Heading home again

Here we are, our last day in Yellowstone. It's hard to believe the trip is wrapping up already. This week just flew by. We had such an amazing time and I'm glad I got to do it with a friend I don't get to spend enough time with. I have so many good memories from this trip and pictures to look back on for the rest of my life.

We took it slow today, got up late, and went out to breakfast. We had heard there was an exhibit at Quake Lake (so named because it was the epicenter of a major earthquake in 1959), so we headed out to see what was there. It was a beautiful drive on winding roads through the canyon along the lake. We saw signs warning us about Big Horned sheep, but sadly didn't see any. We also didn't see the visitor center, as it was boarded up for the season. Bummer. Rather than turn around and head back to town, we decided to keep driving and try to find Virginia City. Virginia City is a ghost town from the gold rush days.

The drive was long and boring. Flat as can be, straight as an arrow, with only the occasional prong horn deer or cattle to look at. It took over an hour, but we finally reached town. Unfortunately, that, too, was boarded up for the winter (imagine a ghost town being closed!). About 15 miles away, we had driven through a town called Ennis, so we went back there to check it out. There was a cute main street with little shops and a few restaurants. More importantly, they had a distillery! And they were open! So we sat down (ok, I sat down) and ordered a drink. It was a very nice whiskey with no burn. I also tasted their honey moonshine, which had a bit more bite to it.

You're falling asleep just looking at this.

We walked through a few more stores and then started the drive back. Still didn't see any sheep. Once we got into town, we swung by the Post Office to mail back our many souvenirs. It would have been too much to fit into our bags. That task completed, we headed over to the IMAX to see what they had. It was a historical account of Yellowstone, not the overview of the park we'd hoped for, but it killed an hour. A few more gifts purchased, we went and got dinner and now we're back at the room to pack up. It'll be an early start tomorrow to make the drive back to Jackson. Our flight leaves at 1, so we'll probably leave around 8 or so. So sad to be leaving here, but it'll be good to get home. At least I have the weekend to adjust to the time change again. So long, West Yellowstone, you've been a great host!