Saturday, August 25, 2007

Cody Nite Rodeo!



What a blast! Cody Nite Rodeo. I didn't capture everything on video, but did manage to get a few clips of bronco riding and calf chasing. At one point the rodeo clowns invited all children under 12 to compete to pull a ribbon off the tail of a calf. Allie tried her best, but her boots encumbered her. "These boots are for walking. These boots are for stomping--but these boots are not for running," she explained later. We may go again tonight and give her another shot at it.

We spent the entire day at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. There are five museums within the center, all of them top-notch. The Plains Indians Museum had better artifacts and exhibits than I've seen anywhere else. In the Buffalo Bill Museum it was fun to see his personal items: gifts from foreign nobilities, guns, buckskin coats, letters.
In the Western Art museum I came across a favorite, an image I've used in my blog: the Madonna of the Prairie, by W.H.D. Koerner.

Cody, Wyoming has been a real treat. I would have missed it if we had not planned this Airstream adventure to Yellowstone. It is very small and friendly. I notice things like young people who say "excuse me" when they cross in front of you. At the rodeo, a little boy in cowboy garb ( including the hat and giant silver belt buckle) startled me when he blurted out, "Where you from?" His name was Tyler, or Tanner, or some cowboy name, and he told me his big brother was riding a bull tonight. And yes, he was! Skyler Erickson, not more than 10 years old was indeed on top of a small bull later that evening. He won. I love the names of rodeo kids. Catchy western-flavored names like Chaz and Cole, Chance, Cade, Shain, Logan, Trapper, and his sister, Feather. I want a cowboy name. Or an Indian name. Any ideas?

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