The morning dawns with a day promising better weather, so we debate whether to turn southeast to
Cody WY or back through Yellowstone. Since we're still smarting from not being able to find a good campsite in the park, we decide to go for Cody via the
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (
WY Hwy 296).
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| Ahhh... this is more like it - very few people |
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| and gorgeous scenery |
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| Sunlight Bridge over Sunlight Creek |
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| Classic western vistas |
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| Overlook vista at Dead Indian Summit |
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| Red cliffs between the summit and Cody WY |
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By the time we reach Cody we are starving. After checking out the town we settled on eating at the
Irma Hotel restaurant, built by
Buffalo Bill Cody in 1902 and is still in business today. Buffalo Bill is also responsible for establishing the town of Cody. Of course, I have to order their
Buffalo Burger, a house specialty. It was great, especially with the sweet potato fries.
Needless to say Cody WY is steeped in the legend and life of Buffalo Bill. The main attraction is the
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which is actually five museums in one. We start off in the section on Buffalo Bill, who started out as a US Army scout and buffalo hunter under contract with the Kansas Pacific railroad supplying meat to the workers.
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| Life sized bronze statues dot Cody |
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| Buffalo hunt |
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I'm immediately attracted to the exhibit on saddles of the west, especially the saddle and bags used by the
Wells Fargo Overland
Pony Express. In fact, Buffalo Bill was one of the earliest and at age 15 the youngest Pony Express riders.
The early history of Wells Fargo is of personal interest. My great grandfather was the Wells Fargo agent in the rough early days of
Cotulla TX where the railroad conductors announced the town by calling out "Cotulla! Everybody get your guns ready."
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| Pony Express saddle and bags |
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| Pony Express rider |
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The museum follows the events of Buffalo Bill's life through his development of the
Wild West Show, which started out at as a local 4th of July celebration. The show was so wildly popular it traveled over a quarter million miles including all over the globe. It even stopped in Santa Cruz and Watsonville! Considering the number of people, animals, and equipment plus the state of transportation at the time, this much travel alone is remarkable.
The most famous performance was in London for
Queen Victoria. At that time the show was at the height of its popularity with such renown performers as
Sitting Bull and
Annie Oakley.
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| His Buffalo hunting coat, hat and rifles |
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| Famous photo of Sitting Bull & Buffalo Bill |
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| Annie Oakley's costume and guns |
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| Large mural poster commemorating Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show performance for Queen Victoria |
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Authentic wagons of the west are predominately displayed. The
Deadwood - Cheyenne stagecoach is a real treat to see, especially after listening to Mark Twain's
Roughing It in which he details his stage ride from St Louis MO to Carson City NV in in 1861. A long journey in one of these stages was not only dangerous but mighty uncomfortable as well. We got a big kick out of the Sheepherder's wagon as it looks like an early RV complete with a kitchen and sleeping quarters. The cattle drive
chuck wagon with branding irons is another classic. It's great to see what these wagons of the old west actually look like up close.
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| Deadwood - Cheyenne stagecoach |
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| Sheepherder's Wagon |
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| Cattle Drive Chuck Wagon |
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The museum complex houses a well stocked research library as well as a large lab, both used for teaching. In the lab, a wonderful set of wolves is displayed, which is probably as close as we'll get to seeing them. The center of the complex has a three story atrium with a marvelous dome on the ceiling and a tile map floor.
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| Wolves |
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| Atrium ceiling |
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| Tile floor map of the west |
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The
Whitney Western Art Museum, which is part of the complex, has some amazing original works of famous artists, including those by
Remington and
Russell.
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| Grand Canyon |
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| Yellowstone Falls |
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The one we get a big kick out of is "Tonto Dreams" by Rodger Jacobsen. While Tonto sleeps with the Lone Ranger nearby, trucks and cars rumble down the freeway past a Casino and Santa Fe. Tonto has a marshmallow roasting on the fire and some of his favorite things scattered nearby, including a girlie magazine entitled "Buffalo Gals", a deck of cars and gambling chips.
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| Tonto Dreams |
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Peter checks out the Cody Firearms Museum and finds a wonderful 5' tall
Seri basket in the Gift Shop, which is only $7500 on special (sigh - why do I always like the expensive ones?). That night we camp at the
Ponderosa Campground, which is within easy walking distance of downtown.
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| Cody Firearms Museum |
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| Our campsite in Cody WY |
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