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Day Seven - Cody, Wyoming - June 5, 2014
Today we did something we haven't done this entire trip: we stayed put. Well, we at least stayed in one town two nights in a row. There were several places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do in Cody. It was our first stay in a real western town, and we had some laundry to do. Life does go on...

Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Our original plan was to visit both the Buffalo Bill museum and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center at the site of a World War Two Japanese Internment Camp. By the time we were through with the Buffalo Bill museum, it was too late. This place is massive and actually houses five different museums under one roof:
 
    - Buffalo Bill Museum
    - Whitney Western Art Museum
    - Cody Firearms Museum
    - Draper Natural History Museum
    - Plains Indian Museum

If you plan to see it all in a single day, you might consider taking a break for lunch. We did!
 

We started in one wing of the campus and worked our way around the core. We kept finding new things around every corner. It was a little difficult keeping up with the kids and helping them absorb it all. There are so many things to grab their attention. One of the most difficult tasks was trying to explain why Bill Cody was the most famous American in that time period. He was a rock star. He may very well have been the primary reason traditional western history was written as it was. He traveled all over the world with a massive cast producing the grandest show in that day. The Buffalo Bill portion of the museum focuses on his career, starting out as a scout, a probable Pony Express Rider, and eventually a showman.

The Plains Indian Museum was also exceptional. We're from Georgia, and the Native Americans indigenous to our area were considerably different than the Plains Indians. For instance, eastern Native Americans were not nomadic, so they did not have teepees, but rather log cabins. The Plains Indians also seemed to have more decorative headdress and fancier beaded clothing. The Plains Indian museum displays many artifacts and lifelike models that seem to bring that period to life.

We also spent quite a lot of time in the Cody Firearms Museum. Amazing. I've never seen so many antique guns in one place ever in my life. Very impressive.

Irma Hotel
As I mentioned before, we split our time at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West with a walk downtown for lunch. The Irma Hotel is a beautiful old hotel built by Bill Cody and named for his wife. Entering through the front doors is like traveling back in time. A massive cherry wood bar stretches down the right side of the room. It is one of the most photographed items in Cody. The meal, another Buffalo Burger for me, was delicious!

Cody Night Rodeo - A Lot of Bull!
So, everyone told us "you've  just gotta go to the Cody Night Rodeo." Well, they were right! We arrived early, just before the gates opened. We had some good advice on the best seats in the house, and boy howdy, they were the best. We were positioned above, and just a few feet behind the bronco/bull chutes, the place where the cowboys mount-up for their attempt to ride. We got to see a lot of behind-the-scenes happenings. It's truly amazing the beating these guys take, day after day, week after week. There was blood, but there was also a cowboy prayer that started the whole thing off.

The MC was a clown, and he was great! He constantly interacted with the spectators, telling jokes and running little side events during the down time between various riding and roping competitions. For one of the side events, they tied ribbons around the tails of two calves. Then, all the kids in the arena had to chase the calves and take the ribbon off. We're proud to announce, Lainey won! She got the first ribbon and won! How cool is that!

Speaking of cool, this was the first evening we  began to notice the cold night air. It got downright chilly before the rodeo ended. We bundled-up and turned the heater on in the camper when we got back to the campground. It was June, and we were running the heat. Odd for us Georgia folks.
 

Scroll to bottom for the entire gallery.

A beautiful day in Cody, Wyoming


Exhibits at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
are absolutely incredible.


Plains Indians seem to have more elaborate
and decorative headdress and clothing than
did the eastern tribes.

Downtown Cody - The Irma Hotel in the background.


What an incredible view from the stands at the
Cody Night Rodeo


Lainey and John Micah each rode a mechanical bull!


A happy young cowboy!

Please scroll down to view all the entire gallery of photographs from each of these destinations.