On a very mild and beautiful winter day a couple of weeks ago LC and I decided to take one of our regular trips out to the North Fork (the north fork of the Shoshone River, that takes you into one section of the Shoshone National Forest and that eventually leads - 50 miles away - to the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park).
While LC was still finishing up a cup of coffee and taking his time to fully wake up, I hooked my dog to her leash and eagerly headed outside for a walk.
It was too nice to stay indoors.
She needed to walk and so did I.
The plan was to wander with Kory on a quiet Sunday morning for about 45 minutes, and then meet up with LC at the Irma Hotel.
We would eat brunch together before heading out.
Sunshine, a walk, brunch at an historic motel, a drive out the North Fork.
Sounded to me like a fine way to spend a winter day...................
I can't even begin to remember how many times it has snowed and then melted away this year.
We have almost no snow right now, but on this day we were in full on "white winter mode".
The snow was deep and beautiful, the sky was blue and beautiful, and as we walked I watched Kory striding with head held high and tail wagging.
"Just happy to be here, Momma".
As we passed by "my" coveted, old brick Forestry Service building, I slowed to snap a couple of quick pictures...............
And a few random pictures close to the Irma Hotel.
Next door to the Irma is a small touristy booth that is closed and shuttered at this time of year, but during the summer it is a bustling, tourism driven place.
Tourists can book raft trips here.
They can buy tickets for trolley rides around the city.
They can book guided trips out to see the wild horses.
And immediately in front of the booth and the hotel, every night during the summer, you can line the street and watch a gun fight play out in the middle of the closed road.
LC and I sat on the curb (along with hundreds of other people) and caught up with the gun fight one evening the last time we were here in Cody.
Portable structures are placed along the street (each with minimal decoration and accents that helps to identify "Jail" or "Saloon" or "Dry Goods Store").
Costumed cowboys and deputies and bar girls and store owners of barely acceptable acting ability play out a storyline that inevitably entails good guys and bad guys and a shoot out and the good guy ending up with the girl.
It's an entirely hokey affair but it is free, and one of many reasons why summer is such an extraordinary season in Cody, WY.
It's all good clean fun and as hokey as it is, both LC and I look forward to seeing those lame shootouts again in a few months.................
Not exactly certain what this sign is all about but if I could hazard a guess I would say that it was a nod to a story that came out a year or two ago.
The story was related to comments that tourists had left during their visits to Yellowstone.
The comments that garnered the most attention were from those visitors who asked what time park employees "let the bears out".
These visitors had a finite amount of time to visit the park and wanted to know where they should go and at what time, to ensure that they experienced a bear sighting.
A head scratching question to be sure.
To put it gently..................
An hour after catching up with LC at the Irma Hotel, we all three were on our way out to the North Fork.
The roads were icy and we drove cautiously - heading away from Cody, driving through the tunnels that lead to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, driving through the isolated community of Wapiti until finally arriving in the Shoshone National Forest.
The forest can only be described as magical.
Filled with wild life, ancient rock formations, alpine mountains and trees, this entire region follows the Shoshone River.
At this time of the year the East Gate of the park is closed, and so is the road to vehicle traffic for the last five miles leading up to the gate.
No matter.
We were on our way and excited (as always) to be embedded in natural wonder.
On the left side of this picture (below) you can see part of the iced over and snow covered reservoir.................
They blended so well with the terrain that we almost blew right by them.
A large herd of big horn sheep.
These would be the first of many large and small herds that we found on this day.
With a quick look in the rear view mirror, LC stopped the truck in the middle of the frozen two lane highway, and then back the truck up so that he could pull in at a wide spot along the side of the road.
Excited to see them I slowly climbed out of the truck and then quietly closed the vehicle door so as to not disturb them.
It took only a minute to realize that every sheep in the herd was intently focused on pawing through the snow to find food...............
Quietly walking a wide and distant perimeter I power snapped pictures, zooming in and out as I went.
They were beautiful.
They were all completely focused on pawing at the ground. Eating whatever they could find even this early in what will predictably be a long winter.
But all of them looked well fed and healthy, and that was good to see.
I know how tough last winter was in Idaho, and where I was now standing and watching the sheep was less than 300 miles from where we called home.
Winter was tough in Idaho last winter, and people are still talking about how tough it was here in Cody.
I couldn't even imagine how tough last winter must have been for the wild life in the area.
No matter - these guys all seemed to be holding up just fine.
So far this winter was much easier than last..............
We had been out to the North Fork just a few weeks previous to this visit.
At that time it was all about mating, and the males were extremely focused.
A few weeks later it was all about food...............
We spent a long time watching this one herd.
This was a strong and healthy herd.
Not long after seeing these guys we would learn that there was some wild life in the forest that was not doing as well.................
No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have,
loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.........Paul Oxton
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