First visit to Yellowstone
Once again got out early to work on the engine’s drivability problem. Previously noticed prematurely pitted points, so I decided to file the points and change out the condenser for one of the three additional ones that I had accumulated. After trying most of the spare condensers, filling the points, and replacing the rotor and distributor cap with ones that had previously performed well, I hit upon a combination of procedures and components that somehow provided good idle and power performance. Still don’t know the root cause; but I ain’t touching a thing until/unless it starts acting up again.
Also installed a coolant recovery bottle that I had purchased the previous day as a precaution against losing too much coolant under the sustained high load conditions anticipated climbing hills in the upcoming Parks.
It was a short uneventful drive from Powell to Cody which is at the doorstep to the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park about 50 miles west. During the Park season Cody caters to the Park’s visitors with an abundance of, albeit somewhat pricy, lodging, restaurants, and gift shops. We passed through Cody and on to lodging that Jean had arranged for us in a cabin complex an additional 20 miles closer to the east entrance to the Park.
Jean at our cabin 30 miles east of the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park
After unloading luggage at the cabin for weight reduction, at around 1:30pm we drove over to the Park with the intent of driving the full figure 8 road system to get a feel for the layout.
Well, boy we were wrong about that. Between winding roads and stops for bison in the road and road construction projects, it was nearly 4:30pm when we reached the Roosevelt Lodge at the northeastern corner of the upper loop for a late lunch. While we waited for our Bison burgers to arrive, we did a mental calculation of the time we would arrive back at the lodge if we continued on with our counterclockwise traverse of the upper loop of the figure 8. With sunset estimated to be around 7:30pm – three hours being the same duration as it took us to get from the lodge to where we were, and my concern about any possibility of breaking down in the Park after dark, we elected have our burgers and steamed vegetable sides put in to-go boxes, topped off the gas (@ $4.19/gallon) and headed back out the way we came in. We ate our “lunch” during one of the road construction delays, spent 15 minutes close-up and personal with a herd of Bison crossing the road. We made it back to the lodge just as dark fell on the complex. The Jeep ran sweetly throughout the whole journey back to the lodge. After a glass of wine for jean and chocolate cake alamode for me, we called it a day – another good day.
Coming up to the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park
Corkscrew Bridge in Yellowstone National Park - The main Park road once passed across the top of the bridge and then down and through the tunnel
Roosevelt Lodge in the northeast side of the upper loop of Yellowstone National Park where we stopped to grab a late lunch
The north rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Approaching our cabin complex at the end of our first afternoon in Yellowstone National Park
