I drove to West Yellowstone, MT and was able to get a campsite where a friend of mine, Malia, was staying.  It is extremely hard to find a place now without having reservations so I was happy Malia found this place and we could spend a few days exploring together.  She is the best guide as she writes about RVing for magazines and anyone who is interested in this way of life.  She has been RVing for 14 years and is a PRO!  Plus, she is a lot of fun.  She has a very informative website at www.maliasmiles.com  

 

We spent the first day together at The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center where the animals are viewed in their natural habitat.  This is hopefully the closest I will get to a bear.

Same goes for a wolf!

This is what the scenery looks like in this park called Baker's Hole.  Great place to fish!

I left Cody, WY on Thursday, July 17, but before I left I did some sightseeing around the town.
It didn't take me long to spot this wine tasting room and it appealed to me more than going in and out of lots and lots of souvenir shops.  I'm just not a souvenir person.  The wine label here is Buffalo Jump.  I liked the Shiraz so bought a bottle.  The hostess in the wine tasting room is Pamela.  No one else was tasting this day so she and I had time to converse on some interesting topics.  She has had her share of adventures and seems to be very multifaceted as she also finds time to have a photography business.  She is originally from England, came to FL..then CA...then settled here in WY.  She has sailed for many years even being part of a crew at one time.  Very interesting.

The next day I went to Old Trail Town which was a step back in time to the old west of the 1890s.  This is the original townsite of Cody that Buffalo Bill laid out.  Here are original cabins used by Old West outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and a Wyoming saloon frequented by Cassidy's "Hole-in-the-Wall Gang." 

Here is the saloon the gang frequented.  The door literally has bullet holes in it from those wild days back in that time.

 

The next day I met a couple of gals, Sally and Bobbie, members of the WIN club.  They were from Phoenix, AZ and after spending time in Yellowstone Park, they decided to spend some time in Cody, WY and opted to stay in the parking lot at the local Walmart for a couple of days.  I decided to join them. 

 

 

 

The following day I proceeded on to Yellowstone Park!  Shortly after entering the park, I had someone sharing the road with me.  What a surprise to look out my window and see this bigger than life buffalo lumbering down the road beside me.  Understandably, I gave him the right of way.

 

 

East entrance to Yellowstone.

 

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                                                               Yellowstone Lake

There are so many dead trees in Yellowstone as a result of the volcanic gases that are released from the ground which acts as a poison to the trees.  Also responsible are the pine beetles and past forest fires.