Traveling again

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We departed Devil's Tower on June 11, 2008 heading for Cody, Wyoming. We spent the night in Buffalo, Wyoming and got underway the next morning. There were two routes we could take from Buffalo to Cody, but were told one of them was a safer and easier drive than the other one. As it turned out, I am glad we took the safer drive because we would not have wanted to experience the other route if the one we took was the safer one. We were going to have to cross over the Big Horn Mountains going through Powder River Pass, and as we started over them, it seemed innocent enough. After driving for a short period of time we started seeing small patches of snow under the trees; further up and we started seeing more and more snow under the trees and also clinging to the trees; at around 8,000 feet we started seeing dandruff sized snow flakes; a little further up and the dandruff sized flakes were then becoming bigger and bigger and were falling harder and harder. By the time we were at about 8,900 feet, the snow was really coming down and the wind was blowing so hard that it was blowing the falling snow and the snow on the ground and in the trees all around us until, we were in a white out, couldn't even see the end of our hood. We thought that was bad enough, but it got worse. There were patches of ice on the road when all of a sudden the truck lost traction and we started fishtailing -- scared me half to death. Thank goodness the RV did not slide or I guess we would have really been in big trouble, and the worse part was, we were still climbing. After a few seconds Dee got the truck under control and we then tried to decide if we should stop or not. However, there really was not any place to stop, and if there had been, we were not sure if that would be the best thing to do anyway. If the snow kept falling as hard as it was or got worse, we might have been stuck up there for who-knows-how-long. The other problem we considered was if we did stop, with all the snow and ice on the road, we might not have been able to get enough traction to start moving again. When you are from Florida, you just do not know how to handle those driving conditions. We finally crested the mountain at around 9,600 feet. However, we very soon saw the sign that can put some fear into you -- a yellow sign showing a truck going down a steep grade and this one said 7% grade for the next 18 miles -- gulp!! Sometimes you cannot decide if it is better to be climbing towing that weight behind you or going down hill with that weight pushing you. Shortly after cresting, we did finally come to a parking area which had been cleared of ice and snow. We were both so wound up that we pulled over so we could get out and stretch and let our nerves calm down. Finally at around 8,000 feet we drove out of the falling snow and icy road, but there was still snow on the ground and in the trees, but that was OK, we could relax again. From that point on the drive was absolutely beautiful. It was probably just as beautiful earlier, but with the snow and us being so uptight driving in those conditions, we just did not notice. We thought we would get into Cody no later than 1:00 p.m., but it was after 3:00 p.m. when we finally drove into the city. We stayed at the Absaroka RV Park. It was a nice enough park if you didn't want to hang out and relax. It was clean and it was close to the sights we wanted to see in Cody, but it was more like a trailer park with one RV close to the next one.

While in Cody, we went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which encompasses 300,000 square feet -- almost seven acres. There are actually five museums in one:

The Buffalo Bill Museum -- interprets the life and times of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. He was a scout, hunter, marksman, Pony Express rider, adventurer and showman. He made millions; he lost millions; he gave away millions. Born on the prairie in 1846, he took part in many of the events and activities that shaped America and the West -- the Civil War, the Indian Wars, mining, ranching, and town building. He was described as handsome, modest and well-spoken. His skills as a horseman and marksman were probably unsurpassed, and for his courage in battle he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1883 he put the epic western experience into an arena show called Buffalo Bill's Wild West - which toured the U.S. and Europe for 30 years. By the turn of the century he was probably the most famous American in the world, and no one symbolized the West for Americans and Europeans better. He and his wife, Louisa Fredrici Cody had four children, three girls and one boy. His son Kit and his daughter Orra died in childhood. Buffalo Bill died in Denver in 1917 and several citizens of Cody formed a Memorial Association in his name and set out to build a permanent monument to him and to the land and people of the West. Ten years later they opened a museum which has grown to become today's Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This part of the Center has many, many artifacts belonging to Cody as well as wagons and stagecoaches, Wild West show film footage, photos and posters and his boyhood home.

The Plains Indian Museum -- illustrates the art, cultures and lives of Plains Indian peoples through interpretive displays and interactive audiovisual programs. The highlights of this part of the Center is the 1850s Nez Perce buffalo hide tipi, Northern Plains Indian art and artifacts and a year of life on the plains in the Season of Life Gallery.

The Whitney Gallery of Western Art museum -- presents masterworks of the American West, including paintings, sculptures, and prints. The highlights of the this part of the Center are the works of art of C M. Russell, Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, and many others; sculptures in the gardens and around the building; and contemporary western art in the Kriendler gallery.

The Draper Museum of Natural History -- explores the diversity of the Greater Yellowstone region and the interactions between humans and nature. The highlights of this part of the Center are the interpretive trail through the Yellowstone ecosystems; bears, wolves, and other animals of Yellowstone; and interactive programs and hands-on displays.

The Cody Firearms Museum -- which features a comprehensive collection of American and European arms from the sixteenth century to today. The highlights of this part of the Center are the technological evolution of firearms manufacturing; firearms as art in the Embellished Arms Gallery; and trophy game animals in the Boone & Crockett Hunting Lodge.

It definitely takes more than one day to go through this Center. and in fact when you purchase a ticket, it is good for two consecutive days. We spent two wonderful afternoons going through this collection of all things western and still did not get to see it all.



We also went to the Buffalo Bill Dam. Buffalo Bill, founder of Cody, Wyoming, spent many years promoting and attempting to raise money for his dream of irrigating thousands of arid acres east of Cody from the Shoshone River. Total cost of the dam (in 1910 dollars) was $929,658. Construction was started on October 19, 1905 and was completed January 15, 1910. Original height at completion was 328 feet, then the highest dam in the world; length at base is 70 feet and length of dam at crest is 200 feet. There was an 8-year modification project which increased the dam height by 25 feet and was completed in 1993. Water storage capacity before raising the dam was about 400,000 acre feet and after modification approximately 650,000 acre feet.



We also went to tour Old Trail Town and Museum of the Old West, which is a collection of 26 authentic frontier buildings from 1879 to 1901 and is located on the original town site of Cody City. Displayed in the buildings are thousands of artifacts belonging to Indians, trappers, frontier people and cowboys who lived in this area. Gravesites of Jeremiah "Liver Eating" Johnson and other notorious characters were exhumed and re-located here. Johnsongot the nickname "Liver Eating" when his Flathead Indian wife and unborn child were brutally murdered by Crow Indians while he was out trapping. This started a 12-year vendetta against the Crow and in order to strike fear into them, many times after killing a Crow he would eat, or at least pretend to eat, their liver. When the remains of Jeremiah Johnson were re-located to this site, Robert Redford, who was the star of the movie based on his life, was one of the pall bearers. (side note: Robert Redford is much, much better looking than the real Jeremiah Johnson). One of the buildings relocated to this site is the original saloon located in the outlaw hideout of Hole-in-the-Wall where Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid planned one of their robberies.


After spending a few days in Cody we decided to find a campground more secluded and out of the city , so one afternoon we took a drive towards Yellowstone, which is the direction we will be heading when moving on to Idaho. We found a very nice, beautiful and quiet campground in the Shoshone National Forest and on June 15, we moved to this campground where we planned to stay for a week.

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Photos

Heading to Cody
Our first sight of mountains on this trip (Big Horn Mts), heading towards Cody, WY.

Powder River Pass
Snow we traveled into on drive to Cody.

RV
Where we pulled over to recover our wits and take a deep breath after making it through this frightening drive.

Trish
Freezing in the snow while recovering from harrowing drive.

Drive to Cody
Beautiful scenery on drive to Cody after leaving the snow behind us.

Beautiful Scenery
On drive in Big Horn Mountains after making it through Powder River Pass.

Dee
Standing at bar in saloon where Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid planned a robbery.

Another View
of Old Trail Town

Comments

[Dene]

Excellent overview
Hey guys: Thanks for the memories of Cody! I really enjoyed your info especially since I was there recently myself. Very comforting to know that others I care so much about shared this beautiful and interesting scenario. We walked in the same path for a few days. Happy trails, Dene