Forgotten Pics from Wyoming

I have a really crappy memory so of course I forgot a few pics I forgot. I wanted to show you all in a single post all the animals I saw in Wyoming.

Black Bear across the river

 This wasn't my only encounter with a bear. There was a female grizzly and her three cubs that kept coming into the ranch every night. We had been trying to see them but always missed them. Well one night my boss was walking across the yard to her cabin when she saw three small heads pop up in front of her cabin. Those three little heads were three grizzly cubs, once they saw her momma bear started walking towards her. My boss turned and ran back to the lodge where I was upstairs preparing for bed. I heard this thumping but wasn't sure what is was. Then it came again, so I started making my way out the apartment into the main lodge. Once I get there I hear my boss start to yell for me so I try and speed up but I was pitch black and I had to weave my way around the banister and chairs then down the steps. I get there are she jumps in the lodge and shuts the door. We then ran back up the steps to the upstairs porch just in time to see all four of the bears turn and head back out of the ranch.

Big Horn Sheep

 These cool sheep normally live in the high elevations of the mountains but come down from the mountains probably due to the large amount of snow the higher elevations got. While I was in Cody it was hunting season for these guys but its not like back home where we go to Wal-Mart and buy tags to kill deer or turkey. Here it is like a lottery, you put your name in the pot and then if you are lucky your name will be drawn for tags. I met one lucky hunter and he told me that the tags are drawn for specific areas and only so many tags are in each area. The area that I was in only had two tags that were drawn.

Big Horn Sheep

Bison

 I researched yesterday the different between Bison and Buffalo because I wasn't sure of the difference. So just in case you don't know either the easiest way to tell is that Bison have beards.

Mule Deer at Ranch

After the guest ranch season ends in Cody, WY the land is given back to the wildlife. You can see each of these animals right in your front or back door. They day I left I found a Bison sleeping right behind our tack barn. As you can see in the picture above there were several deer grazing in the ranch. A lot of the animals I have been told move into the land between Cody and Yellowstone because the mountains protect them from the harsh winters.

Moose and Calf in Tetons

Aspen, CO

I drove to Denver and went out with a few friends the 9th then woke up early the next day and drove to Aspen, CO through Independence Pass. Going to Aspen was amazing the trees had all turned yellow and it was snowing. I drove to Aspen to go to the Aspen Skiing Company job fair. Since it is getting colder I decided it would be warmer for me if I found a place to work that also had employee housing. I was lucky enough to be offered a job with Ajax Tavern as a hostess. Ajax Tavern is a ski-in/ski-out restaurant at the base of the Silver Queen Gondola. I looked over the menu and I am extremely excited about the truffle fries and double cheeseburger! I get a free snowboard pass to all four of the mountains for the season which I am really excited about and a discount on equipment. I FINALLY get the Ride board I have been wanting!
After I was offered the job and I accepted I left to make my way the Beulah. When I got back to the base of the mountain the pretty snow that had been falling was now deep and slushy snow. I am from Kentucky and well when it snows the whole town shuts down, I also drive a mustang which doesn't have the best traction in the rear or four wheel drive. It took me twice as long to make it back over the pass and I promised Betty (the mustang) that if we made it safely over the pass we would stop at the first town and get a hotel for the night. The only vehicles I passed going back over the pass were SUV or trucks, all of which probably were think that I was an idiot way out of my depth. Which I probably was but I didn't have many options, and I was afraid if I stayed the night it would just get worse. I trudged on through the slushy, slick snow. I passed several cars that were parked at the base of the mountain on the opposite side that didn't even attempt the mountain pass, one was a mustang just like mine. I made it down slowly but surely and stopped in Buena Vista for the night. I had the best pizza from Pizza Works - Italian Pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, roma tomato, roasted garlic slices. The garlic slices made it one of the best pizzas I had ever had.

Aspen Trees - golden and old tuck with logs

Mountain with the trees turned

On the way back over the pass- Base of the mountain

Left Wyoming

So on October 9th I left Wyoming and drove eight hours to Denver. I wanted to post some final pictures that I haven't posted yet.

I wanted to take a picture of this mountain because of the story I had heard about them. While talking with the locals I was told that the Indians in the area used to believe their ancestors were the rock formations you see at the top of the mountain. I though this was cool and made me look at the mountains in a different light.

 The house above was something I passed every time I went to Cody from the ranch. The story behind this unique house was that an architect built it but while he was working on completing the top part he fell off the roof. He had fallen off the roof twice before, but this time he wasn't so lucky. He passed away from the fall. His daughters are currently trying to raise money to finish their fathers dream. I am not sure how many of you all watch Tim Butrons Lemonysnikets but this is the kind of house I envision.