Wyoming 12th-17th May

What a pain in the butt! I had a HUGE story here, then lost the lot after adding a bit more! Starting to go right off this blog idea!

Anyway...got back from Wyoming this afternoon, after being away for 6 days. We flew up there in Dave's two-ten 6-seater Centurion private plane last Friday, taking off from the dragstrip here. Landed in Elko for refueling and a bite to eat, then on to Pinedale airport where he keeps his big Chevy dual-cab truck. Did the old Te Teko two-step while landing at Pinedale, due to a sudden cross wind just as we were about to put down. Colin turned several shades lighter, but survived the trauma O.K.

Arrived at their 'cabin'... it's actually a large log house, complete with several cabins built in the 1930's for the cowboys who worked the ranch. A magical spot, with no main roads, near neighbours or other complications to spoil your peace. We had been there on our trip last year, so were ready for the breathlessness you get at altitude. Knocks you around a bit, but then there was nothing strenuous planned...just a week of relaxation, so it didn't worry us too much.

Went for walks through the woods...constantly looking out for bears, mountain lions, cougars etc, but managed to survive and only saw deer, elk, buffalo and many little woodland critters. A swift flowing, trout infested river flows through the property, but unfortunately we were a bit early for river fishing, so after fixing the jeep runabout, we set out for Boulder Lake dam instead. Caught 3 trout amid the most glorious setting imaginable. I though New Zealand was beautiful, but this place sure gives it a run for it's money.

Sunday, being Mothers Day, Nancy and I were treated to all kinds of treats, including a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, elk sausage etc etc. Dave prides himself on being handy in the kitchen, and cooks all the meals. He reluctantly allowed Colin to take over cooking duties that night, and the resulting roast with all the veges was well recieved. D reckons it was a ten out of ten effort, which coming from the master, was high praise indeed. Personally, I think it was the cheese sauce I made that carried the meal!

A visit to Jackson Hole on the way to Yellowstone Park saw us at a real live cowboy bar! It's called the Million Dollar Bar...mainly because the wooden bar has hundreds of silver dollar coins imbedded into it. The place was build in 1936 and was once owned by friends of the Smiths. We heard all sorts of tales of crazy antics the bar had seen over the years. We moved on to the Cadillac Restaurant for a traditional Black Angus Steak burger. Dave then guided us ladies into the shopping centre and announced we should shop 'til we dropped. This was because he was unable to take us out on Mothers Day and wanted to make it up to us!. Nancy is a lot like me and Colin and is always up for a bargain, but Dave prefers to spend his money on expensive items, and encourages us to help him spend! I love this man!

After exhausting ourselves in retail therapy, we moved on to the 'Ripleys Believe it or Not' Museum. What a hard case outfit...with all sorts of wierd and wonderful items on display. I had a bout of helpless laughter. I had gone on ahead of the others and had looked at a display that provided a mirror to check if you could roll your tongue or not. When I got around the corner, I saw the mirror was a two-way affair, so waited to see what the others would do. Sure enough...they each stood in front of the mirror, trying to get their tongues to curl! It's absolutely hilarious standing behind a mirror and watching people, and my mission now is to get one of these mirrors. Great intertainment at a party!

Nancy has a pomeranian puppy called Matty. It was decided that Matty should go to Wyoming too, and as she had not been in the plane before, it was all a bit nerve racking as to how she would react. During the flight up there, the poor little blighter just sat trembling, giving off the occasional pathetic squeak. However by the time we headed back home today, she had undergone a total transformation, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. She sat up at the window watching the world go by and was not bothered by the fact that everything was infinitely smaller than she remembered it.

We accidently flew over a Military area, and were buzzed by an Air Force jet. Don't know what they had down there, but it was obviously something they didn't want us to see! Colin spotted some old cars in the middle of the desert, so Dave took a bearing on the site in case he wanted to return to check them out. He also flew us over the great Salt Lake. Hey guys...you'll be pleased to hear the lake is drying out nicely and should be perfect for speed week.

Have got heaps of photos of all of the above, but once again can't find a system here that I can download them on. Very frustrating. Will keep trying.