Bike-a-gogo in Provo

Our first stop in Utah was for lunch at a restaurant in Salt Lake City that we have been looking forward to eating at. The Red Iguana Mexican Restaurant lived up to the reviews that we had heard and it's mole sauce (made from chocolate) was muy delicioso. We licked our plates clean but thought we'd spare you a picture of that.

After lunch we continued on south until we found a lovely place to camp alongside Utah Lake in Provo. It was sunny, 80 degrees and perfect for a bike ride on the nature path that followed the Provo River for miles.Check out the views and some of the wildlife we spotted along the way.

A mama and her baby ducklings along side the bank adrift with cottonwood fuzzies....

A little beaver busy at work......

and Mr. Snake slithered right across our path......
and we passed several picturesque horse ranches which must have been the elite B + B's for horses.What more could we ask for? Absolutley nothing! You can bet that we are happy campers after a beautiful day like that and we thank God for letting us enjoy such a special time.

Slowin' down in Lava town

Today we had an unplanned adventure into Idaho. A fellow camper gave us a tip about a worthwhile side trip and we are so glad we followed up on it. The scenic route off the interstate turned out to be not only beautiful but was part of the early settlers Oregon Trail.
The goal of this side trip was to find the town of Lava Springs which was established in the late 1800's. It still has an old charm look with many vintage buildings and is tucked right in between several mountains..

We got settled into a nice campsite beside the river and then headed for the hot springs.Tom's mom, Jean Meadows, grew up 25 miles from here and recalled enjoying these same hot springs in her youth.

We soaked for awhile in the crystal clear mineral waters, trying out each of the 5 pools with the hottest one being 112 degrees. After that we treated ourselves to wonderfully relaxing massages........aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

We returned again at night to soak one more time before bed. Now that is a nice side trip don't you think?

The Very Grand Tetons

Here is a sneak peek of the fabulous peaks to come.
Awe yes, the Tetons are quite grand!

Yipee, what a happy day because I absolutely love the mountains! Thank you God!

A unique elk antler archway welcomes all to Jackson's town square. Elk shed their antlers every year so the local boy scouts gather them in the meadows and bring them to town to sell and donate them.Jackson's charming downtown has rustic wooden boardwalks and these boots were make for shopping at the great variety of stores.

Even serious shoppers need to take a break and enjoy the western charm of Jackson.

Thanks to Tom's nephew, Scott Brady, we found the Gun Barrel Steak and Game Restaurant and had a delicious meal. Tom devoured the buffalo prime rib and Lorraine loved the elk chops...both were fantastic.

The Gun Barrel's resident buffalo "Clyde" makes a nice backdrop for our new western gear. Tommy bought me this new white shirt today...so very nice!

Welcome to Yellowcoldstone

As we say goodbye to Cody we are once again amazed with the beauty of Wyoming and give thanks to God for letting us enjoy His creation.

Traveling west we enter Yellowstone and were surprised to find it so very chilly..... See what I mean?

Here's a view of frozen Lake Yellowstone and several hot steaming fissures on the shoreline.

Driving a little further into the park we turn a corner and find this mama and baby right on the side of the road causing a bear jam. The Park Ranger was slowing down the traffic and we had a front row seat to watch the bears 20 feet from our car. So cool!

Mama and baby crossed the road safely thanks to the Park Ranger.

Old Faithful lived up to it's name and spewed it's steamy spray high in the sky. However it wasn't quite hot enough to heat up the day so we headed south to Jackson Hole.

Hoping it will be warmer there when we get down from this 8391 feet elevation. What is the continental divide anyway?

Cowboy-up in Cody

The spectacular scenery of the Wyoming wilderness and Rocky Mountains as we drive to Cody Col. William F. Cody or better known as "Buffalo Bill" founded the town of Cody, a town full of western charm and warmth.

Tom's been "Codyized" which leads you to do strange things like......

.....trading in the Chinook for this vintage ford truck. He aways did like orange!

..... and he's now on tour with Dan Miller's Cowboy Music Review. What's Next???
What's next is I'm going along with him...a true country duet ready for the rodeo.

The Cody Nite rodeo clown loved Lorraine's hat and wanted to swap for his. What do you think?

Tom made friends with this donkey instead of trying his hand at the bull riding. Left that to the cowboys who put on an entertaining show. Yeehaw!

From Bones to BBQ

First stop of the day was to visit the dinosaur exhibit, many of which were dug up in northern Wyoming around the Hot Springs of Thermopolis. The Dinosaur Center houses the largest "Supersaurus" ever found which was as big as the entire length of the building. Nice Kitty, soft kitty.....
Oh, home on the range....Tom invites this big guy home for dinner.
A relative of Mr. Buffalo accepted the invitation and provided a delicious buffalo burger dinner...yum!
Enjoying the 104 degree natural mineral hot springs at Thermopolis...ah, ah!!!!!

Cruising and Singing Video(turn it up loud)

Sunny Sunday in Cheyenne

What a beautiful sunny morning to worship with other believers at Calvary Chapel in Cheyenne!  Pastor Shaun Sells gave a very encouraging message and we were recharged to start the week.

A quick jaunt through the capitol city with its western influence was a fun stop and we are starting to fit right in with the wild west theme.

The road to northern Wyoming was absolutely gorgeous. Big ole' blue sky with huge clouds and very few drivers on the road. The wide open spaces made me want to weep...so immense and peaceful.
Now just add some country music up full blast and you got the right idea.      The final leg of the drive was through the beautiful Wind River Canyon and then we found a campsite in Thermopolis and we'll tell you more about that tomorrow.