expert RV driver - knowing when to downshift and when to let it right. I think he almost stopped to pick up a CB radio at one point to talk to the other "truckers"...

 

All of the rollercoaster driving was well worth it as we headed into Grand Tetons. Wow. Mountains. Majestic is an understatement. These were peaks that simply made us all just stare in wonder. Well, most of us. Harper wanted to run wild through the foliage and pick flowers (which is so not allowed in national parks in case you were wondering). But yeah, Grand Tetons. More than worth the trip. Another place on my list of parks to return to and spend some time really exploring and hiking and breathing in the mountain air (which in my mind smells minty, but in actuality does not. kind of a disappointment...)

JM Oakes - The amazing driver/photographer/child carrier caught in a picture

 

 

 

And then on to Yelllowstone (or Jellystone as I like to call it). I was personally hoping we could throw out a picnic basket to entice a bear (namely Yogi and Boo-boo) to visit us, but my efforts were deemed a bit much. And alas we did not see a bear - grizzly, black, or otherwise - during our time in Wyoming. Yellowstone in June is pretty much like D!sney World, well, anytime. Insanity. Bad drivers. Confusion and meltdowns galore. But the weather was lovely. After circling the lot and unsuccessfully running anyone over, we parked and stepped out to take a look at Old Faithful. At first glance, it is just some smoke billowing out of the ground. But then it erupts, and well, that is remarkable. (I actually didn't see it, but Mere, Spencer, and D Money did and they all say it was incredible). While they watched hot water shoot hundreds of feet into the sky, I retired to the waiting rig to do puzzles with the young minions and wonder what day it was and which time zone we were in (seriously this gets complicated).

After our brief visit to Old Faithful we reversed our loop and headed back south and then east to get to our campsite before midnight. Finding a place to stay in this area was rather difficult, but after several phone calls and diligent internet searches (with very spotty service), we were able to secure lodging at the fine Abs@roka Bay RV Park in Cody, WY.  We arrived to learn that fires were not allowed and wi-fi passwords were some odd combination of braille, Hebrew, and pig Latin. But as far as sleeping and having a place to dump our "black water" (ie. sewage), it was all good. While I had envisioned roaming Bison and the occasional bear crossing our path in Wyoming, none were to be seen. And I had to settle for this...

The only bear we saw in Wyoming

 

 

In the morning we embarked on another exciting adventure to the place where "Under God, People Rule". Otherwise known as, South Dakota. But that will have to wait for another post...