Cody, day 4--Chief Joseph Highway

Today we headed north on the 

scenic Chief Joseph Highway.

This was the route Chief Joseph led his people

trying to escape the US Calvary and captivity on a reservation.

It was breathtaking.

Fun winding roads

and beautiful mountains, hills, and trees

We followed the Shoshone River and its rapids

It was a LONG way down!

Whoa!

Jack and Grandma stayed a bit back

(they aren't fans of heights)

Grandpa and I got up to the edge

The Reed men

The happy grandparents

Nice shades, Beck!

We wondered further,

stopping to take some pictures,

check out the sights,

meet the wildlife.

At Dead Indian Pass,

Jack met a chipmunk.

Hello, there!

The higher we got

(we're about 10,000 feet now),

the colder it got

And the snowier!

Here it is, June, and they still have

over 6 feet of snow on the sides of the road!

It was brisk and beautiful!

Did we mention it was Father's Day?

No better way to spend it!

There was so much snow,

we even saw people snowboarding!

(see the dot in the middle--

it was a loooong way down!)

We finally reach Beartooth Mountain

Wow.  

It was worth the drive.

Perfect place for a family pic

We went all the way to Montana

And now we're beat.

Once back at the cabin,

we cooked some dinner

went for a hike

and enjoyed the moment

And to top of this day,

we had a bonfire and...

...s'mores!

Another 10 of a day.

Cody, day 3--up close and personal with Big Dan

We started the day off with a hike

A motley crew

...before headed out for

horseback riding.

They said I could ride by myself,

but seeing as this was my second time on a horse,

I just went for a quick solo spin around the yard

That's about the happiest I've ever looked!

Jack was a bit more shy about it

Before long,

we were sitting in the saddle of our horses

with our co-riders--

me on Harry with Grandpa

Jack on Big Dan with Mom

We're off!

Good company

A steep climb up the mountains,

led by our very own cowboy guide,

Skeeter

The ride was really fun

and the view from the top was AMAZING

There are the rodeo grounds

waaaaay down there

We look pretty good, huh?

Just wow.

A horseback selfie

It was an awesome ride.

Going back down was a little scary

with the horses slipping on the rocks occasionally.

And it snowed/hailed/rained on us in the last 10-15 minutes of the ride!

Grandpa said on a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10.

It was Dad's first time on horseback, but he looked like a pro.

AND I met a REALY cowboy!

(That was on my list of things to do in Cody).

We even got our own horseshoes to take home

and hang over our doors!

It couldn't have been better.

To top off the day,

we had a hearty steak dinner at The Chop House

and ice cream sundaes at the Irma Hotel

It was a really great day.

Probably a 10.

Cody, day 2--Yellowstone Lower Loop

Wow.  Just wow.

Pictures don't do it justice.

We set out this morning on our first road trip--

the lower loop of Yellowstone.
Dad had wanted to come here his whole life.

First stop--

Yellowstone Lake

Cold and blustery,
but perfect for rock throwing

Taking in the sights

Some brotherly love

And some love for the Grandma and Grumpa

that brought us here to see it

Just wow.

We spotted an elk along the way

And lots of "stink pots"

Beautiful steaming/smoking, sulfur-smelling, colorful

hot springs

We stopped at the Old Faithful Inn for lunch

(more on that in a minute)

Before lunch, we headed to see the main event...

While we waited,

we saw the Beehive erupt

We didn't have to wait long to see

Old Faithful himself

Pretty cool!

We headed back to the Inn for lunch.

The inside looked like an awesome tree house

With our bellies full,

we headed back to the trails

Beck was excited for a hike

We saw Old Faithful erupt again,

this time from the backside

We got a bit of a sulfur shower this time!

Lots of sulfur springs

Too weird

We were in awe

What was even more interesting

is that all around these super hot geysers and springs

were animal prints.

Apparently not too hot for them.

Twin pots

Beckett was so impressed,

he fell asleep

A little geyser

A great day for hiking and exploring

These signs were everywhere

Weston didn't have a bear gun,

a bear knife,

or bear spray,

but he was pretty sure his bear roar would scare them away.

Some really big stink pots

On our way to our next stop,

we ran into a traffic jam--

Yellowstone style

Just passing through!

The Yellowstone River

We stopped for some rock climbing

at Gibbons Falls

Beckett had a turn

Quick!

Smile for a family picture!

Time's up!

Last stop--Artist's paint pots

What an awesome day!