Weekend in Wyoming

We spent last weekend in Cody and Powell, Wyoming, as I have mentioned before. We drove down to Cody in the afternoon and set up camp around 5pm. After that, we had a picnic at the park and got ready to watch Igor and the Red Elvises: Your Favorite Band. The show was great fun! Heidi and James chose ring pops for their dessert after the picnic...
...they like playing Wonder Twins.
Heidi loved rockin' with the Red Elvises.
Igor

Igor, Milka, and Oleg--Dig that bass

Addie and I were kind of wiped out from getting the house clean and packing up to go camping, so we just chilled on the grass.

Addie & Igor

James, Heidi, Oleg-on-bass, and Addie after the show

The tour van

After the show when it got dark, we wanted to go see a hot air balloon festival"glow" party at the park in the dark, but the wind came up and the balloons couldn't launch. So we went to visit Aunt Debbie at her hotel instead (the Holm family was in Cody for a family reunion at the same time we were there). Then we went to bed in the tent trailer and slept pretty soundly, even when the biker gang camping next to us got up and left early.

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Richard got up early and cooked us a yummy camping breakfast. After breakfast, we got dressed and went to Tecumseh's Trading Post to see the miniature museum of the West.

Heidi was excited to see this elephant.

The miniature museum was amazing and so fun to look at. It had audio narration with stories of the western migration, including Indian battles, gold strikes, etc. To give you some sense of the size of it, I am off to the right in this picture in the pink shirt--it's huge!)

There were two little running trains in the display, which James loved, of course. This is a model of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in Cody back in the day.

They even had a piper in the Wild West Show!

After the museum, Daddy took us to lunch at Bubba's BBQ, which was a yummy, local version of Famous Dave's. I just had a BLT, but I tasted the baked beans, cole slaw, appetizers, Addie's ribs and and Rich's BBQ beef sandwich and they were all delicious. Thanks, Daddy!

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After lunch, we drove to Powell for the main event--Lacey Gilmore Huhnke's wedding reception. But first, we spent a few hours at the Powell Aquatic Center. Yes, this town of 5K people has a nicer pool that most cities I've visited, probably thanks to Wyoming oil money. Anyway, there is a lap pool and everything, but also a little beach/splash pad, a lazy river, a whirlpool, etc. and a kiddie pool outside. The kicker is that admission is the same as for our ghetto-rific city pool in Livingston (which is just that--one small pool). *Sigh* It's okay--this is the price of no sales taxes in MT. Anyway, on to the reception. Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

This is Sean, brother of the bride. He recently returned from a mission in Argentina-Buenos Aires West (same mish as cousin Brent). I love this boy--he makes me wish I had a 20-year-old daughter for him to marry. But I digress...

These two darlings, Ebin and Rhiannon, are Chris Huhnke's children from a previous relationship. They are super lucky cuz they now have a fun stepmom and wonderful step-grandparents.

The Gilmore Family--Mike, Page, Lacey, Rhiannon, Chris and Ebin, and Sean. Mike and Page are two of our dearest friends.

Lacey and her matron of honor, Kim. Remember Kim?

The kids' favorite feature: The Candy Bar!
Me, James, Addie, and Heidi enjoying the candy bar.

Heidi and Ebin were happy to be reunited after their "first date" at Kim's wedding reception.

Heidi loved holding baby, Kailee (she's Kim's niece).

Two Cuties: Sean and Chelsie went to high school together here in Livingston (Chelsie was my favorite beehive at one point)--they are both adorable and they are both BYU students now--Sean at Provo and Chelsea at Rexburg.

Heidi and Ebin figure out how to dance together.

Lacey dancing with her dad...love this pic!

Me dancing with my boy, James

Addie dancing with Rich.

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We went to bed super late on Saturday after the reception, then broke camp on Sunday morning. We drove home through Yellowstone Park. I had never--in my zillion visits to Yellowstone--driven in from the east entrance. It was beautiful. The Cody part looked just like Arizona to me.

Look at those cool rocks.

Here's our rig--the Lexus pulling the camper on our way into Yellowstone.

It was a beautiful drive--dry and deserty at first, then a climb through grasslands, then a little rain storm as we entered the park amongst the pine trees. Around a few curves, we got to the east shores of Yellowstone lake--another first--so beautiful. We got stuck in a buffalo jam shortly thereafter, in which we drove about 3 miles in an hour (slower than I walk). I counted about 600 buffalo from my window and estimated we had passed about 2K in the jam. It was pretty cool. I felt pretty sick, so when we got home, I unloaded a bit, took a shower, and then went to bed, I fell asleep just after 6pm with every intention of getting up again, but I didn't. I slept like the dead until 6:30am. Good weekend!