Today is our last day in Cody and it has been all we hoped it would be. This is one of the most picturesque areas we have ever experienced. We could easily spend another week here, but it is time to move on to our next adventure. Our next stop will be
Dubois, Wy, where we hope to explore Jackson and the Grand Tetons. But first, let me offer a few tidbits about
Cody. Cody was started by, and named after Buffalo Bill Cody and is a thriving town of about 10,000 people. Agriculture and tourism would be the primary source of income for local residents. Cody is known as the eastern entrance to
Yellowstone National Park, but is also well known for the
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the nightly rodeo, evening gunfights at the
Irma Hotel, and drop dead gorgeous scenery. One final observation would be to say while Cody is a wonderful place to visit, be prepared to spend lots of $. The Trolley Tours, Rodeo, restaurants, campgrounds and shopping are a little on the pricey side, as are most tourist destinations. There has been a Hell's Angels motorcycle rally going on while here. We thought we left the motorcycles behind in Sturgis, but they are here too in force. I will say from what I've seen myself, and on TV, they seem to be well behaved. Finally, for the botany lovers out there, I have a short synopsis about 2 species of trees we have observed that are native to the western states that we do not see in the eastern part of our country.
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| This is a picture of a Russian Olive tree. Its' appearance is whitish green in color with narrow leaves and thorny branches. It's considered invasive and not welcome in most areas. |
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| Picture of a tractor used to pull the 5th wheel in the next picture. The owner is obviously a John Wayne fan. |
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| I though it was pretty cool. |
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| Our campground here in Cody |
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| The leaves of a Cottonwood Tree are unique in that the top of the leaves are the same color and texture as the bottom. The leaves are diamond or triangular shaped. |
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| White fuzz from Cottonwood tree that contain seeds. The campground has been covered with these while we were here. |
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| The 8 next photos are of the daily gunfights at the Irma Hotel. This photo is on the porch of the hotel. I thought the stools were a bit "unusual". The Irma Hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody and is named after his daughter, Irma. |
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| Calamity Jane hawking gunfight posters. |
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| Will Bill Hickok |
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| Crowd waiting for the gunfight |
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| Sundance Kid |
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| Showdown |
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| Entire Cast of the Gunfight show. |
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| This complex is 5 museums under one roof that covers 7 acres. Included are museums on Buffalo Bill Cody, The Plains Indians, Whitney Western Art Museum, Draper Natural Museum and Cody Firearms Museum. It would take several days to view all the exhibits. The price is $18.00, but us "experienced" citizens got in for $16.00! The ticket is good for 2 days admission. |
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| Quite a few cool statues on the grounds of the museum. |
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| The following shots were taken on the scenic South Fork Road in Cody |
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| Old Trail Town is a reconstructed western town on the actual grounds of Cody. |
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| Pretty cool picture of the town IF the golf cart hadn't been parked there! |
You could photoshop the golf cart out! lol We went to the Old Trail Town also.
ReplyDeleteWe also loved Cody. Glad ya'll got to the Museum. I don't think one could ever see it all.
The cottonwood trees out west - we love them. I learned to recognize the sound of the wind in the cottonwood trees. There were times when I did not know one was around but heard the sound. I'd look around and see one nearby. Listen for it. It's a distinctive sound.
Those Russian Olive trees also caught our interest. Their green is so unique.
We never managed to get to the gunfight while there, and we spent 9 nights; stayed at the Ponderosa Campground. It's on the edge of town out toward rodeo & Old Trail town - kinda in the curve. Might not even be there now.
Be safe & enjoy.