Wyoming, Greybull

Next stop: Greybull, Wyoming. Nice name, eh?

My lodging was this quaint, old-timey motel. It was to be my stepping stone for my upcoming item on my itinerary, Cody, Wyoming.

The only problem: They had a NO PET policy.

When I told the owner/manager lady my pet was 'jus a liddle kitty', she paused. Thought about it. Then she gave me a room because she had never seen someone travel with a kitty-cat before. The charm worked.



They also had the mudder trays I spoke of before, and these cool, log, 'rustic cabins' for rent at $40 night. They had no bedding or facilities. You had to bring your own sleeping bag or rent one of their bedrolls. And you had to poop outside in one of their porta-potties. How cool is that?

But the BEST part of this town was to come, when I had breakfast at the downtown cafe the motel manager told me about. And here it is: The Uptown Cafe. Pretty catchy, eh?

What made this place so special? They allowed SMOKING! Yes, you read that right. The cafe permitted patrons to light up with their morning coffee. I had a glorious breakfast that I haven't enjoyed for decades. I was so enamored with the unexpected LIBERTY, I had a cigarette before and after the meal.

I asked the waitress why they allowed it. She answered, "Well, my Gramma owns the place, and she smokes, so there you are." I can't argue that. The funny thing is, half of the place was a cafe, and the other half was a bar where smoking wasn't permitted.



Just down the avenue from my favorite cafe in the entire known universe, was the old town hotel...still in operation. If I ever pass this way again, I just may check that place out.

But wait, there's MORE!

As I was heading out of town to the highway, I saw a small airport and espied this:





A genuine WWII era Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol aircraft.

Now it had been demilitarized (darn) and converted to a fire suppression airtanker, but it was still cool. I later learned it had belonged to a defunct aerial fire control company, but was still in flying condition. Due to a crash of one in 2002, all air tankers in the region were grounded temporarily. I suppose the company didn't survive that, and there she stands.

Perhaps some WWII aviation enthusiast(s) could restore her war face.