Cody was founded by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody in 1896 and his mark is very much still on the town. If you have any interest in western history, you must visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It's 300,000 feet of exhibition space-which includes five separate museums. My favorite was the Draper Museum of Natural History, which offers an in-depth look at the flora and fauna of the area.

When you're in Cody, you're in cowboy country. There is a nightly rodeo in town from June through August where you can witness cowboy hijinx first hand. While I was in Cody, there were gun shows and rancher conventions. Guys really do wear cowboy hats and Wranglers. These cowboys and cowgirls are downright friendly-coming from Brooklyn, the people were so nice I kept wondering what they wanted. Just to say "hey." One night I even hitched a ride on the back of a Harley.

After a few days of enjoying the wild wild West in Cody, we drove into Yellowstone via the East Entrance. We had barely gotten into the park when we ran into an "animal jam." (If you see cars pulled over on the side of the road, there's probably an animal in sight.) Right away, we saw a grizzly bear and two cubs frolicking in the distance. Key words here: in the distance. Surprising a grizzly on the trail would not have been so fun.

Old Faithful Inn, and view of the geyser

The first hike we went on was a small trek to Storm Point. We gave the grazing bison a wide berth, and marveled the lake and forest. Then we went to Old Faithful Inn-it's one of the largest log cabins in the world and stands right next to the famous geyser. After a delicious dinner at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge (next door), I wandered the paths around the geysers. Old Faithful is one of many-in fact, two-thirds of the world's geysers are in Yellowstone. Watching the earth bubble and steam was like being in prehistoric times. Like many aspects of Yellowstone, the feeling of being surrounded by untamed earth is impossible to put into words. The morning I woke up at Old Faithful Inn, I opened my window to check the weather and there were bison and calves so close I could hear them chewing grass.

Exterior of the Lake Hotel

The next day, we hiked to Mystic Falls. We passed Biscuit Basin, where sapphire hot springs steamed into the sky. Then we climbed through the forest and up a trail to see one of the steepest waterfalls in the park. Later, we did the Elephant Back Mountain Loop where there is a lot of climbing but the payoff is worth it. At the top, there is a stunning view of Yellowstone Lake (which looks more like an ocean) with the yellow sunburst of the Lake Hotel in view. The hotel looked so inviting, we scampered back down and checked in. The Lake Hotel has been around since the late 1800s. It still has a very classy, old fashioned feel to it. From there we hopped on a Sunset Tour, a ride on a bus from the '30s, and went to watch cutthroat trout fight the rapids to go spawn. (CONTINUED...)