Thursday 24th August 2017

Our last day in the mountains, and our last day before we begin the long journey back, at first to Loveland, then to Denver and finally, home. For the morning we had a trip in an ATV booked, not sure really where we would be goj, but it was sure to be fun. And dusty.

We were up and walking to the lodge for eight, saying hello, and then goodbye to the friends me made the night before, as they were all leaving that morning.

Outside it was cloudy, but there was always the confidence that the sun would burn the cloud off meaning more butterfly chasing after lunch once we were back from the trip. We had forms to fill in, waivers for this and that, but with all them filled out, we were waiting outside the lodge for Matt at nine.

After a quick explanation of the controls, we were set to go, following in Matt’s dsty wheel tracks out of the yard and up the service road, before turning right and beginning the climb. I had the honour of driving the first leg, but after 20 minutes let Jools take over as we climbed ever upwards, round hairpin bends until the land opened out, and it felt like we were on the roof of the world. All around were subalpine plants, most having gone over already, but some, tall and robust (and to be identified later).

Sometimes the track was flat and dusty, sometimes it bumpy and rocky, but never dull.

We went down into a valley, where hundreds of feet below there was a bend in a stream and a good area to stop for a break, drinks and snacks. Here, like along the top of the hills, the air was full of butterflies, the usual ones seen down near the lodge, but in huge numbers. We drink from bottles of water, as although there is water all around, sometimes it gets tainted if cattle use it for a toilet, so until there is a known clean source, bottles are drunk from.

Back up the side of the hill, then taking a little used track to the corner of the park where it borders Montana and the Crow Nation have their lands. There was just a fence, nothing more to mark the border. So we look at it then turn for home.

Away in the east, dark clouds had begun to form, and rumbles of thunder could be heard. This brought with it the promise of rain for the lodge, but our pans for butterflying would be scrapped. But first we had to outrun the storm.

Once back on the main track, we could make good time, if on occasion it meant the vehicle took to the air if I hadn’t had time to slow down and we hit a rock or pothole. Rain began to fall, then hail, and we redoubled our efforts to get back home, as dry as we could.

Down in the valley where the lodge lay, sunshine still shone, but that would change quickly. We come off the mountain, through a trailer park, cross the main road and were back. Just in time for lunch.

Veggie burger again from me, and it is surprising how much 5 hours ATVing can fire up an appetite.

Afterwards, we wait for the much promised storm, some more hailstones fell, and that’s about it. By the time I had had a shower to wash the sand and grit out of my heair, the sun was shining again outside, so I went back on butterfly patrol.

Why, you ask. Well, yesterday, Jools snapped, for the second time, a large brown butterfly, with its trailing edge like a tortoiseshell back home. I saw it once but did not get a shot, so this is what I wanted. Anyway, an hour or more I patrolled the flower meadow opposite the cabin, and I saw just about every kind of butterfly except the one I wanted.

I give up at half four, and as Jools said she wanted to go back to Big Horn Canyon to redo some shots, that’s what we did. We had two and a half hours before dinner, and it would take an hour each way to get there. But then we have a Mustang….

Back onto the main road, then down Alt US 14 towards Lovell, soon coming to the huge hill down; 14 miles and an average grade of 10%, it was a blast, along with the views out on the plain below. Down we went, round corners we went, getting lower and the temperatures getting higher. It was 15 degrees at the cabin, and 31 on the plain. All in 5,000 feet.

From there is a was a quick run nearly into town, then a sharp right, past the sugar beet factor, the oil fields and the checmical factory, before the land rises, and glimspes of the river can be seen on the right. All of a sudden we are in a wild west landscape, bright red soil, green shrub.

At The gorge Jools gets her shots and I snap passing vultures, as you do.

Back down the gorge again, and on the road to Horseshoe Bend there are some fabulous bright red rocky outcrops, that looked stunning in the evening sunshine. We go down, bot get shots, thurn round ready for the return trip.

On the causeway over the lake, we could see dozens of white pelecans just floating about. I mean, pelicans!

The the road begins to climb, at frst along two massive straight stretches of road, a couple of gentle turns at first, but if you look up the mountains you can see the road, hundreds, thousands of feet about.

Then the climbing begins, and the corners, and all with cheer drops to the right hand saide, the palin looking like the surface of Mars in the evening sunshine, all red and undulating.

Halfway up the road goes through a gap in the rocks and the plain is lost from view, but there are six more miles of climbing to go, and all the while it is getting cooler.

We turn off to the lodge, it is twenty to seven, we have loads of time, and as we pass the dining room we can see people already with their meals eating away. We park the car, grab a beet and take them to the dining hall, claim our regular table, and wait for the queue to die down.

It lasagne and salad, and there are generous proportions. While outside a couple of deer just saunter pass, making the new arrivals stop and stare. Over in the meadow beyond, two adult moose forrage for dinner, which once I am back at the cabin allows me to get out the big lens and get some shots.

And that is it, we are making plans for the six hour drive tomorrow; where to stop for lunch and maybe take in the city of Casper. We shall see. We have all day, with just a bed waiting for us in the wonderfully named town of Loveland, Colorado.

Wednesday 23rd August 2017

We heard nothing through the night, despite our fears of strange animal calls me might hear. It was light when I opened my eyes, and my new watch tome me it was ten to seven. Jools woke up half an hour later, meaning that we would be right on time for breakfast in the lodge.

Squirrels and chipmunks were already out, on feeders and clearing up food left on the floor. I could say it was coffee were were looking for, but to be honest, most of the coffee we have had on the trip has been awful, either too weak or too stewed. Here it was acceptable, acceptable enough to have a refill anyway. There was cereal, fruit and pancakes and sausage patties. All smothered in maple syrup. Yummy. Not that healthy though.

Leading out from the lodge and round the meadow was an old ATV track, so we decided to follow that in a ramble to see where the track lead. It did mean having to clamber through the fence, or use the dangerous looking gate thing. With my track record, it was safer to climb through the fence.

Up amway to the tree line, seeing the same butterflies as yesterday, but some of the fritillaries were so bright, even though I had shots of them, I took more, because.

I also got shots of the ones that look like Clouded Yellows and Brimstones, as well as a Checkered Skipper, or whatever their American cousins are called.

The trees were pines, and busy with wildlife. Even if we could not see them, we could hear their calls and warnings. All told, I think I saw three species of Fritillary, a Comma, an American Lady, 3 species of Whites, two Skippers (at least) and three Blues. On top of that, chipmunks, 2 species of squirrels and I even saw a porcupine. Amazing, i just caught sight of it as it crossed the path.

The track came to a large clearing, which dropped away to a valley on the far side, but it was alive with butterflies, the same as we had seen thus far, but still, well worth chasing round with the camera trying to get yet more shots

After an hour, we turn back for the cabin, seeing more wildlife, flowers and insects. It was nearly twelve by the time we got back, and we had done just enough phy to deserve some lunch.

Veggie burger for me, and a cheeseburger for Jools filled the hole.

I was back out again after lunch, chasing yet more Blues. Back up the track round the meadow, looking at as much of the flying insects as could. And I even get three species of moths this time too.

By three, it was too hot to do anymore, so I stumble back to the cabin for some coffee and M&Ms, and to review the shots of the day.

We think that maybe we should go for dinner later, after the rush had died down, so at seven we walk up to the lodge only to find dinner had only just been brought out, but again was hearty and healthy, with beans, salad and vegetables.

Later in the evening we join the other residents around the campfire, we had missed smores, but sitting under the darkening sky whilst sharing stories was good. Jools and I were waiting for full darkness, as I was to try to snap the milky way, but some high level haze from the fires out west made it tricky, and despite following advice from a friend, I don’t think i captured anything other than darkness, but it was good standing in the middle of a field with the magnificence of the heavens above us. We had seen a mother moose and her calf twice during the day, but too dark now, only to listen to ever stanger calls coming from the woods.

Tuesday 22nd August 2017

August 2Time to move on again, leave Cody and head for the mountains again. We sleep until nearly eight, having finally killed the jet lag. We have breakfast, then a shower and pack. We have a case of dirty laundry, so we decide to seek out a laundromat, which is where I am writing this, as our dirty washing is cleaned.

You see a different America here, but again everyone is friendly, and its no real chore. Later we have an hour’s drive to Lovell, and from there a mountain road will take us to our cabin in the woods. Everyone was friendly though, and wanted to know where we were from, something to do with the accents I suppose. But in 45 minutes, we have two loads washed and dried, and I have filled the car up too, so we were good to go.

But Cody to Lovell was just an hour’s run, so we were hoping for something to do once we got there, maybe some lunch.

The road ran flat through farming country, beside a canal and railway line in pretty much a dead straight line. Passed through a couple of small towns, didn’t stop, and where the land rose, there were derricks, pumping oil to the surface as they have done for over a hundred years.

We came to Lovell, not in a the “high country” at all, just 3500 feet above sea level, and pretty much stretched out along the main road through town, some run down motels, a cinema that seemed to be closed, but is only open now at weekends, but is a handsome art deco pile.

I hear the whistle of a train, so we race through a residential neighbourhood to a level crossing, just in time to see two huge locomotives haul three wagons past. A bit over the top with the horsepower there.

We cruise the town looking for a place to eat; we looked at a place called The Branding Iron, but seemed that all parking was taken, so we go to a place called the food court. There are three franchies in there, all run by the same people. So we have subs and soda, and sit down to watch the locals have their lunch. Three smartly dressed young men in shirts and ties from the local church; two workers from Pepsico, stopping by to sample their company’s wares, and various other locals; farmers, mechanics and ladies who lunch. Even there.

After eating we drive north into the Big Horn Valley park, thing. Through more countryside which then gave way to rolling bleak hills, where it seemed oil was being extracted from sand, big machinery was breaking the land up, and what they were going stained the ground black.

I stop us off at a bend in the river, hoping that this was the famous horseshoe bend, biut it wasn’t. The river was slow and lazy, and the valley sides shallow here anyway. But the air was rich in butterflies and dragonflies, so we spend a good half hour chasing the buggers round.

Back in the car and up the valley, where we see a family of deers or goats feeding at the side of the road, they stay long enough for Jools and I to get shots before they wander off back into the boondocks from whence they came.

Even further up there is a road to the Devil’s Overlook, or something similar. So we go down not expecting much. Nut what we find is a mini, not so mini, Grand Canyon, with an overlook of a sharp bend in the river, hundreds of feet below, and on each side, the canyon walls rise vertically hundreds of feet. We can look down on vultures as they glide by us, maybe them thinking we were not that close to dying, yet.

In three sides of the car park, the ground dropped away to the valley below, and at one point, and Tony would love this, I could see the ground below the cliff through a gap in the rocks, making ot trees the size of moss maybe 500 feet below.

We meet a group of three gentlemen, two from UK, so we talk for a good twenty minutes about the eclipse, Yellowstone and Lovell. There are here for three weeks or more, and had just driven up from Houston, Texas to be here in time for the eclipse. What a road trip that must have been to do in two days.

We were hot and bothered; the car told us it was 32 degrees outside. We had changed the settings from F to C. But we were thirsty, and so went back down to Lovell to a store to buy supplies and something cool to drink. We get two quarts of orange juice, some beers and cider, so are set for the trip to the lodge and cabins.

To be honest, I just booked the cabins, and that was way back in October, so did not know what to expect. We had tried GSV to see what the area was like, but seemed that down in the valley and up in the hills they liked to name roads with numbers. So instead of looking at Forest Road 13, we were looking at Road 13, which lead to a farm our something.

We followed the instructions from the lodge, though more rolling farmland, but all the times the hills in the distance were getting nearer. THe road had a warning sign, severe grades ahead. Serious stuff.

The road passed over a causeway of a lake at the foothills of the hills. I mean, I say hills, turns out they were 5,000 feet above the plain, and anywhere else would be called mountains. Anyway, for 5 miles the road ran in a dead straight line, but above we could see a line in the hills, showing where, we guessed, the road went up. And up.

After a bend to the left, the road began to climb; twisting and turning, but climbing at an alarming gradients, going round hairpin bends, and leaving the plain in a pastel coloured haze far below.

Near the top, trees began to grow; firs and other evergreen trees. The road had reached the top, and turned away from the cliffs. Through brightly coloured meadows until there was a sign to the lodge, one mile down a rough track through a forest.

Halfway down we came across a doe deer, ears erect and wide eyed, but we passed her by, turning sharp left down the final few hundred yards to the lodge. We park up and go in reception and are shown round; this is free, this is free, that is included, there is an honesty bar for beer, and your cabin is the last on the left.

We go down to the cabin, a neat wooden affair, inside two bunk beds, a fridge, microwave, toilet and shower And we would have no neighbours, and a view onto an alpine meadow and trees leading to a rounded summit. In the wildflowers nearby, I could see a host of butterflies. Without waiting, I grabbed my camera and went hunting.

More blues, more fritillaries, more Clouded Yellows and Coppers. Lovely, and all willing to bask, or most were anyway.

Dinner was at half six, all included. Baked chicken and pasta with salad. It is without doubt, the healthiest meal we have had since landing in America, and very welcome. We have a bottle of Asti too, seems right to celebrate our wonderful holiday.

Needless to say, a long day in the high temperatures down on the plain, and a bottle of fizz meant we were sleepy heads by half eight, but did stay awake until after dark to see the Milky Way high over the cabin, but photographing it wl have to wait for tomorrow.

Monday 21st August 2017

Eclipse day.

The reason we were here, after all. All we needed was the weather to play ball. After the alarm went off, I got up to open the curtains, only to find almost total cloud cover. Oh no! I check the weather online and there seems to be no need to worry, with clear skies from ten, and a high of 32 or so by early afternoon.

We quickly get ready, check camera gear one last time, before going down to the lobby to hunt out breakfast. The choice seemed to be granola and fruit, as we have had enough of “sausage” and poorly cooked scrambled eggs. Anyway, they had the world’s worst granola dispenser, that deposited half a pound of serial in a bowl before the container fell off its stand. Oh well, in for a penny, in for half a pound.

And into the car, and off down the road. We had an almost full tank of gas, should be enough. Before us was a drive to Thermopolis, some 83 miles down the road, across the badlands, it was right on the edge of the eclipse, but would only receive 52 seconds of totality, so another half hour drive down the river gorge to the state park was needed to bring us near to the greatest amount of totality.

Traffic was pretty thick, but we traveled at 70mph all the way down to Thermopolis; there was an air of expectation and worry in case our progress would grind to a halt at any moment. Above us the clouds thinned, and soon weak sunshine broke though.

Thermopolis was pretty busy, but we get through, now knowing that no matter what we would see the eclipse as we had traveled far enough south. Down through the gorge, still making good time, until we came to the state park. We queue to get in, and then only to be told that all parking was already taken, but if we pay $6 we could park beside the road wherever we wanted, as long as not on or beside the road.

A few miles on, the land opens up, and so we pull off and park just off a dirt track, and we have our spot.

Perfect.

It is just after nine and we have two and a half hours to wait. I check and re-check my camera equipment, put on the teleconverter, the 1/1000000 filter, and rattle off a few shots of the now visible sun. The camera did not like the converter, jamming every 20 shots or so, and the autofocus and IS did not work, but I would get shots.

Traffic along the road got heavier, and some of the cats joined us at our spot, or went on. At half ten, I looked at the sun through the camera, only to find it had begun, a bite had already been taken out of the sun, so I try to take a shot every five minutes.

Around us, a Mom tried to keep her tribe entertained, and did pretty well. They all, like us, had the eclipse glasses and made pinhole cameras for each of the children, which they used to pretend to be robots.

But all the time, the sun was being eaten, and yet, it got no darker. By eleven, a third of the sun was gone, and quarter past, a half. Traffic had faded to a trickle and stopped on the road, and, apart from the children, all was quiet.

At half past, nine minutes from totality, the light changed; it was still daylight, but different, flatter, and what traffic there was had headlights on. Only a thin sliver remained, and the final moments saw the light fade to dusk almost instantly.

Above us, the sun suddenly vanished, and a black disk of the moon revealed the sun’s corona and magnetosphere. It was breathtaking. I began to well up, I don’t think I have seen anything so beautiful. All around us were also enthralled.

I rattled off shots, as did Jools with the compact. To the south and south west and south east, sunset had appeared, and to the right of the eclipse, Venus could be seen

And then it was over, the diamond ring effect happened, and blinded all who were not prepared, like me. And it was over.

The show would go on for another hour, as the moon cleared the sun. We decided to move on, to try to get to Riverton to have lunch, then cruise back and look for butterflies.

After packing the camera gear away, we pulled onto the main road, which was still pretty empty, and motored south, passing by hundreds and hundreds of vehicles and people on verges and down service roads still looking at the eclipse.

On the outskirts of Riverton, traffic ground to a crawl, but in about half an hour, we reach the Speedway Cafe, pulled off, and most surprisingly, they had tables, so we could sit down and be served, and be recognised by two of the servers. They were pleased we had taken to time to return.

After eating, we make to return north to Cody, and all went well until we had to take the frk off the main road to Thermopolis, and the queue of traffic we thought would be just for the junction, went in mile after mile, creeping north at a walking pace.

In an hour we moved maybe a mile, the road climbed into the badlands again, and we could admire the weathered rock formations that stretched from the road to the horizon on both sides. And then for no reason, traffic started moving, and we were going at fifty, making good time.

We reached the gorge again, and as last time we stopped here, we had seen so many butterflies, we thought we would try our luck again. We stopped at the same lay by, climbed over the barrier, and at forst could see nothing on the wing. But as we stood and watched, I saw a couple of Buckeyes again, although they hardly had their wings open as before.

A female blue, mostly brown in colour, but with bright orange flashes on the aft wing. Certainly a different species from the one seen in Yellowstone. On a branch above I see another blue; a hairstreak, I would say a White Letter if I was back home, but here, will have to do some research.

And finally, the male of the first blue lands, almost as blue as an Adonis, and partly opened his wings for me, but I also get good shots of the underwings too. A good haul for fifteen minutes.

And finally, Jools spots a moth, a moth so big it seems like a bird. We chase it around for ten minutes, but when it lands it is well camouflaged, so we have no chance of seeing it until we nearly step on it, at which point it flies off again. We give up.

Back to the car for the last leg back to the hotel, up the rest of the gorge and then through Thermopolis; we saw no freight trains this time, sadly, but still saw many butterflies.

All that was left was the 82 miles over the high lands to Cody, cruising at 70 in the light traffic, and reflecting on a stunning day. We get back into Cody just after six, back to the hotel to chill out and for me to [ost a shot of the eclipse on Faceache, and then thoughts turn to dinner.

First I wanted to photograph the main street in the blue hour, just after sunset and with the neon signs shining brightly, but apart from Irma’s Hotel, the signs were poor, and mostly were just shops and bars. So I take a few shots and we hightail it back down to Bubba’s, hoping for some more Bar-b-Cue. There was a line outside, and seemed we would have to wait an hour or so. Instead we drive back through town to the Rib and Chop Shop; they said they would have a table in 20 minutes, so we wait.

There was yet more football on TV, the Browns actually winning, and is distracting in a way. I have not watched NFL in at least 5 years, so I have no idea which are good and bad teams these days.

Our table was ready, so we go into the busting restaurant, and choose what to eat. I could have chosen a dozen things, they did some amazing food, some of it good smelling cajun. I plump for jambalia, which when it comes was fabulous, with spicy sausage and seasoned shrimp. Jools has BBQ shrimp, a New Orleans classic the menu said, and was wonderful too, so Jools said.

But it was ten by then, time to go back to the hotel for a nightcap, but the hotel has no bar! But we have two bottles of hard cider in the fridge back in the room; one each and just enough to make us proper sleepy heads.

Sunday 20th August 2017

Time to move on.

We check mails before six to find that the hotel in Livingston said that the camera had not been handed in there. THe one final place we could try was the restaurant where we had early dinner when we arrived on Friday. It did not open until 11, but we could try earlier when they would be preparing to open.

For breakfast we were treated to biscuits and gravy, something to avoid, but thankfully there was other stuff to eat so we could avoid the soggy biscuits, which really are just scones without the fruit. At least the coffee is good.

The TV has the weather Channel on again, and the possible hurricane was nearer landfall, and the madness surrounding the eclipse was reaching its pinnacle, with more tales of traffic jams, empty gas stations and people cashing in on the eclipse by Air B&B owners and airlines increasing prices by several hundred percent. But then isn’t that what the capitalist system thrives upon: supply and demand?

And then it was time to pack, load the car and say goodbye to the hotel. It might have been a chain, but did just what we wanted, and had a good free internet connection. Being back online was very pleasing.

We drive back over to Main Street, which was blocked off for some kind of custom car meet. I was tempted to go along once we had been to the restaurant, but more photographs taking to be sorted and edited? My heart wasn’t in it, so after checking with the restaurant, no camera had been found or handed in, we could program the sat nav for Cody.

An hour and a half blast up the interstate, back past Livingston, through bone dry undulating countryside, with the railroad tracks beside us. I cruise us along at 60 to 70 mph, meaning most other vehicles were overtaking us, especially when huge trucks go by is always interesting.

I had seen one of the towns we were going to go pass was called Big Timber, my interest was piqued. So we swing by once we reach the town. Big Timber is a collection of old buildings, and two gas stations, scattered along the old main road. Good times left many years ago, but a wooden gift shop lingers on, all outside were wrought iron garden ornaments. We don’t stop.

But we do stop at the second gas station for coffee. I go into the gas station and find it is also a huge gift shop, with three aisles of guns. Hundreds, or at least dozens, of rifles. Not what I wanted, really. So I look in the gift shop, hoping to find some things for friends back home. But it is packed with things like dolls dressing in fake indian clothes, really tacky looky things.

I get two cups of coffee and a packet of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Large ones, but once I was back in the car, they were nearly melted. And how sweet? Chocolate and peanut butter make something sweet; who'd have thought it?

When we are back on the road, the sat nav changed its mind about the route, so half an hour later we were turning off, heading for a town with the unlikely name of Joliet. All the way since leaving Yellowstone, our way had followed the Yellowstone River, so had seen it grow from a tumbling stream, crashing over rocks and falling from the heights of the park, and down onto the plains, where it took water from other rivers and streams, and now was a wide meandering river, where people fished, or boated. But now we finally turned away from it, and took to the hills.

But unlike a week back when we crossed hour after hour of passing through scrub, this time we went through a long river valley, following a tributary of the Yellowstone, the Clarke Fork, which again went from a meandering river, and got smaller and faster as the ground rose. On either side of the road, rich farmland went by, all made green by the water from the river.

The higher the road and land went, the smaller the river got, and the dryer the land became, until all there was was a dried riverbed with a few scattered trees marking where the stream might flow again if the rain were to fall again.

The road ran for miles, barely turning left or right, and with a speed limit of 70 mph, a thrill to drive along.

We pass into the beartooth mountains, looking no different from the land we had passed through for the last half hour, but the rocks all around might contain dinosaur bones. All waiting to be discovered.

We come to a junction, so stop to top up the Mustang, and Jools goes into the gas station to buy ice creams. We had planned to eat them driving, but found once we had left that the cones had partly melted already. So, in order not to be covered in melted ice cream, we had to stop on the side of the road, and poor jools had the most melted one, and she ended up with chocolate stained hands and face.

After cleaning up, we carry in, with just an hour to go to Cody. The road now ran dead straight for mile after mile, the sun beat down and with the air so dry, my eyes began to really dry out. So, Jools took over the driving, and i could rake more notice of the landscape in the distance as the land rose into dry buttes, maybe a thousand feet above the plain we were driving over. They were scarred with eons of water running down them, carving channels and gullies. The road went to a vanishing point, and shimmered with a mirage, it was hard to judge distances and what might be happening away up front.

Finally, the road dropped down into Cody, and the road widened out, and began to be lined with houses and businesses. Before long a strip mall formed, with hotels, shops and bars appearing, some with unnaturally green grass outside.

I had imagined Cody being lined up along a main street, with bars and restaurants, people wandering along dressed in faux cowboy garb. But in fact the main road is a four lane highway, with an overtaking lane in the middle, so five lanes, and passes through several denser areas, only slightly denser than others. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the town has no real centre, and our hotel is right at the edge of the town, opposite the rodeo stadium.

It was half two, and eighty five degrees and feels hot. Jools checks us in, while I look where the road leads on past the hotel, to a steep sided valley which in time would rise towards Yellowstone park again.

The hotel is grand, and has nice art and objects placed with care through it, long corridors are broken up with some dried flowers, or a picture of Buffalo Bill’s touring company, a huge photograph.

The room is large, has two queen sized beds, a large TV, separate bathroom and a desk. We put on the air con and lay on the bed to cool down.

An hour later we go out for an early dinner, a quick internet search had revealed that Bubba’s Bar-b-cue to be the best in town, and being the quiet period of the day, we set off for the half mile drive to the restaurant. As expected, just a couple of booths were occupied, and we are shown to another, given a menu, all full of meaty goodies. I choose the combo; has ribs, brisket and pulled pork, all smothered with sauce and spices.

It fills us up, and I guess the beer/cider we had, coupled with the long hours spent driving in the sunshine and heat meant that when we got back to the hotel, we laid on the bed to rest, and closed our eyes whilst the radio played out of the computer.

We slept.

Saturday 19th August 2017

As is normal, we are awake before six, but in our air conditioned luxury room instead of the cabin. Not that there was anything wrong with the cabin, just having our own facilities just next door, and no need to get dressed and put on shoes in the middle of the night. Outside it was getting light, and a quick look outside revealed the car park now full, mostly of meaty SUVs and Hemis, whatever one of them is or does, anyway, night is departing and day is coming.

So, we put on the radio and lay in bed a while, and another look outside shows the sun rising angry and red, showing deep crimson through all the dust in the atmosphere. We get dressed and go to have our free breakfast. That is another bonus, and even though it was in plastic crockery and with plastic knives and forks, it was good stuff, especially the dark roast coffee. The weather channel is on, and talking about the eclipse and another hurricane building in the middle of the Atlantic. There is advice for the eclipse; don’t look at the sun without special glasses and if you don’t have them, don’t look right at the sun’s disc. And so on, all good stuff really.

We tuck into breakfast and coffee, whilst other guests from the hotel arrive and look to see what to eat, it seems all sorts of folks stay here, from the upper classes down to the grease monkeys and everyone inbetween. We are happy enough to drink our coffee and eat the sausages, more like sausage meat rolled up really (anyway, have no skin), bacon and potato dibs.

It still wasn’t eight, but back home the football games had already begun, so I open pages from the BBC on games in the Premier League and Championship, and soon normal service is resumed as City go in 2-0 down at half time. Not much better in the 2nd half, as each time we pull level, Villa score to restore their two goal lead. It inds 4-2 in the end, but we have long since lead the building and are heading to our first destination of the day, a bead shop for Jools.

Yes, it’s not all photography based malarkey, sometimes there is stuff Jools likes to do, and it would be churlish of me to refuse. She has found the address of the shop and the opening times. So at five to ten we program the sat nav and drive out into the four lane highway outside the hotel and into town.

It goes without saying, the shop is part of a mall, a JC Penney dominates, but tucked away in a corner is the bead shop. The buildings are surrounded by a massive parking lot, free of course, and most of the slots are empty, even at ten. When Jools goes in, I stay in the car and try to find a decent radio station to listen to, but as the Mustang only has FM, it won’t be BBC anything. As expected I soon find a classic rock station, among all the country stations, so settle on that, and for an hour there is Rod, Supertramp, The Doors, AC/DC, Bad Company and so on. But every 15 minutes or so, there are ads, of course. Did it say something about the station’s demographic to have ads for dementia testing and homes? I don’t know.

More people arrive, abandon their vehicles, I won’t call them cars as they’re huge. Mostly. An Audi A6 seems like a compact in comparison.

After an hour, Jools returns so we can drive to the next location; a museum. As after looking at Tripadvisor, the number 1 attraction in the town is the Museum of the Rockies, which has a world class collection of dinosaur bones are other related stuff. Getting there is so easy, I start to type in the word museum into the sat nav, by the third letter is suggests museums. I press museum, and it comes up with a list of all the local ones, and we select the one we want, the route is confirmed, so we can set off. We will be there in 11 of your American minutes.

We have to pass through the campus of the Montana State University, with massive football stadium and basketball hall. If that’s where you play basketball. I don’t know. Anyway, through there to a low modern building, with lots of parking, as ever, and a bronze Tyrannosaurus Rex outside.

This was the place.

Fifteen bucks to get in, which isn’t bad I suppose, especially to see some of the best dinosaur fossils in the world, as in the ancient rocks in the beartooth mountains has some of the richest fossil bearing strata in the world.

We go in, and first up there is a good display explaining the scientific method, how a hypothesis becomes a theory and then is accepted as fact. But that any pf these things can be overturned if any evidence emerges to dispute it, which is why there is a theory of gravity, even though we know it exists. If not explain it fully. And finally there was some debunking, that man did not walk the earth the same time of dinosaurs, that at least 63 million years separated the latest dinosaurs and the earliest humans.

There were many exhibits, dating back to the beginning of life, to the precambrian era, which is my favourite, then onto the age of the dinosaurs, and how there is evidence of how some species changed after they hatched and grew to adults, how studying how muscles attached to bones, how the animals would have walked. And so on.

Star of the place are the Tyrannosaur bones and skeletons, a whole hall given up to them, and the various ones that have been found in the Montana rocks. Another hall had a whole display of Triceratops skulls, showing how the head shape changed from hatching to full adulthood. A breathtaking display.

Elsewhere there was a history of Yellowstone, the Native Americans and the pioneers who arrived in the 19th century. All rather marvelous, but the dinosaurs were world class.

It was one, and time for lunch, so a search on the sat nav for the nearest Outback Steakhouse, another 11 minute drive away.

We were only the other second table occupied. Our server brought water, then drinks, refilled the water, refilled the sodas and then took our order for Bloomin’ Onion to start, and battered shrimp to follow. A fine meal it has to be said, with excellent service, but again, too much food; we left half the onion and most of the fries and were still stuffed.

We spend some time by searching for the nearest Barnes and Noble bookshop, and spend an hour or so scouring it’s shelves for something interesting, of which there was much. However, we have shelves of books at home we have yet to read, so don’t buy anything.

On the way home, we fill up the Mustang, so all is set to get us to Cody tomorrow, and to the eclipse on Monday. And back. So, all is set for the main reason we came over.

In the early evening, Jools looks for her camera. She can’t find it in her bag, so goes to check the car. Can’t find it there either. So we check everything twice, three times. And the camera is nowhere to be seen.

So then comes the “when did we last see it” games. And turns out it was yesterday afternoon in Livingston. So, I try to e mail the bar, and thinking that they probably would not answer it that night, we might has well drive over, it was just an hour’s blast up the interstate.

Sun was setting behind the mountains to the west, causing the sky to go a rose pink colour. But we were heading east, into darkness, passing trucks and camper vans.

Livingstone was all lit up, the signs I had delighted in the day previous were all lit up and shining brightly. It looked fabulous. But our main port of call was the bar, and once parked on the side of the street outside, we go in and ask.

The barman checks a ledger, and at one point goes out back, but says sadly, nothing had been handed in, so we had drawn a blank. We have a beer anyway, and the woman next to Jools engages her in a conversation about brexit. I watch the pre-season game on the huge TVs on top of the bar.

I then have an idea to check at the police station, so we program the sat nave and drive the 5 blocks to the station. Not been handed in, but they take Jools’ details and say they will mail it if handed in.

I take us to the centre of town so I can snap more of the lights, all looking wonderful, and kinda wish we had stayed here instead.