20070710 Teusday
At Yellowstone NP (Fishing Bridge RV Park)
Partly cloudy, cool

Turned the heat on last night and slept better. Low this AM was around 50*F.

We decided to travel 80 miles east to Cody, Wyoming, and visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Museum (BBHM, henceforth) there. We visited it in 2001, but they have added a wing and some exhibits.

We headed east on US14, US16, and US20 (all the same road) over Sylvan Pass (8600'). From there to the park entrance, some 15 miles, the road is being totally redone (which it needed). We had a short construction delay; then the pilot car lead us through all the big working machines to the other end. From there to Cody is a fine road down the North Shoshone River and Buffalo Bill Dam/Reservoir (he actually inspired it). After the dam, you follow the rugged canyon east, then pop out onto a plain and there's Cody. The truck got finicky again and refused to go into overdrive all the way there.

The new wing (Draper Museum of Natural History - DMNH, henceforth) is a wonderful portrayal of life in the western states. It gets a bit preachy at times, but that's understandable). We took some pictures, but mostly wandered around marveling at the exhibits. One was a beaver hut above a glass floor, with the beaver entering below the glass. There was another walk-on glass floor with a prairie dog colony beneath it.

Afterward, we wandered through the current art exhibit in the DMNH hall. I don't remember the photo and oil artist's name six hours later, showing I wasn't too interested. The exhibit was more a memorial of his life than a history of his work.

We toured the Western Art Museum part of the BBHM, mainly to get a preview of Charles Russell's work, since we'll be in his working home town soon (Great Falls, MT). I like his work. He certainly was versatile, working in several media, including sculpture and oil painting.

We had lunch at the Cody Coffee Company, as recommended by a BBHM worker. It turned out to be a nice little shop with great sandwiches as well as a specialty coffee place. I had a nice hot sandwich of panini bread, ham, cheddar, black olives and Italian tomotoes that was very nice. D went with an omelet-on-muffin of egg, cheese & Italian sausage she thought was very good. Some of these little local places are outstanding - much better than chain stores.

Off then to get a few grocery items and then out of town back up the hill.

The truck came out of its funk and ran in overdrive very nicely. The dang thing reminds me at times of the robot on the Heart Of Gold spaceship in Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If it were animate, I'd kick it. 

We got to the park and into the construction area. This time, we had to wait twenty minutes for the next pilot car. Up through the big machines grinding away at about 25mph, then onto the decent park road at the pass, and down into Fishing Bridge RV Park. 

We'll have a light dinner, then start packing for the trip to Great Falls tomorrow.