Roundtrip Adventure: Portland to Yellowstone and Back: Cody WY August 9th 2012

We decided to go to Cody WY to pay a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center Museum. The drive from Yellowstone was really beautiful. We stopped along the way and watched a herd of bison grazing along the road. Some of the big males were scuffling and butting heads. It is there rut season so younger males are battling with older males to gain access to females. It was so cool! The canyons and valleys were amazing, the variations in colors, shapes. It was hard to take pictures while driving down the road and so there aren't any good ones to share.

THE BISON:

Sniff Sniff... she smells nice!!!!

BONK!!! OWWW

Check it out... Pardon the ridiculous commentary

AHHH... Motherly Love... High MOMMY

Inside the museum there was a hall all about the life of Buffalo Bill, his traveling show and those who traveled with him. It was really interesting. We really had no idea what a big deal Buffalo Bill was. There were costumes, photographs and videos set up. Another hall was of the natural history of Yellowstone and the surrounding area. Cool, interesting, lots of taxidermy. There was another wing of the museum devoted to firearms. This was probably John's favorite part of the whole place. There were guns of every make and model. It was quite mind boggling.

Isle after Isle of Guns By the Power of Grey skull

I want a M1 Grarand (The Top Two)

WOW!!!

There were a load of very enthusiastic people in this area and it was a little unnerving. The coolest part in the whole museum was the hall of Western Art. There were so many beautiful paintings of the west. Becky and Steph spent a lot of time in there. There was one enormous painting of a rattlesnake that we swore was a photograph, but it was a painting. (Photo TO COME LATER!)

We wrapped up the visit and left Cody to return to Yellowstone. The drive back was a Hot and LONG!! We took the same route going back as getting to Cody, but on the way back we got a little surprise. We were going North along Hayden Valley and what to our eyes should appear be a herd Bison walking down the road heading south in the south bound lane. (They know how to us the lanes of traffic, they must of seen the cars and said "We can do that."

They caused a quite a largish traffic JAM. With not keeping track we would estimate that it was at least a couple of miles long. The cars immediately behind the herd were all good sports about the situations for they new what was going on. The people after that on the other hand we not so pleasant. The were rather annoyed and had a great look of impatience their faces. If they only had an idea of what was ahead, we would only hope that they would not been in such a poor mood. After we left the Bison jam we ended up in another one, but at this one there was something new romping through the grass!! It was a coyote!!

Coyote: Do I here something?

Coyote: Maybe

Coyote: YES I do... what could it be?

Coyote: NOPE... It wasn't anything special

Hello I am a Coyote

He was wondering around and hit a patch of dirt and was very curious at what was underneath. It was listening very intently towards the ground in hopes to discern any tasty morsels that may lie beneath the surface. There must not have been anything good because he soon moved off not satisfied at the selection in that spot. We saw a lot more Bison before we got back to the Cabins.