Journey Day 3 - Thermopolis to Cody

[catchup: written 27/08/16]

A slow start this morning knowing that it is a shorter journey today.

I decided to try the breakfast Grits which were on offer but wasn’t impressed. I’ve no idea whether it was typical or not but it was like thin over sweetened porridge with the grain flakes not fully re-hydrated.

At 10:15 we left the hotel to explore Thermopolis. It is a pleasant small town and this was the weekend of the Giving of the Waters Parade celebrating the sale of the area with the thermal springs   by the Indians who included the rider that a percentage of the waters must remain free for public use. To this day there is a public pool maintained

The springs and pools are on a sloping area adjacent to park and at at the  highest level there is a large attractive pool. The water flows on from the main pool across levels and finally over the side into the river leaving flows created by minerals and deposits in the water. It is remarkable and interesting to walk around the paths among the pools but the flow is disappointingly low, possibly seasonal, with the result that many areas are dried out and scaly whilst the colouring of the spill areas resulting from the different heat loving bacteria unfortunately resembles rust.

spill off into the river

A great novelty is this vent which was installed early 20th century to take steam away from the public pool which started as a chimney atop a triangular structure but has grown into a natural feature.

The area where the main spring surfaces before entering the top pool was cordoned off and a group of native Americans were singing and chanting preparing for later. The grass around the thermal park had turned into campsite for the Indians taking part and further over the community had a fair with local crafts etc. One stall selling photographs had a photo he’d taken of a Glenfinnon Viaduct (the one the Hogwart’s Express goes over) and we had a pleasant chat with him and his wife who have a son working near Manchester in the UK.

We enjoyed our amble around the stalls but were quite glad to get into the air conditioned car with 82F in the shade already at 11:20.

 Out 80 mile journey was uneventful of clear fast roads and we were at out destination town Cody before 1pm.

We spent the afternoon exploring the Buffalo Bills Centre of The West, a very extensive museum covering the life and times of William Cody aka Buffalo Bill. This isn't the place to recall detail but if you're passing by I strongly recommend a few hours here. In addition to the Buffalo Bill section there were sections on the Plains Indians, Natural History of the Region and an extraordinary huge Firearms museum covering very early weapons, all the Winchesters and Colts that we heard of in cowboy movies plus just about every type of gun from every war in the USA, Europe and the East.
I didn't find it comfortable as the Americans seem to glorify the weapon whereas my fascination was more at the engineering of the machine.
Adverts emphasised that across the road in an unattached business you could pay to shoot all types of weapons, including the Gatling gun which close up is the most vicious killing machine.
I could happily experience firing a hand gun or a rifle to experience the actual feel of the machine and to challenge my ability to aim at a target but I feel that is a very different attitude from those around me with some perverse love affair with the killing power.

The museum was excellent but an unplannable benefit was that whilst we were in doors, outside torrential rain fell for 2 hours.

We headed for our hotel about 5pm and enquired about the Cody rodeo which we planned to visit this evening. It turned out there was a good deal for a meal and show combined ticket and that fitted as we'd have to go back into town to eat and then get back so everything 2 doors away was a good idea.. and we're on holiday anyway!

Triple C Cowboys

Food was classic serve yourself fare as is typical at these dinner & show locations but the trio country band surpassed any expectations being really good. The voices and stagecraft were very professional and the guitarist was unbelievably good. An excellent was to spend the early evening we then walked the 200yds to the rodeo and took our seat up in the stand.

The opening was a reminder of where we were with a rider parading a large stars and stripes flag and the national anthem sung. I am aways uncomfortable by what I perceive, rightly or wrongly, to be overdone insincere Christianity in the US. All the reference to Christ being thanked and looking after us just felt cringy to me the way it was done. I also struggle, though they've got every right to say it in their own country, with the the stated fact that they live in the best place in the world. They're wrong, I do!.... and I'm sure that's what many visitors from all over the world think when they hear it.

The horsemanship (generic - women riders included) was startling, skillful and often downright dangerous.

bucking bronc

The riders on the bucking horses have to stay on but also demonstrate style. Each attempt it scored and it is far from just being how long you stay on.  I felt better knowing that these horses naturally buck and actually perform for very brief periods between which they are unstressed.

Bull riding was a similar scoring system.

I felt very uncomfortable with the calf roping which seemed to be unacceptable stress to an animal for entertainment. The rider has to successfully lasso the calf, pull it to a halt they jump off, wrestle the calf to the ground and tie it's two rear legs which then has to hold for a minimum period. I hated the jolt on the calf's neck at the lasso pulled it up. Skillful though.

In a rather sexist demonstration, the female riders lasso the calf but at the point of jolt the line snaps from the rider's saddle letting the calf run off. Can't have them girlies jumping off horses and wrestling calves. I disapprove of the sexism but do approve of the less stressful experience for the calf.

calf roping

My favourite was probably the barrel racing where the riders do a really high speed run through and around a pattern of barrels in the arena. Superb riding skills and nerve and the horses seemed to enjoy it.

My favourite performers were the two guys who rounded up the bucking horses and bulls after riders had been thrown gradually coralling them to the fence line then guiding them into a channel out of the arena. If the rider had managed to stay on they, got up side by side with the bucker and lifted the rider onto their own horse safely.

I don't have many photo's as the light faded rapidly. This last one is looking sideways from the stand to the sunset behind the mountains of East Yellowstone, our destination  tomorrow.

Got back to our lodging two minutes before lobby closed so grabbed hot drinks to take back to our lodge.

Today's route:

Statistics: Miles today: 87miles; Miles so far: 616; Fuel added so far: 11.3 gals; States: Wyoming; Time Zone: Mountain Daylight Saving (UK-7)