Hello from Cody, Wyoming!

[vraiblonde]

If you can, go to the rodeo in Cody.

Went last night and it was so fun! I haven't been to a rodeo since I was in high school, and the rest of our group had never been. Earlier we went on a 2 hour trail ride at Bill Cody Ranch. And by "trail ride" I mean "mountain ride". It wasn't a beginner trail by any stretch, and it was Bann's first time riding but she was a champ! When the trail guide said we'd be going alongside a cliff drop off, we were all apprehensive and our newbie most of all. But we endeavored to persevere and made it through alive. Although today I'm feeling it. Plus my horse was a PITA, so my shoulders and forearms are sore as well.

Today we're going to a town festival in Powell, then tonight is the chuckwagon dinner and show.

It's fun having Bann and FH here because we're keeping a fast pace in the tourism department. Normally Monello and I have a couple weeks, so we take it easy and see stuff at a leisurely pace, with down days where we just work and veg. The last few days with B&F it's been go go go to get a bunch of things in before they have to leave. I don't know how vacationers do it.

 

[Bann]

Went last night and it was so fun!!

...The last few days with B&F it's been go go go to get a bunch of things in before they have to leave. I don't know how vacationers do it.

...and we're loving every minute - thank you!

When our guide told us about the upcoming cliff and overlook that Vrai mentioned - I nearly panicked right there on the spot! But, I did let go of that panic and trusted the horse and grabbed a little faith from somewhere and made it! I even got a picture or two of the view. (Ok, the cellphone was a bit sideways as I was holding it! I didn't have much time before rounding the bend!)









It was an awesome experience and I am even looking forward to horseback riding again!

 

[Bann]

We had to leave today and we both had the hardest time. It was a wonderful week and that area of the country is SO beautiful, it was just hard to leave. There were things left undone, of course - but we made the most of the time we did have and we had a blast while we were there. We loved our visiting time with Vrai & Monello - and got to sneak a peek at the lifestyle they've chosen. It is an enviable lifestyle and one we aren't really able to choose for ourselves just yet - but we do think about it. (That's more than I did when I first heard about it!)

I cannot adequately describe the beauty of the wide open vistas we saw. We drove along Chief Joseph Highway our second day (I nicknamed this road "Jesus, Mary & Joseph Highway" because the road winds up and around and down at altitudes of 5-10,000ft up, along with switchbacks which, at times, seem to have drop offs of many thousands of feet! I was getting the heebie jeebies. The weather went from high 70's in Cody to about 37 or so in Cooke City, Mt that day, as well, so I was afraid the roads would become icy. The road to and around Yellowstone, the horseback riding trail and even driving around Cody - majestic and breathtaking sights everywhere you look!

The folks out there are also VERY patriotic and unapologetically so. One store owner said, when we told him we were from Maryland: "Welcome to America!" because he'd been to Baltimore and...yeah.

So, our vacation comes to a close. I can honestly say I missed leaving WY probably more than I've missed leaving anywhere on vacay.. (Except Hawaii, which is the total opposite of WY. but I did love just as much, just in a different way.)

 

[Bann]

 

[Roman]

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WOW! I love reading the stories of the adventures you guys had/have. Welcome home.

 

[b23hqb]

WOW! I love reading the stories of the adventures you guys had/have. Welcome home.

Cody is pretty cool, but not much there outside the Buffalo Bill Museum center and the rodeo. It's the scenery and outdoor adventures that get ya. Only about 60 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone.

 

[vraiblonde]

Cody is pretty cool, but not much there outside the Buffalo Bill Museum center and the rodeo. It's the scenery and outdoor adventures that get ya. Only about 60 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone.

How long has it been since you've been here? Because it's quite a thriving little town, with pretty much everything you need to be happy and live well. I mean, it's not New York or LA, but there are quite a number of tourist things to attract people, other than just Yellowstone.

 

[Bann]

Cody is pretty cool, but not much there outside the Buffalo Bill Museum center and the rodeo. It's the scenery and outdoor adventures that get ya. Only about 60 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone.

Why must you be a know-it-all and constantly piss in someone else's tread? This is a tread about our visit to Cody, WY to visit Vrai & Monello on their excellent adventure. Start your own tread if you want to discuss your adventures.

We had a blast there. We did a little of everything, because we only had a week.

 

[GWguy]

BTW... heard it's snowing at Yellowstone today.

 

[Bann]

BTW... heard it's snowing at Yellowstone today.

There was snow in the higher elevations the whole time we were there. It can even snow in the higher elevations in the middle of summer there in Yellowstone, we heard.

When we drove up the Jesus, Mary and Joseph highway last Monday, it was snow-flurrying, but the (Beartooth) highway to Red Lodge, MT was actually CLOSED that day for major snow.

 

[vraiblonde]

BTW... heard it's snowing at Yellowstone today.

I believe it. It's colder than H-E-double toothpicks here and raining a good bit, so I'm sure Yellowstone and the mountain areas are getting snow.

But I have new hiking boots and comfy sweatpants, and a warm cabin, and nowhere I need to be today.

 

[Monello]

The Beartooth Highway was closed earlier today. Not sure if it's still closed. The southern exit of Yellowstone down to Jackson is closed due to a fire. That is our route to our next stop. We may have to go out the West Yellowstone exit and go that way. I'd like to drive the Rockefeller Highway south since that also has amazing scenery. The Tetons are quite spectacular.

I would say Cody is an outdoors man's (outdoors person's) paradise. There's fishing, boating, hiking, horse trail rides, atv trails along with the more touristy things like museums and quaint shops. Add in the rodeo, movie theater and the dinner show for some extra entertainment. Interesting how both Cody(9,000+) and Powell(5,000+) with small populations have everything you need. You can find furniture stores, car dealerships, grocery stores, and just about any thing you desire. Cody even rates a Walmart. So it's not like you have to run a few counties over to get some hard to find item. Traffic is non existent here. Some stretches of the road outside of town have 70 MPH speed limits.

We went to Homesteader's Day in the town of Powell, which is about 20 miles north of Cody. Most of the participants were locals. We were in the minority being outsiders. That place has a great sense of civics where they still get together and have a town day. We saw all sorts of antique farm equipment. They even prepared some boiled corn utilizing a 1920 steam roller. It was the coolest thing. They ran a hose from the engine to a vat of water that steam heated the corn. And the offered it up with real butter.