Trip Day 15: Collision in Cody

Monday, July 10

Happy Birthday to my brother Mark. Are you really 51?

What a day. After the worst “complimentary” breakfast ever at a motel, (packaged pastries and muffins, orange juice and coffee), we prepared to depart. As Nick was going downstairs, he tripped. Fortunately for him, Will was in front of him and broke his fall as he plunged down the stairs. He dropped the laptop, but it seems to still work. He seems ok other than a sore back. After we got in the car, Will thought we should check and see if there is a National Registry for Oafs in Cody. Maybe if we got Nick signed up, we could get some free gifts and discounts in the membership package. Gracefulness is not one of Nick’s primary attributes right now.

My men allowed me a little time in a fabulous scrapbook store there in Cody while they went to some outdoor store. I have never been in a store with such an incredible array of paper, stickers and other supplies. That was worth the trip alone.

As we were headed out of town, we spotted a Wal-Mart, the first one we’d seen since Nebraska. Eric needed socks and guitar picks (no luck there) and Will wanted a Sudoku puzzle book and a compass for the dash of the car. So we made a quick stop. As we were about to pull onto the highway, there was a sudden crash behind us. A city bus had rear ended us. The damage was fairly minor, a dent to the bumper, but the driver had to call the police, and soon two policeman arrived, followed by a city supervisor, then a public works supervisor. About 45 minutes later after all the reports were filled out and pictures taken, we were on our way.

Eric and Nick had become bored with the proceedings and got permission to take a walk “to see what we can see” down the street in the direction we were heading. We drove a little way and didn’t spot them, so pulled over to call them. When Eric answered the phone, he said, “How did you know we were here?” I looked around. “Know you were where?” Then I saw them coming out of the Cody Fireworks store next to where we were parked. Should have known.

When we entered Yellowstone, we spent the first half hour driving slowly in road construction. But we saw six or seven bighorn sheep up the hill near the end of it. I exclaimed on our good fortune to see them so soon, Will remarked that they were tethered up there. We talked to a man later that day who said he’d been in the park looking for some for three days.

The rest of the day was pleasantly uneventful as we drove and walked around sightseeing. It is so beautiful, and we saw many animals, including elk, antelope, deer, coyotes, and of course bison everywhere. Even spotted a bear down a slope briefly before it disappeared. Mysteriously,our new compass showed that we were going west or northwest all the time. It's now in the trunk.

We are spending the night at the Bear Lodge at Old Faithful. It is a gorgeous room with character. It even had soap shaped like a bear. I opened the bathroom door and squealed with delight. “It has two white bathrobes!” When Will came in the door, I repeated it to him. He said, “I know, I could hear you clear down the hall.” Oops. But how luxurious. The lodging here in the park does not have internet, TV or air conditioning, so that we can enjoy our wilderness experience to the fullest. There is a fan in the room but we didn’t need it – we kept the window open. This place has nothing in common with a Super 8 – including the price!