Friday Into Cody Wyoming

"You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll get to Cody before ye"
3 Roads to take to Cody--Thus began The Great Debate! We poured over maps, we talked to everyone we ran into, we measured, we added miles, etc. etc. etc...the decision was made, and we'll never know if it was the right one or not, but it was Ours!
The Big Horn mountains were named by the Indians because of the plentiful Big Horn Sheep. Didn't see one! Lots and lots of antelope though, so now they are a bit boring! Before we started our climb into the Big Horns, Wyoming is big rolling, grass covered hills. Several homes, garages, and/or sheds are built partially into the hills, I guess for insulation or protection from snow. We are seeing many "high snow" markers here and there. Also seeing lots of sage brush, low, brushy plants, greenish-gray in color. Not really very attractive. We could get our first glimpse of the mountains. I will post a pict. but I am sure it, as usual, will not do it justice.
I guess I know very little about the Indian wars, treaties made and broken, forts, etc. We stopped at several Historical Markers today showing where battles had taken place, the calvary was slaughtered, or a band of Indians were slaughtered, or forts were built to protect the emigrants. Must have been a brutal time to live around here, for the white man, and for the Indians.
We knew we were going high today, one pass was shown to be 9,000 + feet high. But we had no idea about the road condition or the grade percentage. And what a surprise it was! The first sign that showed us the grade was 10%. For those of you who have no idea--that is pretty darn STEEP! Not counting the twists and turns! (sorry Mom, hope this doesn't scare you!) Phil couldn't get in a low enough gear (there's no lower than first ;-)to keep the engine from over revving. That was bad enough, now throw in ROAD CONSTRUCTION. and they mean construction, not repair. The road was gone--just dirt, no side rails, no stripes and we were slow. They are putting in a whole new road. I don't understand why they didn't leave the old one until the new one was finished. Anyway--we made it, and I got in my cardio exercise for the day! ;-) get it? heart pumping fast? We did see some beautiful views, but could not pull over to take many pictures today. The state did have some markers dating the strata in the rock, some as old as 2.5 billion years. Very interesting.
We skipped seeing the Medicine Wheel, a rock structure laid out on a mountain. It is a mystery as to who put it there and why, but is considered sacred by the Indians. We just couldn't handle the gravel road while pulling the trailer.
So, a short entry for tonight. Phil and I are getting very good at setting up and tearing down. He has his responsibilities and I have mine. Of course I think I do much more than he does! ;-) I am weary each night when I lay down, but feel rejuvenated when I wake up, ready to go again. Looking forward to tomorrow. We are supposed to go to a fabulous museum and probably more...
So, goodnight from the McCamp, where the women are getting ready to fix nachos for supper, the men are finishing up "Lonesome Dove"-2nd half, and the children are preparing for an extra long Labor Day weekend.