Cody Gunfight, Rodeo and Beartooth Pass

Our time in Cody was filled with days of relaxation and plenty of things to see.  Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel was a place where we enjoyed their prime rib buffet and the watched the gunfight in the street that is performed daily.

Cody is known as the Rodeo Capital of the World.  Of course we made sure to attend the rodeo,  a trip to Cody without seeing the rodeo would just not be right.  For 97 years the Cody Stampede Rodeo has been held every summer.  One of the things we enjoyed was the announcer explaining  how the events are judged and the history of the events.  Watching the sunset while at the rodeo was definitely an added bonus to our evening. 

Another long day trip was to drive up to Red Lodge, Montana and then onto the Beartooth Highway which begins with a series of switchbacks and climbs through Rock Creek Canyon.  We reached an elevation of 10,962 feet and passed through an area that averages 200 inches of snow a year.  The temperature dropped to 49 degrees on this beautiful summer day in July.  While we were  stopped to take pictures we let Peaches out and she did not want any part of the cold weather and strong winds at the top of the mountain.  This is a must see if you ever get to that area.  As we look back through our pictures the images in our mind are so much more beautiful than the photos. 

On our way to Red Lodge we stopped at the site of the Smith Mine Disaster.  It is the site of the worst underground coal mine disaster in Montana where 74 men died on the morning of February 27, 1943.  Reading the marker at the site became very emotional for me as I thought of each of these men as individuals that were husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and friends.  My mind also drifted into thoughts of the families that were devastated that day along with all the wooden structures and equipment destroyed in the disaster.

Buffalo Bill named the hotel for his youngest daughter Irma. 

The famous cherry wood bar.  One of the most photographed features in all of Cody.  It was very pretty.

Buffalo Bill takes time to honor the men and women who are actively serving our country and the veterans in the audience. 

Let the show begin.

And of course the end.
 William F. Cody's skill at buffalo hunting  earned him his nickname "Buffalo Bill" that brought him lasting fame.  He was one of the most well known Americans of his time.

No caption needed here the picture tells it all.

If only those calves knew what was about to happen.



They turned these children loose to get the ribbon off the calves tails better known as the calf scramble.

This cowboy Gavin Baker was hurt during his ride.
 

Just as the buzzer went off another bites the dust.

The sunset was beautiful.

After 6 nights here we had to find other campgrounds in the area to extend our stay in Cody.

These sites were a bit closer than we like but they had no problem filling the park.

These fellows were seen all over Cody in all sorts of colors.

We liked the way they think here in Cody.

Smith Mine Disaster Memorial

Rock Creek has crystal clear water.
 It is well known to fly fisherman but don't plan on using a boat because of all the twist and turns. 

A little history about Red Lodge, Montana.

We loved all the flags flown on the main street in Red Lodge.  True American town.

Beautiful flower were seen through out the town.

Beartooth Pass Highway referred to as "the most beautiful drive in America".

Beartooth Highway is 68 miles beginning south of Red Lodge, Montana at an elevation of 6400 feet and ending near the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park at an elevation of 7500 feet.  In between these two elevations the road rises to 10,647 at Beartooth Pass Summit. 

The valleys were massive in size and visibility was for miles.

The sky was just a pretty and the snow capped mountains and the valleys.

The wildflowers were in the peak of their growing season of 45 days.

Stunning views.

The air was so crisp and clean.



The day trip consist of many miles but was so well worth the drive.  It is just so hard to capture in a picture the real beauty that our God has created for us to enjoy and feel the existence of His Holy Presence.