Snow In July!

Good Evening avid readers (yeah right, maybe one or two! LOL),

This is one of those crazy days...

I saw the snow up in the mountains yesterday evening as we approached Sheridan, WY on I-90, but never in my life I would have imagined to actually reach the top of those mountains and feel the iciness of that same snow in my hands.

We left the hotel in Sheridan this morning at about 10AM with the intention to find a nice bakery where to have something to eat and a coffee to drink. We didn't find one (also because Main Street was blocked for an antique car show), but we did manage to find a local supermarket where we purchased some pastries to have on the road. They were very good, although not as good as the ones we had yesterday!

The plan for the dat was to drive through the "Bighorn Mountains National Forest, and Scenic By-Way", and we did!

The road started to climb up the mountains as soon as we left Dayton, WY, a 25 something miles from the place where we spent the night.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful pine trees on the mountains in front of us, as if I were looking at a giant birthday cake with thousands of huge pine tree shaped candles.

The GPS tells me the altitude, a feature that I've used many times during this trip to have a much clearer understanding of where we were. Today's maximum altitude as we climbed up the mountains to stop at one of our "planned sights to see today" was 9,639 feet, which to me sounds pretty impressive, coming from Florida where the maximum height is the HOV lane on I-95 between Broward and Miami-Dade!

The scenic by-way we decided to drive today goes along "Route 14", that splits into 14 and 14A at Burgess Junction, and the rejoin at the base of the Big Horn National Forest some 5,000 feet down.

Route 14A is only recommended for cars because of its steepness and sharp curves, and that is basically the reason why we decided to go for it!

The road is really a gem, well maintained, with a beautiful scenery 360 degrees all around you.

One other reason why we decided for Route 14A is because of our first stop of the day.

I wanted to go visit the Medicine Wheel, a sacred place for the Indians, which is roughly 2 miles off route from 14A.

As far as I know, there are several different Medicine Weels throughout the country, but this one is supposed to be the most important, and it better be, considering the hike to get up there.

Visitors are warned about it, they have to leave the car at the Ranger outpost and walk on a 3 miles roundtrip trail that takes you up to the top of the mountain where the Medicine Wheel is located.

I was impressed at the quantity of snow that is still up there, and that is why I took so many pictures of it. To me, coming from an island where the last time it snowed was 1986 and I was six years old, well, it was pretty impressive to see it in July.

Don't get me wrong, we do get snow every winter, but I used to live very close to the Mediterranean, and therefore, seldom got the chance to see the snow in my early years.

The hike was a blessing, we breathed pure and fresh mountain air, and we also got the chance to do some exercise, which is always welcome!

We left the Medicine Wheel and the Bighorn National Forest to drive to our next destination which is also our overnight stop, Cody, WY!

Cody, WY is the city named after William Frederick Cody (primarily known as Buffalo Bill), for his participation in the creation of the original town. I wonder what is left of Cody, WY the way Buffalo Bill would have seen it with his eyes.

The city is now the main stop for those who are traveling to Yellowstone National Park, and you can actually realize that because of the ridiculously high prices of any Motel/Hotel around here.

We managed to find a nice one at a decent price that I feel I could certainly recommend to anybody; it's the Skyline Motel, that offers two queen beds, and a very clean room for $89 plus tax when all of the others were above the $140 mark.

Cody is also home of the "Irma Hotel" that Buffalo Bill himself opened naming it after his daughter Irma. The hotel is still open, and they also have a restaurant. It's located on Sheridan St., which is also Cody's Main Street.

We're definitely going out for dinner, and although we're not dining at the Irma Hotel (because it looks and sound more like an overpriced tourist trap, although I don't have any evidence whatsoever to say that), I'm sure we will be able to find a nice place where to have something decent to eat. I did my research on the Internet already and I found two nice places with raving reviews from locals and visitors, which is certainly a sign that we can't go wrong!

Happy post 4th of July greetings from the "Wild Wild West",

Nico