FTJ, Entry 114: Why Not Wyoming?

When do North Easterners become wannabe Westerners? Perhaps when they see Wyoming. Well, in our case that's how it happens. The mountains, the golden green/light umber fields, the sky, the dry summer weather with warm days and cold nights -- it was great. And Cody as a destination has a lot going for it.

But I am becoming bored with writing the same stuff over and over, and am at a loss right now to come up with any new adjectives for what we are seeing and experiencing. Yawn. I need to channel Ernest Hemingway: Strong stripped-down writing (damn -- see, there are those adjectives again). 

Alas, my internal Hemingway is unavailable at present. So Beau will handle the rest of this blog....take it, Beau.

BEAU: I will gladly sit in for you, my brain-dead bride. Hmmm. Makes me think of a poem:

Alas the plight of the brain-dead bride,
Whose burnout left her quite tongue-tied.
So piteous and mum was she...
But such a blessing rare for me!

(Uh oh, I might be in trouble for this.)

Pardners, here is my version of the Cody experience.

Cody was founded and developed by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, whose famous Wild West show was staged all over the country and even in Europe. In fact, the cherrywood bar that graces the saloon in the Irma Hotel in downtown Cody was a gift given to him by England's Queen Victoria. It was rumored that there was more than just polite courtesy between the two...doubt it. Have you seen pictures of ole Vickie?

Anyway, he had been a Pony Express rider, distinguished Civil War veteran who won the Congressional Medal of Honor, Army scout during the Indian wars, and expert buffalo hunter (hence the name, well duh!), hired by the railroads to shoot buffalo to feed their many hundreds of workers. Wound up dying nearly penniless, but wow, what an exciting life.

Me and Buddy with Buffalo Bill look-alike/re-enactor, in downtown Cody.The famous Irma Hotel is in the background. By 1900, more than 1 billion words had been written about Cody. He was one of the most famous men in the world -- more famous than Lincoln during his time.

The aforementioned bar.

Located on the edge of town, Old Trail Town is made up of many buildings and artifacts gathered from all over the countryside and re-assembled on the site of the original "Cody City" settlement in 1895, before the town was re-established nearby.

The Hole in the Wall gang hung out in this very building, which was relocated to Old Town. Below, Butch (far right) and the gang.

The grave of mountain-man, hunter, trapper Jeremiah "Liver Eatin'" Johnston, so named because he was said to eat the livers of the Indians after he killed them (in revenge for Indians killing his wife and children). He ate the livers in order to strike fear in the hearts of the other Indians. He was one of the early white men in the area. Robert Redford played him in a movie of the same name, and was on hand for the re-burial of Johnston's remains at this monument.

Barkeep, gimme a whiskey! Seems I hang out at bars a lot, doesn't it? This is the Rivers Saloon, built in 1888 and originally located west of Meeteetse, WY. It was frequented by Butch Cassidy and many other outlaws and characters of the Old West. Note the bullet holes in the door (photo below). Maybe one or two from old Butch's gun...?

Just outside Old Trail Town is Colter's Hell, a gorge formed by the Shoshone River (translated as "stinking water" -- and it does). In the early 1800s, John Colter (later part of the Lewis and Clark expedition) was the first white man to explore Yellowstone Park. He is known as the first "mountain man." Bet the Indians called him Shoshone Man....

The Yellowstone Inn and RV Park

Just a few photos of our RV park, which was located in the Wapiti Valley outside of Cody.

Sunset as seen from our RV campground.

Other Sights...

The Bill Cody Reservoir. Not too beautiful, eh?

Same reservoir, but all whipped up by the afternoon winds that shoot down the Wapiti Valley every day. Unfortunate that the water is very cloudy, due to all the limestone sand in the runoff.

Built back in 1910, the Buffalo Bill Dam (seen here from above) was then the tallest dam in the world. Moreover, it was built without any steel reinforcements. Amazing.

Gorge behind the dam. Cowboy Beau in front of the gorge.

 

Cross country trekker, Lorne Ketracite, whom we met at the Buffalo Bill Dam. He didn't ask, but I donated to his trip. I'm a sucker.

In town, we took a trolley tour and then visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which had a fantastic exhibit in its Whitney Gallery of Western Art,  including pieces by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, and N.C. Wyeth, among many other notable artists.

Remington's "Buffalo Bill in the Limelight."

A famous Fredrick Remington sculpture, "Coming Through the Rye." Known as his most ambitious piece. The hooves of the horse on the left are not touching the ground. Impressive.

That night we took in another rodeo. Had to do it, even though Laura winces a bit throughout. I keep telling her the animals are fine. Not sure she believes it. Cody bills itself as the "Rodeo Capital of the World," and they put on a heck of a show. It was the first night of the Rodeo finals, so we saw the best of the best.

That's no bull! Actually, it IS a real, live bull. Notice the poop pile at the rear. Cody, a drinking town with a rodeo problem.

Laura took a closeup of a rodeo rider's butt on one of the chutes. Sigh.

They called this bareback bronc rider the "senior citizen" cowboy. Unfortunately, he got hurt pretty badly. Them old bones don't bounce, pardner.

The cowboys who "cleaned up" by rounding up the bucking horses were amazing riders.

And Finally (whew!), Our Southfork Drive

Our trolley tour guide recommended a drive for scenic views, so we devoted an afternoon to "Southfork Drive." It was well worth the time. The photos show you why....

A great photo Laura took and then made it look like a postcard. Kind of cool.

Can you tell how much we loved Wyoming? This entry was endless.

I'm plum tuckered out. This here bloggin' is hard work. Till next time, pardners. Now giddyup!!

Tanks, Panky