I left the Coeur DAlene Super 8 around 6 a.m. and stopped about 21/2 hours later in Missoula for some gas and breakfast at a Cracker Barrel.
I finished the drive for the day at the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone where I registered to spend the night in a small cabin I had reserved weeks ago.
I paid $10 for a lifetime Senior Pass good for all National Parks. What a deal! I qualified by just three days as you have to be 62 years old. The ranger lady said the price goes up to $80 in August. (Thank you Twitler).
After putting my stuff into my cabin I wandered over to the lodge and watched Old Faithful erupt three times in a row. It erupted at 4:30 when I first got there, at 6:03 and then again at 7:36. In between I wandered about the lodge and sat around the lobby watching people.
I went to the cafeteria and had some overpriced turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes for supper. Then went back to my cabin for the night. It was still in the mid 80s so I just left the door open for the breeze and read for a while until it cooled down. It was in the mid 60s by midnight and even cooler the next morning.
Two things about that first evening and night. I had forgotten how much harder it was for me to breathe due to the altitude. And it was very cool to see a full moon over the geyser basin.