Out of Yellowstone!

July 5. An hour from Gillette, Wy where we hope to have the brakes looked over. We are noisy, most likely fulfilling people's preconceived notions of Vanagons. We stopped for grub in Cody, where the whole world seems to come play for the Fourth before pushing into the Big Horn Mountains. It was beautiful!!! Open areas awash in purple lupine with splashes of yellow, a moose siting necessitating a stop with the binocs, and a drop in temperature. After Cody we assumed our personal swamp coolers, tying a kerchief soaked in cooler water around our necks. Sweaty Butt Betty Bus had been living up to her name!!!

Through the Big Horns we inadvertently discovered the kids threshold with out mind numbing electronics. Squeals of delight and laughter mingled with screams of pain and tattle taling which we successfully ignored for the most part. As we came into Buffalo, the heat hit us as the kids starting spitting at each other, signaling their three hour limit of being in the car. The pen, over which they had been fighting had appeared to be their source of tattoos, of which Ruby had one sleeve and two leggings. We cross the Powder River, let'er buck!, spy our first Wall Drug sign, and barrel toward Gillette, one step closer to Devil's Tower, showers, and a pool!! Outta Gillette, after warning the teen age Qdoba worker bees that I would be sharing a form of birth control with them due to Ruby's awful behavior. I assured them I wouldn't charge them as a clinic or drugstore would. She mellowed a bit, I got an update on the World Cup and waited for the Big O verdict. Just as I was readying to leave, Rich showed up with a clean bill of health for the brakes and the new knowledge that a shock had been hanging by a thread. So off we go again--headed toward our destination and days away from air conditioning. Hopefully!