Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Watching the Cattle


Wally used to worked in the Livestock Yard for eight years. He took us up on the cat walk to see the cowboys sorting the cattle.

Cattle Sorting




The cowboys were busy sorting the cattle.


Auction











Listening to the auctioneer, seeing the cattle enter and exit and watching the cowboys in the audience bid at the auction was facinating. Here is the youngest cowboy in the room.

Livestock Yard




The Livestock Yard in Billings was our outing for the day.

Rehearsal



Mary is warming up on her oboe at the Alberta Bair Theatre where the Billings Symphony plays once a month.

Happy Friends

Pam, Joan, Mary and I had a yummy lunch and then went on a beautiful walk in the Pheasants Forever area. Joan and Pam are some of Mary's special friends.

Pheasants Forever Walk








In some areas on the trail, the grass was over 5 feet tall. We didn't see any pheasants.

Bud





Bud is Wally's dog. He is 15 months old and is part Border Collie and Australian Shepherd. Mary and Bud are enjoying each other.

Turkeys


The turkeys are plentiful north of Billings, where Mary and Wally live. At dusk they can be seen flying into a pine tree and sitting on the upper most branches.

Sharing the Road


This Montana Cowgirl was moving the cattle to a different pasture.

Montana




After leaving Yellowstone National Park, we went on to Montana.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

One of the Many Falls




Norris Geysers


Minerva Terrace






These interesting formations are near Mammoth Hot Springs, located at the North Entrance to the park. No, it isn't snow.

Mud Geyser



Bubble, bubble.

Elk


Watching the elk and listening to them bugle was a special treat. This elk was keeping his herd in line.



Bison



The bison were plentiful in the park.

Pinwheel Geyser




Steamboat Geyser




This is the world's largest geyser, reaching 300-400 feet. The last major eruption was on May 23, 2005. There are frequent minor eruptions ranging 10-70 feet.


We are enjoying this beautiful site.

Just Beautiful



Tour Bus




This yellow bus has been restored to use again in the park. Apparently this type of bus was used in the park many years ago. We saw several of them on our tour of the park.

Old Faithful Geyser















Seeing Old Faithful is part of going to YNP. A few facts about Old Faithful: It’s one of more than 300 geysers in Yellowstone, 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water are expelled per eruption, depending on the length of eruption, Old Faithful’s height ranges from 106 feet to 130 feet. The cloudy weather made it difficult to tell just how high the eruption was.
Dan enjoyed watching Old Faithful.

Unique Chairs






These chairs were on the porch outside of the store in the Old Faithful area.

Old Faithful Inn







The Inn is undergoing renovations to meet safety standards, provide more accessibility, and increase its protection from earthquakes. Art is sold inside the inn and a resident artist was busy with his oil paints creating a beautiful landscape.





Fishing Bridge


Our first campsite was at Fishing Bridge Campground, located near Yellowstone Lake. Prior to 1973 fishing from the bridge was allowed. There was a picture by the bridge that showed people fishing standing “elbow to elbow” on the bridge.

Yellowstone National Park




In 1872 Congress established Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park.
Our goal was to see the Park in the fall and we were rewarded with the BEAUTY of the area. We were in the park a couple of years after the big fire in 1988, and what a difference 19 years has made. All the new growth is refreshing.

Fall Trip

This year we decided to see some fall colors in Wyoming. We left Lakewood on September 27th and drove the RV to Lander, then on through Teton National Park. What BEAUTIFUL colors!

Friday, October 05, 2007

After the Wedding

Dan's brother Carl, brought Grandma Heismann from Ohio for the wedding.

Jennie and Zac


Jennie and Zac enjoy the view on the deck of Rolling Hills Country Club, where the reception was held.

Fun Time Dancing


Here you see Lyn and Larry Hicks and Mary McLane and Carl Heismann on the dance floor.