36 Hours in Cody, Wyoming, Cody, Wyoming (B)

The town of Cody, Wyoming is a popular stopping point for travelers making the long drive between Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore. While I considered resting my head here for just one night, I'm so glad the family decided to spend an extra day exploring this cowboy town which was founded as a tourist magnet in 1896 by the already famous Buffalo Bill Cody.

We arrived in the late afternoon of a sunny June day. Driving through downtown, I noticed that quite a crowd was gathering in front of the historic Irma Hotel. While most cowboy stories tell of gunfights on the street taking place at high noon, the Cody Gunfighters put on a performance in front of the hotel at 6PM every Monday through Saturday during the summer months. It's like the Old West come to life.

After a quick stop to drop our suitcases at the hotel, we headed over to the Cody Nite Rodeo which has been going on nightly from June through August since 1919. That's quite a long run! It's the town's way of paying homage to Buffalo Bill and his famous Wild West Show. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).