We arrived in Cody Wyoming July 25. The town was founded by Buffalo Bill Cody and a few other investors. The first evening we had dinner at Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel. It was named after his youngest daughter and you can still book rooms in the iconic hotel. Every evening, they hold a gunfight reenactment on the side street of the hotel. We missed it the first night because we did not want our prime rib to get cold.
One can truly get a taste of the Old West while in Cody. Our dilemma, how do two gay women fit into a western town circa the late 1800’s? I know…… Git a hat! I tried to talk Terri into buying cowboy boots, but was unsuccessful. We wore or Keens instead. I think Birkenstocks would have been a dead give away.
Once Terri put on the hat, she was possessed buy the spirit of Buffalo Bill Cody. Every time she passed someone, she tipped her hat and said, “Howdy Ma’am, Howdy Sir, or Howdy Partner.” The looks we received were priceless. One Asian man had the same expression I had when I heard Julia Roberts married Lyle Lovett.
What do you do when you have a hat? Ride a horse!
Carlie was our Wrangler and she was terrific. We attempted to ride the first day and 15 minutes into the ride, it started to rain, thunder and lightening. She offered for us to come back the next day and we did.
First, I have never ridden a horse and that has been on my bucket list for years. Thank God she provided a small step stool to get up onto the horse. I don’t bend easily….but have no problem falling
I was a really freaked when I first got up on my horse Ruger. He was antsy, and would not stand still. I’m not looking too relaxed, check out the white knuckles:
Terri worked at a stable when she was in her late teens and was an old pro. 
After we got started on the trail, I was more relaxed – until the lightening…
Ruger was a bit stubborn the first day so on the second day I got to ride Brody and Terri was on Ruger. She was able to handle Ruger much better than I. I think being on a horse, took Terri back to her days at the stable. She kept asking Carlie if she could help with the horses. I was hoping Carlie would give in and allow Terri to assist but I am sure it’s a liability issue.
We climbed up a steep hill and caught a beautiful view. On the way down, Brody would stop to eat and when he bent his head down, I felt like I was falling off, even though I was leaning back. As you can see above, the trail is narrow at the top and I felt like I was going to tumble over the edge. I think I may have swore a few times and the saddle may have been wet….
It was an awesome time… I wanna pony…
Bucket list-
Horseback riding: 
And now that we smelled like horse, we just had to go to a rodeo:
At one point, they asked all the kids to come down into the arena. Two baby calves with ribbons tied on their tails, were let loose. The children were tasked with grabbing the ribbons.
Two riders got injured. One, the horse rolled over the rider and then kicked the rider in the head. The other rider got kicked in the chest. They both were able to walk off.
I did not like the calf roping. They say it does not hurt the calf, but it looks like it would.
It was a beautiful Wyoming evening:
The following day, we hung up our hats for helmets. We rode around 2 lakes that were connected by a bike path:
Then through a sub division of Cody and I could not get over the amount of deer inundating the neighborhood. Everywhere we looked, deer where making themselves at home. Each pic is a different deer, except the pics of the herd feasting on the garden and fruit tree.
Mom watching her twins:
This herd was devouring the garden
We saw many more, but I stopped taking photos.. Terri spoke to a postal delivery woman who told Terri there is a real issue w/ deer in these parts. Every year, they have a hunt to thin out the heard.
Cody was great. I wish we could have spent another day or two. We did not make it to any of the museums or tour the reconstructed original town.