Yellowstone National Park and The Beartooth Wilderness were the first leg of our one month Rocky Mountain Vacation. We rented a log cabin in Cooke City, Montana which is located at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Norah, Kathy, and myself met Kathy's parents in Cooke City for a week of hiking, fishing, and relaxing. Cooke City is the perfect base to explore both Yellowstone and the Beartooth Wilderness. Activities within minutes from Cooke City include world class fly fishing (350 of the 944 lakes on the Beartooth Plateau are fishable, not to mention all the rivers and streams), wildlife viewing, miles of hiking trails, and The Beartooth Highway which travels to 11,000 feet in elevation.

My personal highlights from the first week were day hikes to Martin Lake, Albino Lake, and Beartooth Butte Summit in the Beartooth Wilderness, observing grizzly and black bears in the wild in Yellowstone, and learning the basics of fly fishing in such a dramatic and unspoiled setting.