Day # 9 - Cody, WY

Cody, Wyoming – Howdy! After a late night we got off to a slow start this morning. After breakfast we headed the 3 miles up the road to Cody. Quaint little town and every bit the tourist trap you are imagining.

We stopped in the visitor center for advice on kid friendly things to do. We went to a neat little museum tucked away inside a general store. It had these very large elaborate miniature displays of how the white man came west and conquered all. Actually it was pretty neat. The displays were very detailed and there were miniature trains with buttons the kids could push to make them go. Sarah, Tony and I enjoyed listening to the history behind each scene and AJ and Abby enjoyed chasing each other around and pushing buttons. We also wandered around downtown for a little while and some of the folks from the Rodeo were out promoting the nights show. It was funny to see a huge bull standing on the corner for photos. We wandered back through town to the truck and then headed back to the campground for a quick swim in the heated pool.

After nap, we got ready for the day’s main attraction – The Cody Night Rodeo. Cody has a nightly rodeo all summer long. These people take their rodeo very seriously. For our family it was a night of entertainment, for many in attendance, it is a way of life. One girl we talked to was telling us about her 11 year old brother who was riding in the junior bull riding competition – 11! Yikes! The rodeo was a blast. The kids got their faces painted by the rodeo clowns (they call themselves the bullfighters). Then they learned how to rope a (sawhorse) steer. Finally, we settled into the stands with popcorn and cotton candy in hand to watch the bull riders. Watching grown men try to stay on a very large and very nasty looking bull for 8 seconds might not sound like fun, but it was. We finally had to pry the kids away around 9:45 so we could get a good night’s rest and be ready for our first visit to Yellowstone.