Our Day With Cathy

After our late night last night, we slept in this morning, so we got a late start. We walked over to the Visitor Center to look at all the stuffed birds in the museum. We had seen some black and white water birds yesterday, and we found two possibilities: Barrow's Goldeneyes or Buffleheads. Then we walked down to the beach and looked at Yellowstone Lake. Cathy made friends with two Bichons, Jackson and Thunder.

Then we walked over towards the Fishing Bridge. Just as we approached, we saw a ranger-led hike in progress and joined it. One of the things we got to see was a closed campground and the space where many tourist cabins were removed to make room for critical grizzly habitat. The Visitor Center, service station, general store, and other buildings were kept, along with Fishing Bridge RV Park--largely because of protests from the people of Cody who depended on the tourist business. The strip of buildings including the general store has been pointed out as a good example of "National Park Strip Mall" architecture.

After lunch, we went to LeHardy's Rapids to see the White Pelicans fishing. Cathy was enthralled by the birds and the river.

We next drove north towards Hayden Valley so Cathy could see the bison herd there. We got to see more than we had expected--a major bison jam had developed. Groups of bison were crossing the road, back and forth from one side to the other. Bison were wallowing, and some appeared a bit agitated. We noticed lots of smoke blowing over the valley and wondered if the scent of the fire was making the bison anxious.

Cathy craning her neck to see the bison herd

Cathy had made a special request for her Grandpa's burgers, so he and Cathy got the grill out and set it up and set up the table. Cathy helped gather firewood for a campfire tomorrow at Bridge Bay. She and Ken played a couple of games of chess.

We waited to hear from Rebecca and Troy and meanwhile got everything ready for dinner. At 7 p.m. we went ahead and ate, keeping burgers warm for the travelers.

Troy and Rebecca had spent the day on a guided fly fishing trip. Rebecca was excited to catch her first fish. Troy got sunburned knees. They had a great time and then headed back to the KOA in West Yellowstone to pick up their camping gear and headed towards their new campsite at Bridge Bay. They got caught in road construction delays and then in a major bison jam, so it was very late when they arrived at Fishing Bridge to eat their burgers and pick up Cathy.

Cathy is very devoted to her animals, especially Mikey the dog. She regaled us with stories of the goat that thinks she's a dog and tries to bark and Chippy, the chihuahua that thinks he's in charge of the whole menagerie.