Girls Night Out in Cody

Ruth and I are snuggled in bed watching "High School Musical 2" after a fun night out in Cody. The boys went back to the rodeo to see the bull riding since they missed it last night. Henry was so
excited to go again - he wore a red bandana and a leather belt that he got today at the Boot Barn (proud sponsor of the Cody Stampede Rodeo). He wanted cowboy boots really bad but we talked him out of it, figuring he wouldn't wear them much once we were out of Wyoming and Montana. He picked out a nice belt that fits him now and will fit him for a couple years as well - barring a massive growth spurt.

First, Ruth and I walked around downtown Cody and did a little shopping. Ruth wore her cowboy boots, belt and bandana (all pink!), but said her hat would be too much. Good fashion sense. (She says she's going to be a pink cowgirl for Halloween this year.) We picked up some beads, leather cording to make jewelry with our beads, a Cody keychain for Henry and some postcards.

Then it was off to the Outlaw Cafe for dinner. We split a salad, and then Ruth had a quesadilla and I had the best steak and cheese sandwich and hand cut french fries ever. The small restaurant even showed a movie - a western that I think was filmed at the Old Western Town in Cody. It had Steve McQueen in it, and I think it was called Tom Horn. Tom Horn was a man who was allegedly framed for murder by a publicity-seeking prosecutor back in the 1800's.

After dinner, we walked to the local ice cream parlor - cotton candy for Ruth and Coffee Cream and Fudge for me. A little more window shopping, and we listened to some of the music at the Annual Realtor's fundraising outdoor dance at the Irma Hotel (built by Buffalo Bill and named for his daughter) then it was back to the campground, where we hit the hot tub for a soak. Unfortunately, it was not very hot, so we called it quits early. After drying off, we came back to the RV and watched a movie.

Ruth fell asleep, and Jeff and Henry just got back from the rodeo. Henry's so excited about watching the bulls that I don't know how he'll fall asleep. He said it was just as good as Disneyworld! I'm sure he'll blog about it tomorrow. And apparently he was so handsome in his hat that lots of people talked to him. Jeff met people from Princeton, NJ at the rodeo who knew where our old house in Branchburg is. They also met people from Missouri who come to Cody every year for the Stampede Rodeo, and they said they drove the Beartooth Highway once in 2002 and won't do it again. It snowed on them when they got up to the top and they were scared to death. The shuttle bus driver chimed in that he once drove it and got caught in a snowstorm as well. They have these tall poles along the highway in places so you can see where the road is if it's covered in snow. After watching the rain and clouds up there today, I can see how a storm can bury the place pretty quickly. There are also parts of the road that they can close on short notice if a storm comes up. Anyway, the bus driver said that he would drive a bit, then get out and walk to the next tall pole to map the road, then drive to the pole, then get out and walk to the next pole, drive it, and on and on. I can't imagine that THAT is any fun.

Well, that's it for tonight. Tomorrow morning we head to Yellowstone, and I hope we make it back to Cody again someday.

'Night all!