Vacation West Part 1

 

   

June 24 was the beginning of our travels West. The boys and I headed to the airport for a 9:30 Am flight. It felt weird flying with only the boys. I wished Mark was going on our trip, but he stayed home to keep an eye on the livestock and wells. He wanted to stay home if any of the families needed something done in a hurry, and he had an important land sale. He wasn't too interested in going on our trip west from the beginning and was  planning to fly in only for the wedding. He was fine with the rest of us making a trip out of the week.  In the weeks leading up to the date, he thought it would be best to stay home. The boys and I had carry on luggage and a backpack. As we were going through security Luke noticed Jake did not have his luggage. He left it down below the escalator. I guess he got distracted and forgot it. Fortunately, it was right were he left it with a security guard about to haul it away.  That was the first bobble. Our flight took us to Denver. As I unboarded the plane to check our next flight, I thought we had 20 minutes until our flight departed and panicked. Little did I know that it was actually 20 minutes until boarding began. We were at gate14 and had to get to gate 88 on foot. Thinking the flight was all boarded and waiting on us, we hoofed it as fast as we could without running. The boys tried to keep up and we took all 6 walking escalators trying to casually pass people. We had to stop for Luke to use the restroom and then I did some slow running. It was crazy busy and we were going left and right squeezing through and passing people right and left. We got to our gate and I thought we were too late, only to find out they were just starting to board. I guess I will read my ticket closer next time. We caught our breath and the plane took us to our destination of Cody Wyoming. It was pretty flying in with the pretty terrain and mountains.  After missing lunch, we were hungry and went right to eating at a BBQ restaurant before checking in to the The Cody Hotel. The hotel was very nice with a large room, queen beds, a sofa sleeper, pool, and a nice continental breakfast. The real kind of breakfast where they have eggs, sausage, biscuits, and gravy that are fresh and not imitation, and you can make your own waffles. You could go through the line and serve yourself. Since COVID, most places have a prefabricated muffin in a plastic package and no longer allow the self serve breakfast. Masks were left at the airport on this trip! That was the only place you had to have them and wear them. A random person here or there had one on, but it wasn't the norm, my kind of place. We walked the main street with all its little shops and went through the "Dug Up Museum". It was a collection of hundreds of firearms from earlier than the revolution through WW2 all dug up from the ground. The firearms and their stories are fascinating. If only they could speak and tell of the stories. Their were guns belonging to famous outlaws, guns of assassins', guns from battles and generals and so much more. There was a well advertised gun show on main street that I thought might be entertaining. It was awful. We watched for about 15 minutes before leaving.  We finished the night with a quick sit in the hot tub and a few minutes in a 170 degree sauna. 

Day 2 we visited the Buffalo Cody Center of the West museum's, 4 museums' in one. The big hit was the firearm museum with thousands of firearms. Luke also enjoyed visiting with the Scout Saddle company and learned a few tips in leather work. We roamed through looking at everything, took a lunch break and went back to see more. We ate our lunch at the Irma hotel. There is a lot of history there... "The hotel was opened to the public on November 1, 1902. A grand opening celebration followed on November 18 (see original invitation below). Buffalo Bill spent $80,000 in 1902 dollars on construction costs. He named the hotel for his youngest daughter Irma, born February 9, 1886. Cody stayed in the hotel frequently when he returned from his Wild West Show tours. His personality and fame kept the Irma packed when he was in town.The cherrywood backbar in the restaurant was presented to Colonel Cody by Queen Victoria of England after a command performance he gave for her." Irmahotel.com

  

We spent more time at the museum and checking out all the firearms. There was a digital shooting range that we stood in line for. First you calibrated your aim, then started the shootout. You had 5 targets to hit and 5 rounds and it was timed. When Luke started his game he didn't know you had to hit the targets in order, so his first round he lost a lot of points. That made him upset. When Jake got ready for his turn, he skipped the calibration step so his aim and shot were off and caused him to miss a lot. He was upset. When I got up to shoot, I followed the directions, calibrated my gun, shot in order, and hit all my targets quick with ease and got a high score. My boys were so mad. Luke didn't think it was fair that I calibrated my gun. They are so competitive and let me tell you that did not fly with them. They got smoked by their mom and in front of a long line of people watching. That spoiled the mood for the next several hours. I couldn't believe how serious they took it, it was just a game. I had to get them in a better mood, so we went to a nearby mini golf. It wasn't a very nice one, pretty plain and very old. We tried not to be competitive so we could have fun at it and not worry about scores.  

We had plans for day two to pick up Noah and Jayden at the airport at 5:30, eat supper and go to the rodeo. Their plane was delayed out of Denver because of thunderstorms. They didn't get in until 1:00AM. That was a late night for everyone. They even laid on the floor of the airport in Denver with a 6 hour wait. Fortunately the Cody airport was only a 15 minute drive to our hotel. We all slept well that night. 

It was great to have Jayden on the trip, I miss her so much and like to spend time with her.  I am having a hard time getting used to her being so far away. 

   

  

    

    

Day 3 I had reservations for a horse ride 30 minutes from our hotel towards Yellowstone. I was looking so forward to the ride and hoped the kids would enjoy it too. Our two hour ride was at 12:30 so I packed PB& J sandwiches and chips to eat before our ride. The Bill Cody Ranch was a great pick. There are horse trail ride signs all over the place, but this one I did a little research online. You never know until you experience it what it will be like. It was amazing and I would go again. The views were stunning, the trail took us up, down, through bubbling streams, up and down hills, around curves, in and out of trees and through rugged terrain. It was a lovely time! I was on a horse named Pickles who pinned his ears if another horse was anywhere near and liked to bite other horses. He also tried to put his head down and eat every 5 seconds. That made the ride more challenging. Jake had the best horse, it just slowly moved along with ease. Luke rode a fuzzy sweet donkey. Jayden had a big grey and Noah had the nicest looking horse, a thick roan. Midway through the ride, our guides stopped for a photo with a gorgeous view.  We all enjoyed it and it was a favorite for everyone. 

"Hollywood actor Leonard Morris established the precursor to The Bill Cody Ranch, the Lazy Bar H Ranch, in 1925. He built the original lodge to feel typical of Western life "with its Navajo rugs, Indian curios, hunting trophies, huge fireplaces, and unusually comfortable furnishings." Since then, little has changed beyond updating to modern standards. Step back in time to a place where all the things that matter have stayed the same for decades. Established in 1925 by Leonard and Dorothy Morris, his marketing of the ranch in the eastern U.S. helped make the term "dude ranch" part of the American lexicon. In its early days, guests at the Lazy Bar H Ranch enjoyed home-cooked meals, horseback riding, pack trips, big game hunting, fishing, and target shooting. In 1945, Bill and Mary Walker purchased a ranch closed by World War II and renamed it Name it Creek Ranch after the creek that runs through our canyon. Soon after, Eugene and Adah Petty homesteaded the ranch and added water and electricity while building out space for guests and staff including the chalet, the Ponderosa Cabins, and the employee guesthouse. Buffalo Bill Cody is a famed showman and the namesake of Cody, Wyoming. After a turbulent time in the late '60s when the ranch passed through many owners' hands quickly, the grandson of Buffalo Bill, also named Bill Cody, bought the ranch. The purchase occurred in 1971 and he renamed it Bill Cody's Ranch Inn. Bill Cody had grown up in the Cody area. His mother was Irma Cody Garlow, the favored daughter of Buffalo Bill after whom the historic Irma Hotel is named. The young Bill Cody left Wyoming to pursue other ventures as a young adult, but Bill Cody Ranch would be where he spent his later years. He and his wife, Barbara, acquired the operation with a small deposit and devoted their next 25 years to expanding guest capacity and growing a diminished herd from five to more than 50 horses. Many owners devoted to relentless hospitality owned the ranch from 1996 to 2018, with one owner adding the Buckaroo triplex to the property. Since 2018, John Jelks, a longtime cattle and horse rancher from Arkansas, has owned the Bill Cody Ranch. The Jelks family has kept the Bill Cody Ranch a family-oriented guest ranch focused on maximum flexibility for guests. And cramming in the best experience possible even if guests have little time for the Wyoming dude ranch experience."... billcodyranch.com

 After the horse ride, we were tired and hungry. We got ice cream then rested until the 5:30 dinner show. Our evening dinner show was the Cody Cattle Company BBQ buffet with an entertaining band. My Mom and Dad gave us money for a meal out and we used it for this event. It was a treat for us all. There was a large crowd and a big buffet with brisket, chicken, beans, potatoes, salad, and bars. After eating the band performed. At first they played really old country music, and it seemed like it was going to be boring and like an old people concert. It didn't take long for the band to fire up and really get to playing and showing off. The lead guitar player and singer, Ryan Martin, was a tall nearly 7 foot tall enthusiastic, talented player. He had amazing talent and his fingers would just fly. He has won many awards for his talent and playing and we could see why! Luke was in awe and wanted his signature. After the show he bought a hat and the whole band signed it and he got his guitar pick. From the show we went to the evening rodeo. Cody holds a nightly rodeo June, July, and August 7 days a week. They have a beautiful arena with a spectacular view of the mountains. It is something out of a magazine. It was an interesting environment, not your typical rodeo crowd. The bleachers had a large crowd of  tourists that most had never been to a rodeo. The only had around 6 in most events. There were no steer wrestlers. It was the prefect night, it started at 8PM and the sun slowly went down, dry heat and cool in the evenings. Back at our hotel we made smores that our hotel had available. It was late and we asked the front desk when the pool closes, we knew it was 10PM but were hoping she would allow us to go a little later. She smiled and said it is open 24 hours. Who does that!? The kids enjoyed the pool while I tucked myself in bed. I was tired. We sure crammed it all into one day.

  

Day 4 Each morning is a struggle getting everyone to wake up. I have been waking around 7:30 and I can't get anyone to blink an eye until closer to 9. I don't want our day to get away from us. Our hotel breakfast is a motivator. Today we checked out and headed west into Yellowstone. It was an hour from Cody to the entrance. My plan was to take our time and spend the whole day traveling, sight seeing, and maybe some hiking. Jayden seemed to keep pushing us on to get through in a hurry. She wasn't interested in making stops and exploring. We saw some wandering buffalo near the road. The traffic was fairly busy, but not terrible. I pulled over at a volcanic Sulphur Caldron sight. Even though I can't smell much, the others said the smell was super strong of sulfur. You could see and feel the heat rolling off the caldrons. You could hear the bubbling of sulfuric acid and some of it was gurgling and bubbling up. They have an extremely high acidic level and actually have organisms living in it. Thermoacidophile are microorganisms that live in extreme heat and acidic environment.  

While we were looking over a wall down below, a few buffalo came around the corner of the road. Traffic slowed to watch. The kids walked over to get a better look as I kept videoing the caldrons. I turned to record the buffalo on my video as they rounded the corner and they started heading right towards me. A parent of young children was starting to panic trying to get her kids away. I slowly walked away as they came straight at me less than 20 feet away. It was pretty awesome. I was not scared even though I probably should have been. They just reminded me of cattle and seemed harmless. There are signs all over not to get within 200 feet. I got an up close and personal view today. We made another stop at a Geyser Basin. We walked the bridge that took us on a loop around all the geysers. Jayden wasn't too excited to walk and explore. I found it all very interesting. 

National Geographic…”A geyser is a rare kind of hot spring that is under pressure and erupts, sending jets of water and steam into the air. Geysers are made from a tube-like hole in the Earth's surface that runs deep into the crust. The tube is filled with water. Near the bottom of the tube is molten rock called
magma, which heats the water in the tube. Water in the lower part of the tube, close to the magma, becomes superhot. Gradually, it begins to boil. Some of the water is forced upward. The boiling water begins to steam, or turn to gas. The steam jets toward the surface. Its powerful jet of steam ejects the column of water above it. The water rushes through the tube and into the air. The eruption will continue until all the water is forced out of the tube, or until the temperature inside the geyser drops below boiling (100 degrees Celsius, or 212 degrees Fahrenheit, at sea level). After the eruption, water slowly seeps back into the tube. The process begins again. In some small geysers, the eruption process can take just a few minutes. In larger geysers, it can take days. The most famous geyser in the United States, Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful, erupts about every 50-100 minutes.”

  

We drove on through the park and each time I asked the kids if they wanted to stop, I got a no answer. We exited the park and entered West Yellowstone around 4:00. It was a busy little tourist town with lots of shops and dinning. We drove on to our cabin which seemed so far out in the middle of nowhere. We drove across the border into Idaho. I didn't realize our cabins were in Idaho. We drove 25 minutes before arriving at our cabin. It was in a beautiful area with a 360 degree view. We had tall mountains all around with a lake. The cabin was perfect for us, spacious with 2 queen rooms and a bunk room. Jayden and I shared a room. Noah had a room, Luke took a bunk, and Jake preferred the couch. The cabin had everything you could need. Being so far out of town wasn't real convenient, but it was so peaceful. We drove back into West Yellowstone for the evening, walked the streets of shops and had dinner.