Day 29 Eagle RV Campground Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Legend Rock Petroglyphs, Hot Springs State Park, Thermal Pool State Bath House, Thermopolis, Wyoming

Captain’s Blog

Wednesday

July 1, 2009

Camp Site

                                                     

Today was no different then any other day- filled with activity and no time to rest. First up was a tour of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center a 16,000 square foot museum with more then 30 full skeletal mounts and hundreds of fossils on display. It was amazing to walk through the museum and see the fossils that have been discovered from here and all over the world.

Wyoming has been the hot spot for finding dinosaur remains since the 1993 discovery in the hills overlooking Thermopolis. The Center is world-renowned and houses the only Archaeopteryx in North America. (Don’t know what that is but it is a real find)). There is a skeleton of the second known example of Supersaurus vivianae,  a 106-ft long dinosaur that weighed an estimated 40 tons and took over a year to reconstruct. “Jimbo” may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Wyoming. The body parts found so far include a rib that is 9.5 feet in length. This guy was really BIG!!!!! The burial of Jimbo tells a tale of severe drought, fire and high energy mud flows.

It was very interesting to tour the museum and learn about the Jurassic creatures that roamed the earth but the dig site was even better.

 

We were brought to an active excavation site by bus and were intrigued by the many bones of dinosaurs buried in the hillside. The dig has been going on since 1994 and is expected to take at least 400 years to complete. How fortunate are we to have been able to come here and see history in the making.

Later in the afternoon we decided to head out to Legend Rock Petroglyphs.    We had to go to the visitor center in town to get the key to unlock the gate to Legend Rock. A gate has been installed to keep out the vandals that have been defacing the petroglyphs.  

 

The ride to Legend Rock was very long – approximately 30 miles one - way. I’m not sure why but when there is nothing but miles and miles of vast openness as far as the eye can see it seems to take longer to get to your destination. First we drove a two- lane highway, then a two-way dirt road, then a one-lane dirt road then finally our destination. But not before we saw what looked like pyramids in the distance. We thought – WOW- we either drove all the way to Egypt or we can see all the way to Egypt. Actually the Pyramids turned out to be pyramid structures of tar.

We unlocked the gate as instructed then locked it behind us. We were alone- very alone with no other human around for miles. There were warnings about rattlesnakes and keeping on the trail so we complied. The trip was worth it in spades. The Petroglyphs were the clearest, easiest to find and the most spectacular we have ever been lucky enough to see. It was hard to believe how well preserved they were and we didn’t even mind the two mile round trip walk in the blaring heat.

The ride back to the MH didn’t seem as long as the ride out. Ron wanted to partake in a dip in the mineral springs community pool but I was a little reluctant to put a bathing suit on and venture out in public. The town has a public bathhouse that houses both an indoor and outdoor hot springs pool. They allow 20 minute of free time in the pool. Free is always good so instead of going to the private pools we  took advantage of the state pool and soaked for the twenty minutes allowed. The water was around 105 degrees and was very relaxing. (Yes, I poured my sausage body into my bathing suit, threw caution to the wind and took the plunge). It was a great end to a hectic day.

Day 28 Eagle RV CG, Hot Springs State Park Thermopolis, Wyoming

Captain’s Blog
Tuesday
Eagle RV Campground, Hot Springs State Park
Thermopolis, Wyoming
June 30, 2009
Day 28

While I was preparing the inside of the MH for the trip to Thermopolis Ron was doing his usual outside preparation. The MH started to rock back and forth and for a few moments I thought Ron was being a brat and shaking the MH. When I looked out the window and was ready to tell him to knock it off I noticed very large white caps on the reservoir. The rocking was being caused by a strong wind coming in over the mountains. The skies were turning black and you could see the storm over Beartooth Mountain looking pretty nasty. We decided to wait out the storm because they are usually fast moving and short-lived.

Within the hour we were on the road to Thermopolis and arrived around Noon.
The campground was crowded and there was no great view like that at Buffalo Bill State Park. On the bright side, we had full hook-ups and could get caught up on cleaning and laundry.

A little later we were getting ready to visit Hot Springs State Park when another camper stopped by for a visit. He had been everywhere had done everything and knew everywhere we should go from here. He claims he has thirty-five rentals and collects $70,000 per month but teaches part-time to make the money to take his trips. He also has many relatives who are wealthy, has seven cousins – all West Point graduates and generals or colonels or something. I think we have a big sign on the front of the MH – come tell us your life story and how rich you are. He talked for a very long time and finally left but not before telling us we have to stop by his MH for more info.

Just a note on that motorcycle accident I talked about earlier that happened in Cody. The day we drove through Cody on the way to the campground we were slowed by a motorcycle in front of us, moving at 15 MPH. It was a royal blue motorcycle with the driver looking around and acting a little strange. Ron stayed behind him for about one mile then decided he should pass this guy. We didn’t think anything much about it except that we got the sensation that the guy was either looking for something or was just looking at something for the last time. Both Ron and I were able to get a good look at the man riding the bike and he looked very sad. Later, after settling in at the campground we drove back into town and that was when we saw the bike embedded in the mountain and we both commented that it was the same color as the guy’s bike that we passed and wondered if he had been him. When we read the local newspaper there was a picture of the man that was killed and it was the same man we passed. There would have been no reason for him to hit the mountain- no skid marks and a four lane road with plenty of room to maneuver. It kind of spooked us out and we were glad we did pass him and not have been witness to the crash or what we believe was a suicide.

Daniel “Danny” Paul Schaffer

http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/2009/07/01/obituaries/doc4a4bc427e8ff8991792853.txt

Ok, so now back to the happy stuff. We went to Hot Springs State Park and enjoyed the trails around the park. Hot Springs Sate Park lies within the town of Thermopolis that sits in the foothills of the Owl Creek Mountains and rests beside the Big Horn River. It is a small town where the elevation is higher then its population. The town is known for being home to the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Spring.

The land on which the hot spring is located is Reservation land that was sold to the U.S. by the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes so that the healing water of the Big Horn Hot Springs would be available to all people. Scalding water flows out of the turquoise Big Spring In Hot Spring State Park and into cooling ponds. The mineral-laden spring issues 3.6 million gallons of water per day. It is said that the terraced formations over which the water flows are comparable to the wonders of Yellowstone. The terraces were quite beautiful but I’ll let you know how they compare with Yellowstone.

There are two water parks with enormous slides and you can enjoy the warm mineral pools for a mere ten dollars per day. There is a suspensions bridge across the cooling ponds that was once used as access for people to cross to get to the hospital. Jewel was not happy about crossing that bridge and dug in her four paws. I had to pick her up to get her on the bridge. The mineral deposits that make up the terraces were beautiful and the heat emitting from the ponds was intense but the sulpher smell was overwhelming at times. We ended the day walking through the park enjoying the beautiful grounds.

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Day 27 Buffalo Bill State CG Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody Wyoming Shoot-out at the Irma Hotel

Monday
Cody, Wyoming

June 29, 2009

Last night was quiet and dark with the stars bright in the sky because of minimal ambient light. We had another great night’s sleep.

CAMP SITE

We planned a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody.

The center is often referred to as the “Smithsonian of the West.” The center houses the largest collection of firearms in the world. More guns then I cared

to see since I hate guns of any kind.

The classic western art was phenomenal and the exhibits for Buffalo Bill, the Plains Indians and Yellowstone unparalleled. There was a photography exhibit that caught our eye and we were in awe of the clarity and colors in the photographs. They looked more like paintings then photos however, we learned that all the photos had been digitally enhanced to improve depth, clarity and color so I guess we were right.

Many of the vignettes within the museum included stagecoaches that incidentally were manufactured in Concord, NH.

We attended a program with a folk singer and poet that was entertaining and unique.
Then it was on to the outdoor garden with magnificent sculptures.

“Buffalo Bill,” William F. Cody was probably the most famous American in the world during his lifetime. He had been involved in many events that shaped the American West. His Buffalo Bill Wild West Show beginning in 1933 was a world famous show that toured the U.S. and Europe for 30 years.

In addition to founding the town of Cody in 1895 he established his ranch south of town and in 1902 built the Irma Hotel which he called, “just the swellest hotel that ever was.” The Irma Hotel is listed on the National register of Historic Places by the National park Service.

Our next stop was the WWII Heart Mountain Relocation Camp 15 miles outside of Cody.

They are constructing a huge visitor center / museum to resemble the old barracks. It is not complete yet.

Several empty buildings and the hospital chimney spire rising in the sky are the few visible reminders of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, once the third largest community in Wyoming housing 10,767 Japanese-American detainees.

At the height of WWII in 1942 about 120,000 Japanese – American citizens were removed from their West Coast homes and placed in ten interment camps around the country. The national security measure, established for the supposed “protection” of Japanese-Americans, has since been criticized as an overreaction by the U.S. government. In the mid-1980’s the Congress awarded compensation to internees and their families who lost property and businesses as a result of internment.

In 1986 a memorial was established at the camp to honor its residents who died while fighting for the Allies during the war. The 442nd Japanese-American Regimental Combat Team was one of the most highly decorated of the war.

The two remaining buildings on the site are the barracks that housed the families. The foundations of many other buildings and barracks are visible. The camp reminded us of the old Paul Dever grounds in Taunton. When walking through the area it made us take pause to think that American citizens were essentially taken prisoner in their own country against their will and were forced to live in less then favorable conditions. It certainly was and is contradictory to what our Armed Forces are trying to do around the world – bring down dictatorships’ and help the citizens of those countries gain the right to freedom.

On our way back to the campground we decided to take in the “Shootout” at the Irma Hotel scheduled for 6 PM. The street adjacent to the hotel was closed off and there were many people gathered to watch the show. The premise of the show was cute but trying not to sound mean or anything the acting left a lot to be desired. We stayed to see the entire skit but it is not something we would recommend.