Spending five weeks together driving across America is a great test of a marriage. We have always done everything together – just not four hundred miles a day for so many days. The results were a stronger relationship, so many more memories together, shared delight in the God moments we witnessed, and a greater appreciation for the beauty of and freedoms enjoyed in America. This was our 2023 journey. We hope you will plan your own…
Who could have known how fun Cody, Wyoming is! What a great find and a patriotic place we would love to revisit.
We took highway 16 to Cody. What beautiful snow-covered mountains stood as a backdrop to evergreen hills. Fields of wildflowers blue, yellow, and white carpeted hillside pastures.
Miles and miles of diverse terrain of colorful soils and stratification of ancient sea beds provided an earthly art gallery of visuals and a preoccupation of understanding why it still stands though ever changing.
Beware the town of Manderson, Wyoming, on the way. If you stay on 16 you will bypass it. The GPS rerouted us there to save time, but the drive is monotonous and this town’s reputation as a speed trap is well deserved. A town of 88 people had 2 police cars stopping people and giving tickets. One was each end of town and speed limits change quickly.
In Greybull we saw a bentonite plant. Bentonite is a earth fining agent used in winemaking to remove excess protein. This stabilizes the wine, so it does not flocculate in the presence of heat.
In Cody we enjoyed the Buffalo Bill Cody Western Museum. It is definitely a must see and we would recommend you go here first to understand his entrepreneurial showman prowess. The museum which is actually five amazing museums under one roof, shared the most compete history of Buffalo Bill that we had seen.
We felt a kinship with him as a pied piper of the Western Life internationally and we as pied pipers of Texas Wines internationally.
720 Sheridan Ave., Cody, Wyoming 82414. https://centerofthewest.org.
After visiting the museums, we visited Irma’s Hotel which Buffalo Bill founded. There they had a daily shoot out in the town square in front of Irma’s. The street closes, the movable saloon sets are moved into place, the actors begin milling around, and the stage coach is poised across the street.
As the dialogue began between the historic characters, Doc Holiday, Bill Cody, Buffalo Bill and Kit Carson, a stagecoach appeared from stage right. There were damsels in distress and gun fire. It provided all the old west entertainment we needed.
It was free except for the reserved seats (I recommend if you want the full show). It began with a patriotic salute and brief history lesson. We enjoyed the energy and the old-world feel. It was not overly crowded but get there at least fifteen minutes before showtime which is 6 pm daily.
Cody’s Steakhouse delivered a tender steak and delicious gorgonzola chicken pasta. The daily vegetables included great red cabbage (so good for you!), carrot souffle’ (that tasted like dessert), and steamed broccoli.
Happy Hour is 4 to 5:30 pm, and the wine selection is excellent. The staff was friendly and so attentive. The water and wine glasses were never empty, and we barely knew the servers were there.
June 1 through August 31st is Rodeo. There are events every night at 8 pm. Shuttles pick you up at the hotel and take you to the Rodeo for $5 roundtrip.
Cody is a fun town and great place to relive the west.