Day 9

Today was the first day of the second half of our adventure. We loaded up the camper and headed northwest towards Thermopolis, WY. This city is home to the world's largest mineral hot springs and we were really looking forward to a good soaking.

As I said before, this is the 'loosest' vacation we've ever done which means, we basically are stopping when we see an interesting place. Well, Thermopolis looked interesting and we 'assumed' (I know, I know) that we'd be able to get a cheap hotel easy. Wrong! This weekend is rodeo weekend in Thermopolis and there was no room at the inn. We have learned this past week that rodeo is a huge event in Wyoming. We drove through another small town and everyone was heading to a rodeo there.

But before leaving, we decided to check out the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. We got there with less than an hour before closing. We walked into a large gift store section, saw the prices for the museum and sent Dan & Brenna in for a look. Being the Scot that I am, as soon as I realized that I could still see the dinosaurs through an large opening, there was no way I was spending $16! Brenna LOVED it!

We set off again heading north and finally reached Greybull, WY. We found a KOA with a Kamping Kabin (like we stayed in when we visited Laramie) so we're staying here for the night. Since we are heading to Cody in the morning, it's just too much work to set up the tent, etc. These Kabins are perfect, there is a pool and I was also able to do a load of laundry. This is one of the nicest KOA's that we've stayed at over the years. It even has a nice restaurant, which could be helpful but it closed just before we were ready to eat. Anyway, if you're passing through Greybull and interested in camping this is a nice place.

Well, except for the siren that goes off at 9:00 p.m. The story they told us is that it is an old curfew and is now is use for the volunteer firefighters. They say the average age of their firefighters is 78 so they use it to test their hearing. If they can hear the siren, they can stay, otherwise...

Speaking of fire, we smelled smoke and now have learned that there is a fire in Yellowstone, at the entrance we are planning on using. We just checked the news updates and they have reopened the road but there are certain areas that you cannot stop in right now. I'm sure it will all work out fine!

Again, really neat scenery. Farmlands running right up against volcanic upshoots. WOW. We passed through an amazing canyon that is an Indian reservation. A river ran next to the road and a train track ran along the other side of the river. They posted signs along the road that described the age of the rock formations.

Too bad our kids were more interested in looking for roadkill... Actually, they are really enjoying everything but still, they are weirdly interested in animals that have met car bumpers. What can I say... they are Dan's kids!

Tomorrow we head to Cody to explore the Wild West and Yellowstone Park on Monday. Not sure where we are staying but as usual, we're looking for pools and WiFi!