August 15…. We left Buffalo heading for Cody and had our first MDA (Mountain Directory Advisory) ahead of us. This book is a life saver when crossing mountains. We crossed the Big Horn Mountains at Powder River Pass (elevation 9666'). This is probably the most scenic highway we've driven… rocks that are 500 million years old…Joan and I are like Jan… who has been around to do the counting???? I know this elevation is the highest we've ever taken the motor home. We were behind Joan and Barth and an eighteen wheeler going off of the mountain.
Arrived at Cody early and had a sandwich before going to the see the lady at our campground for information…we're right in town about a mile from Wal-Mart. Can you tell we measure everything by where a Wal-Mart is located?
The afternoon was spent downtown walking around before going to the nightly gunfight at the Irma Hotel. Joan and I told Barth and Ralph that if they got shoved into the gun fight that this "was their sign."
The Historic Irma Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Hotels. Buffalo Bill Cody built the hotel in 1902, naming it after his youngest daughter. In the hotel's main dining room we saw the famous cherry wood bar given to Buffalo Bill by Queen Victoria. The cherry wood bar was shipped from Europe by boat and then by Train to Cheyenne or Casper and from there on to Cody by wagon. More about Buffalo Bill will follow when we've been through the museums. After the gunfight we had dinner at the Irma. Dinner was delicious and the atmosphere was great. The characters from the gunfight were milling around talking to the guests. Driving Distance 180 miles
August 16… First stop of the day was Buffalo Bill Dam on the Shoshone River. This dam was completed in the early 1900s was the model for Hoover Dam; although on a much smaller scale. The visitors' center had a movie about the construction of the dam. The amazing part was that the work had to be done in the winter months as the spring and summer flood water prevented any work being done during this time. The winter months were cruel. The day the last concrete was poured finishing the dam the temperature was 15 degrees below zero!!!
Next we went to Old Town. a group of historic building that were from this area that have been moved and formed into an old Western town. They have a really nice museum and lots of western and Indian artifacts. Ralph's only complaint was that he didn't get to read all of the old newspapers! In the town was a small cemetery with Jeremiah Johnson being the most famous person that has been re-buried there. He body was brought back here in the 1970's with Robert Redford being one of the pallbearers.
We went to Tecumseh's Trading Post and saw the large collection of Native American artifacts and also a huge "Old West Miniature Village "that depicts the historical events of Wyoming and Montana from 1600s to 1800s including scenes of… Indians, Buffalo, Settlers, Wagon Trains, Trains, etc…a very interesting collection and the gentleman that ran the trading post said this was "a work of a lifetime…his." He was from Harrisburg, PA. Some of the Native American bead work was absolutely beautiful. We found out that the Indians didn't have any beads until the Europeans brought them into the country. Most of the beads came from Venice.
We're going to the Rodeo tonight and I'll write about it tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment