OH MY GOD.
This was my first visit to Yellowstone. It is everything people say, and more. We are at the home of Margarita McLarty, someone I knew when I was maybe 7 years old in Los Angeles, who lives in Pray MT, half hour north of the park. She was a guide in Yellowstone and gave us the individualized custom tour for one day. It was great! We saw falls, rocks, SNOW omg it snowed here 2 weeks ago and there are huge drifts at the side of the road in many places, and wildlife: bison in the left lane as we were in the right lane (really, reach out and touch them), hawks, big horn sheep, a fox I think, elk, maybe a moose... it was fabulous....
so we are here with Margarita and Don in their fabulous new digs, 5 acres of wonderful stuff, with more tumbleweed that needs clearing. They have started planting fruit trees and lilacs, and as they clear land, find irises and columbine that had been covered.
The park is so wonderful. Then we drove north and stopped in a country store and asked where could we find a light dinner and went to Chico Hot Springs Resort, which is less than 8 miles from this house. It was meant to be.
Because of time constraints, Shelley will forego the horse ride she had planned, but there is no way to reach Rapid City SD if we leave in the afternoon.
Stuff we've listened to on CD so far: Avenue Q, Hairspray, Original Spin by Hookslide, a fabulous local (Bay Area) a cappella men's quartet, The Best of the Mamas and Papas (great driving music), The Stingers (latin jazz), and today, Debbie Friedman's "It's You," which I hadn't heard in years. And yes it makes me cry. It was poignant 9 years ago and still is today.
So we are off to sleep after sharing california apricots with Margarita and Don. What a treat for everyone. Tomorrow will be a long driving day again I think. With a stop at Sierra Trading Post in Cody WY after a tack shop in Livingston MT.
It's all part of the adventure.
