Cody, Wyoming – Part 2 of 3

We just finished our two week stay in Cody, Wyoming and boy was it packed with activities! Cody is a charming little western town and the home of Buffalo Bill Cody and a nightly rodeo during the summer months. It is also next door to Yellowstone National Park. We were quite busy plus a visit from our son Bryan. So, grab your favorite beverage and sit back to enjoy a perhaps longish recap!

Cody Wyoming

Cody is a very active small town at 9,500 people that focuses on the tourism trade. At 5,000 feet in elevation it is considered a semi-arid climate that is commonly known as the high desert. Humidity is at 30% or less. Located in the Bighorn Basin it is surrounded by mountains. The Basin is a depression surrounded by the Big Horn, Owl Creek, Bridger, and Absaroka ranges.

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Buffalo Bill Dam

from wiki: Buffalo Bill Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is named after the famous Wild West figure William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who founded the nearby town of Cody and owned much of the land now covered by the reservoir formed by its construction.

The 325 feet high structure was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and built between 1905 and 1910. At the time of its completion it was the tallest dam in the world. All built without any steel rebar or support!

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Yellowstone

located in three states: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular features.

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One of the things I really enjoyed seeing was the Old Faithful Inn. This lodge was first opened in 1904 and built in the “National Park Service Rustic” style. It is an awesome and massive structure that is a part of our American history. I love looking at old historic buildings and wished that we had more time to really explore this beauty with its open great room with its 500-ton, 85-foot stone fireplace. But, we were on a tight schedule to see as much as possible in a day.

We left basecamp early in the morning, but that did not help to avoid the crowds by the Old Faithful geyser. They have massive parking lots and they were all full. The eruption time was quickly approaching, so I dropped off Trish and Bryan close to the geyser. By the time they walked a couple of minutes and had arrived it went off right on schedule. Meanwhile, I was still cruising the parking lots. I did see a picture of it though that Trish took. 🙂

We drove just over an hour to the east entrance a couple of times from our RV park in Cody. The first time was to slowly sightsee at the many scenic pullouts on the way. The second time was a very long day driving into the park and doing the interior loop. We left at 8am and then arrived back at about 7pm.

Cody Rodeo

The state of Wyoming has a huge passion for its rodeos. We have definitely noticed this since beginning the Wyoming tour in Cheyenne back on July 8th. Well, the Cody Rodeo was our first rodeo that we have ever attended in person. Seen them on TV of course. It was a great time. From thrills to laughs.

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Our son, Bryan, had just arrived on his flight from Washington DC via Chicago. Pat had dinner ready at the coach at 6pm, then we drove over to the large grandstands to get ready.

Before it began they had a woman carrying the American flag while riding a horse around the arena while they played the national anthem. A very patriotic response from the crowd. There were all standing here in WYO, of course! And to make it even better they opened with a Christian prayer. Loved it.

Wrap Up

We did so much in this two week period that it will require one more blog update. A three parter! Thanks for following along and until next time, take care and God Bless.