Nancy, Where Are You?: Yellowstone/Jackson Hole/Lander

4-19 (Thurs)
The EDR (employees dinning room) almost tipped over this morning because everyone ran to the windows and was looking outside. We ran too. We thought it was probably a bear but didn’t see anything so we went outside and it was a pack of wolves. It was the Canyon Pack which has been hanging around Mammoth all winter. They were hunting elk. It was really thrilling and so neat to see them silhouetted as they crossed the top of the ridge. ND and I headed for Jackson Hole It took us 5 hours to get there.

We left Jackson Hole on Friday going to Lander. We stopped in several places and took pictures. We saw what I think was a horned owl sitting on top of a telephone pole. We also stopped when we saw a pasture full of horses and mules.

In Dubois we stopped at a service station to see the world’s biggest Jackalope. It weighed 245 lbs. I got up on top of it to have my picture taken.
When we got to Lander we checked into a hotel and then went out to Sinks Canyon State Park. The park’s name comes from the Popo Agie River which “sinks” into a limestone cavern and reappears down 1/4 of a mile down the road.

This morning (Sat) we drove to South Pass a ghost town that used to be an old gold mining town.

    We had to go to the bathroom so bad but didn’t want to squat in the bushes because the wind was blowing 90 to nothing. The pee would have blown all over us! So we drove 5 miles on a dirt road to Atlantic City, population about 59. We thought there might be a service station or something but no. There was a building that said, “welcome hunters” so we went in to use the facilities. There were four old goats sitting at the bar and in unison they all turned around and looked at us as if we had just landed from Mars. ND told them we wanted to use the bathroom and she walked right to it. She went into the women’s and I into the men’s. I couldn’t find the light and neither could she. I came out of the men’s and even though ND never found the light she let me go into the women’s. I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. It was pitch black in the bathroom and I was feeling around for the toilet, I finally found it. I left the door open in hopes that some light would filter in. I could the the old codgers sitting at the bar. I finally found the toilet paper holder but it was empty so I was yelling for ND to get me some. She brought it over from the men’s room. Then I dropped my sunglasses on the floor and couldn’t find them because it was so dark. I was feeling all over the floor for them.
    When I finally came out of the bathroom I saw that ND had walked past the bar into another room and every head was following her. I went over to the bar and decided to interview the old goats. They said they all live there in Atlantic City and that there are only 27 people in town. I told them the sign says 59 and they said, “oh we just cross that out and change it all the time.” They told us to drop some money in a box by the door for using the bathroom. We said we would but we didn’t. I don’t know when I have laughed so hard.
    We drove back to Lander, bought lunch at a grocery store, ate it and then got on the road to Jackson Hole where we are spending the night before driving back to Yellowstone in the morning.