Further adventures around Yellowstone

We did a nice side trip today to Virginia City, once territorial capitol of Montana. Along the way we saw Quake Lake, Ennis, Idaho, a creepy survivalist fortress, a disguised cell tower, Beaver Ponds, snow and a golden eagle. Let's break this down...

A huge storm had been predicted. We didn't get the snowfall they thought we would, but the mountains got a beautiful coating.

The drive took us by Quake Lake, where a 1959 earthquake, followed immediately by a landslide and then a flood, created a lake over the course of a few days. Many people were killed, and very quickly. The lake and surrounding area remain an eerie landscape.

Can you find the cell phone tower in this picture?

We dropped into a wide river valley along yet another lovely trout stream. Sporadic houses could be seen on the bluff over the river -- some of them with ranch names out front. My favorite was the one named simply "Fort." An overturned car in the driveway said "no trespassing." Vehicles and junk filled the yard. The house and other buildings were surrounded by a fort-like fence with barricades at the openings.

Other houses were more picturesque, including one that had the best cell phone tower I have ever seen.

Thinking of our grandson!

We thought of our grandson





Virginia City was very quaint, with all its original buildings from the gold rush days of 1862. But it was completely shut down for the season. Meaning I couldn't find a bathroom. We did find bathrooms in the City Hall, and got examined carefully by the sheriff while we were at it. Which is funny, because the town was eventually protected by vigilantes who rid the town of the bad, corrupt guys -- including the sheriff.

In Ennis, we stopped for treats. Jan claims to have had the best cinnamon roll in the Rockies at the Ennis Cafe



On the way back we drove through IDAHO for a few miles. So I can tick that state off my bucket list, along with Montana. Sweet!









Since the park had not, in fact, gotten shut down due to snow, we headed back into the park in the afternoon to see the Final leg of the Grand Loop. We saw, walked through and photographed a Gibbon waterfall and more Geothermal features at Norris Geyser Basin  and Artists Paintpots.

As we were winding down our trip, we happened into a picnic area. And what did we find? Cousin Curt building a bridge. So in case there are any questions out there about the veracity of his claims to work in the park, we can verify that he does in fact do so.

 After a good soak in the hotel hot tub, we finished the day by having  dinner at the Beartooth BBQ with Cheryl and Curt, who was now out of his park employee gear, but without a coat. Ask Cheryl. Better yet, ask Cheryl about the time she strapped on cross country skis and harnessed up her dog. And then the dog saw a squirrel.

Let's just say we had some good laughs. And that we are delighted to have gotten reconnected. Many thanks to them both for all the great travel and route tips!