The Top of the World

After leaving Colorado, we were able to make it all the way to Cody, Wyoming by nightfall. I didn't take any pictures of Wyoming yesterday as there really wasn't anything we saw that was picture worthy. We chose to go to Cody, Wyoming because the last time we came to Wyoming we came with Chelsea and Cody and had a terrific time. We wanted to revisit a place that we had such fun with the kids. Upon our arrival, we quickly found a motel and headed for the Mexican restaurant that we went to years before with the kids. We had very good memories of our meal there, so we were sure that we would have a similar experience this time.

The name of the restaurant is Viva La Comida and it has tables located outside in front of the restaurant which enables customers to watch the traffic cruising up and down Main Street. Believe it or not, Cody is quite a happening town. It is a haven for motorcyclists and the night air is constantly pierced with the thundering sounds of Harley's. We both ordered margaritas and began taking in the nightlife of Cody. When dinner arrived we were disappointed to see that the quality of the food was not as we remembered it, but it was still lovely to sit outside and enjoy the goings on.

The next morning we arose early and I asked Dan to take me to the restaurant that served the best huevos rancheros that I've ever tasted. I've dreamed of these huevos, I've told anyone who would listen how great these huevos are, and now I had a chance to have them again. I noticed that I began to salivate well before our arrival at the restaurant. With great anticipation we entered the restaurant and were immediately seated. The waitress handed us our menus and I almost said, "don't bother because I already know what I want." But I didn't. Instead I looked on the menu, seeking to find the long awaited dish. First read through I didn't see them. Second read through I didn't see them. Third read through my heart began to sink. I said, "Dan I don't see the huevos on the menu!" He carefully looked over the menu and they were not there. They no longer include huevos rancheros on the menu. I figured that it is just as well. Considering our disappointing meal last night, maybe it is better to simply remember the best huevos ever, rather than experience the disappointment of yet another subpar meal.

Once breakfast was history we set out for Montana. We headed north out of Cody and began climbing the moutain range. Little did we know that we were going to experience one of the most beautiful drives of our lives! We decided that we would stop at all of the scenic turnoffs and read all of the historical signs. The first turnoff yielded us the following gorgeous view.

As we got out the car, we noticed a group of people bending down and holding their hands out to "something." As we walked closer we saw these tiny chipmunks eating out of people's hands. Dan ran back to the car to get our bag of sunflower seeds and bent down to see if the chipmunks would eat out of his hand.

The little creature did not hesitate for a single second. He even placed his little paws on Dan's fingers. There was no fear whatsoever.

We got back in the car and began our slow climb up the mountains. Each ascent up the mountain would end with a beautiful plateau, followed by yet another ascent.

Our next scentic turnoff provided us with the beauty of this roaring river and waterfall.

Another couple was nice enough to take our picture...together!

Just to give a sense of the size of this waterfall, about 1/4 of the way down this picture you will see a man on a rock taking a picture. He is dwarfed by the massive rocks.

This is the view of the river and waterfall as we walked up the tiny path to our car.

Here are more of the amazing vistas that we enjoyed on our drive to Montana.

Wyoming definitely went out with a bang rather than a wimper! Finally our continual climb up the mountain range reached its apex and we were greeted with this awe inspiring view.

You can see that there is still snow on the ground on the far left of this picture. It was quite windy and chilly up on top of the world. By the way, that is not my designation. There is a sign that says it is the top of the world.

A very nice couple from Georgia offered to take our pictures together and we immediately accepted. Even though this spot is called the top of the world, we continued to ascend for several more miles before we started our descent into Montana. Our first stop was Red Lodge, where we stopped for a sandwich at Subway's. We then headed out for Bozeman where we found a motel for the night. Dan and I agree that the drive from Cody, Wyoming to Red Lodge, Montana has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world.