After we left St. Marys we traveled for a day to Bozeman Montana and spent two nights in the county fairgrounds there.
We are of the opinion, County Fairgrounds are one of the best kept secrets of RVers. They often offer nice spots with full utilities and usually have space available simply because the RV public doesn’t really know about them
In this case, not so much. We ended up with electricity only in a parking lot. Since the fairgrounds was essentially finished for the year, they had an end-of-year party for the employees the first night we were there.
The 2AM raucous departure of the drunken, barfing and fighting cowboys in their high performance (meaning loud) cars/trucks was a wonder to behold.
But the trip to Bozeman was saved by friends Rich and Cindy – both residents of Bozeman. They took us on a wonderful day hike at Hyalite Lake.
Following the hike, we had drinks and Hors d’oeuvre at Rich and Cindys at their house and it’s magnificent view of the mountains. We topped the evening off with the best meal we’ve had in a long time
Cody Wyoming
If one were to say that the residents of Cody Wyoming venerate Wild Bill Cody, that would be an exaggeration. But only a small one. Wild Bills vision of cashing in on the Yellowstone tourist trade is thoroughly embraced by the residents of Cody and his visage is seen everywhere. This is even though most of the major civic improvements in Cody were made possible by oilman Paul Stock.
Whatever. It is still a beautiful town full of friendly people, interesting shops, hotels and eating places. Among the activities we engaged in Cody were:
- Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum (2 days)
- The Cody Rodeo
- The Cody Cattle Company Dinner and Show (excellent show!)
- Old Town Trail
- Sheridan Ave. (Main drag for coffee, scones and shopping)
- Dinner at the Irma Hotel (Wild Bills Hotel)
- Cody Trolly Tour where dogs are welcome.
- Red Lodge (Driving Trip)
- Top of the World Highway AKA The Beartooth Highway
We of course made the mandatory run into Yellowstone
Over the next few days we will strike out from Cody to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to see if we can pet the furry cows. It will be a short stay at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and then onto Bemidji Minnesota where we will start our Mississippi Caravan.