The Dichotomy of Good and Bad (part one)

Alright, I know I've kept my many, many adoring fans waiting on this post for far too long. I've had reports that some of you are even going into withdrawals. Fear for your health has motivated me to sit down and write this. Enjoy.

So 22 August, Tuesday started off poorly. I hadn't slept well, I felt like I was coming down with something and I was generally unmotivated. I figured I'd be sure to have a good breakfast before heading out. Maybe that would make me feel better. So I did a search online for good breakfast places in Buffalo and guess what came up. McDonald's. Not what I had in mind. I did some more Google searches and still didn't come up with anything that looked the slightest bit appetizing. At that point I got frustrated and decided I'd find somewhere along the way and have a late breakfast/early lunch. But then as I was headed out of town I saw Pistol Pete's, a cafe that served breakfast. They turned out to have an awesome ham and cheese omelet with some amazing green chili sauce poured over the top. And their coffee was really good too.




Feeling fortified I headed north along I90 for a little bit before turning west on highway 14 and into Bighorn National Forrest. My thinking at the time was to blow through Bighorn quickly so I could make it too Yellowstone with some time left in the day to look around. This plan abruptly changed when I entered the forrest. Coming in on 14 you enter Bighorn by climbing what I can only call a massive cliff (or at least a really big hill). The road switchbacks up this cliff which has all the rock layers exposed. They put signs up along the way so you know what age and how old the layers are. (Permian, Cambrian etc.) All very cool.



There are also several turnouts where you can stop and look out at the view and see the road you just took winding up the hill. I stopped at several of them. It was all very majestic.

When you get to the top of the cliff the land levels out a bit and is generally flat with a few hills and valleys here and there. It was incredibly beautiful and it really made me realize that this is the kind of stuff that I miss while living in Maryland. There are no mountains or scenery like this where I live. I miss it.










At one such stop I came across a pack of wild hippies. Note the telltale signs of wild hippies; the pickup truck heavily overloaded, the unwashed hair, the tie-died shirts and the bare feet. They seemed pretty laid back though (as hippies often are). The fellow standing on the guard rail decided he would moon his friend while she took a picture shortly after I snapped this shot. They are clearly a fun loving pack.



I stopped at a visitor's center just to look around and take a few pictures. The cool mountain air was great. After the hot wind blasted roads I've been on (like in Nebraska), this was bliss. I could just sit there, smell the pine forests and the wildflowers and let the breeze wash over me. Awesome.








End of part one. Stay tuned for part two.

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Location:E Crown Ave,Spokane,United States