Swimming along in the Wyoming Heat

Aha! We have resurfaced after 6 days in Yellowstone National Park and 2 days in Bighorn Canyon. Reception has been scarce of course so it feels strange to actually be interacting with the technology grid once more. We're stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming and taking advantage of some free WiFi offered at their visitor center. I'm using this opportunity to offer some updates, clear my e-mail, and transfer all the massive amount of pictures we took the park! I'm thinking I may need to utilize my flicker account to deal with all the pictures instead of just trying to post them haphazardly here or on facebook.

Yellowstone National Park was a blast and I can see why it remains one of the most visited places in the United States. There is so much to see and so many trails leading to amazing beautiful places. Actually, I was shocked at how little we actually hiked. All of the major attractions are right off the main roads with lots of parking and very comprehensive facilities throughout the park. Actually, the main attractions are so accessible that there is absolutely no reason that ANYONE should not be able to enjoy the park and all it has to offer. Many roads are paved, wheelchair accessible, and I was impressed with the wide variety of accommodations made available. We saw two bears, countless bison, and less elk than I thought we would. The weather was perfect in the 70's and 80's with a lot of breeze which made the heat bearable. It even rained one day which was a relief and cooled things off considerably. It also didn't stick around too long so it worked out! The geysers were amazing and interesting in their wide variety but by the end I was a little geysered out. You can only take so much sulphur and billowing heat.

Bighorn Canyon National Park turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, a far cry from the crowds of people we experienced at Yellowstone. Bighorn has its own beauty however with rust red cliffsides and geological structures that were very beautiful. There was also a lake to swim in, however, it was also swarming with BUGS. I mean, LOTS and LOTS of bugs! Most were fine and of the grasshopper/locust family but there were some scary spiders and Jurassic park sized mosquitoes to contend with. Our natural oil bug spray held up really well though and we'll be needing a restock on that pronto. Bighorn was extremely hot and very windy in the evenings. It also offered utility hookups at a steal of a deal which we took advantage of to watch movies and.... drumroll please.... I FINISHED A NOVEL! As in, I succeeded in writing the remainder of a novel I have been laboring over for some time now. Whitney also worked a lot on her novel and together we were quite the writing pair! It was quiet solitude and just what the doctor ordered.

Well, my butt is numb and my stomach is growling so off I go!