My Dad liked DuBois, Wyoming immediately.  Surrounded by red rock bluffs, the gateway to the Shoshone National Forest and the Grand Tetons, DuBois has a classic “Old West” business district.  After checking in at the Branding Iron Inn, we were given cabin 48…no air-conditioning, rather “rustic” with a 1950’s style bathroom and shower, a 1989 Magnavox TV (but connected to DISH Network).  But hey, we were not here to sleep in a comfy bed with perfect climate control and watch TV.  My Dad and I then made the three block walk into the DuBois business district looking for a place to eat.  Some of the buildings near Horse Creek easily dated back to the late 1800’s.  The Cowboy Cafe had outdoor seating, and because I am a very good boy, My Dad decided to have dinner here.  He tethered me to the rough wood post and started talking to two sisters who had flown in to participate in a “pack-trip” into the “wilds” of the Shoshone National Forest.  As I was minding my own business, my attention was drawn to a small chipmunk head looking out from some red snapdragons…looking at me.

“Hey Sheepdog, yes you, any other sheepdogs sitting out here?  Think you can climb into the flowerbed and catch me?”

I gave it a shot, but My Dad quickly asked me what I was up to.

Just after My Dad took this photo, a chipmunk started taunting me from the red flowers.

My Dad and I were up at 5:30 the next morning.  The cowboy chef who ran the barbecue place next to our cabin was already hard at work, starting fires and unloading his provisions.  He came over and talked to me while I was waiting (off-leash) for My Dad to load the Scion xB.  We headed west on US 26 toward the Tetons and Jackson Hole.

The Jackson Hole town square with the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in the background.

“Hey, some of my distant relatives…let me sit proudly between them.”

The next morning, it was on to Twin Falls, Idaho.