Fourth of July, WY Style

July 4, 2012

After a ridonculous day in the car, we finally got to wake up in Cody, WY.  Really early.  I signed Lauren up for the Cody Runner’s Stampede 10K a few weeks ago.  It seemed like an awesome idea at the time, but with a 7am start after a 37 hour drive in the car the day before, a couple more hours of sleep would have been welcome.  But we all rallied (even Lauren) and made it to the very cool Cody recreation center with plenty of time to spare.  And, as usual, Lauren rocked out with a fast time (despite the altitude) and walked away with a very cool Wyoming race shirt (probably her true motivation for running this one).

After the race Lauren and the kids headed down into town to check out the Fourth of July Parade, while I hooked up with my new best friend, Nate from The Humble Fly.  I decided that in order to take full advantage of the trout waters of Wyoming, I would need to pony up for a day with a guide.  And as I’d hoped, a day in the wilds of Wyoming spent avoiding grizzlies, rattlesnakes, wolves and bull deer in order to wrestle with native cutthroat trout was indeed money well spent.  Nate offered to take me on a couple miles of hiking through the “Wyoming Serengeti” to reach “cutthroat holy waters” and did not disappoint.  Great fun.

And just when you thought that might be enough, we all hooked back up on the Busiest Fourth Ever by meeting up at the World FamousCody Nite Rodeo.  I have to admit, going to a rodeo has never been on my bucket list (or Lauren, Ally or Ty’s), but when in Rome, right?  And while wavering between trying to fit in and setting aside our concerns for the safety of the cowboys and animals, it was a pretty good time.  Had some explaining to do with the locals as Lauren and Ally blatantly cheered for the calves that outran the lassoing cowboys, but other than that it was all good.  Probably not going to run out to another one, but a cool experience.

Capped the BFE with a gorgeous view of the Cody fireworks from an overlook just outside the city.  This area is just stunning visually – you literally can’t take it all in.  Beautiful mountains, rivers and lakes, lots more to come tomorrow as we head into Yellowstone for the first time.  Stay tuned.