Discovering the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the History and Cultural Lore of Cody, Wyoming.

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Discovering the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the History and Cultural Lore of Cody, Wyoming.

Early this morning, we gathered all our bags, loaded them into our car and said goodbye to the beautiful mountain cabin in the Grand Tetons National Park that belongs to our friends, the Deans. We’d had such a comfortable stay in this sprawling homestead with its indoor pool, outdoor pond and spacious decks—not to mention the vast amount of antiques and knick-knacks sprinkled all over the home. Had we more time to spend inside it, we’d really have enjoyed it more. As it was, we were only really there to sleep at night. So, we took a few pictures of the outside of the house and the views of the grand range of the Tetons that overlook the property which looked simply spectacular at 7.00 am as the eastern sun’s rays kissed them golden.

Drive to Yellowstone National Park:

It was a two-hour drive northward, with Llew at the wheel, as we made our way to Yellowstone National Park for out last day there . Once there, we stayed in the enter-east part that would take us into the attractions of the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” which is one of the most visited parts of these massive parklands. So, in a sense, we saved the best for last. Once we entered the park, we made an error reading the map and lost about an hour as we had to backtrack to get to our destination. But we reached there by about 11.00 am and began our exploration of the area.

Exploring the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone:

We made our base at the parking lot of Canyon Village where we also used restrooms. From there on, we followed easily signposted routes to arrive at the main canyon which gives the Park its name—the rocks are of a uniform orche color. The biggest attractions in this area are Upper Falls and Lower Falls and there are parking lots in each of these sites. Of the two, the Upper Falls are definitely the more striking because of their height and sound. Many artists have interpreted this scene, through the years, in various media and we saw many versions of it, later in the day, at the Museum in Cody. (But more about that later in this post).

After seeing the two Falls (each in a different location, but both nearby), we made our way to the last and final spot called Artist’s Point. This lookout is so-called because the colors of the rocks that form the canyon here are so various as to resemble an artist’s palette. Naturally, it is also a very popular spot for picture-posing—which we did too. The rocks are streaked in longitudinal color and with the river flowing through at the base and a few conifer trees that dot the area, it is indeed very scenic.

Off to Cody, Wyoming:

With the clock showing about 1.00 pm, we made do with the many snacks and cereal bars we had stashed in our Food Bag as we did not want to waste time stopping somewhere for lunch. We had a long drive to Cody, Wyoming, where we would be spending the night. Friends (Kathy, Virginia) had told me about the amazing museum in Cody and since I have never met a museum I did not love, I decided that we should try to get there before the museum closed, if possible.

The drive to Cody turned out to be longer than we expected—about 3 hours. But, attempting to beat the clock, we did get there by 4.00 pm and followed our GPS directions that took us right to the Museum.

Visiting the Buffalo Bill Center of the West:

For those who know nothing about him, the town of Cody is named after a man named William (Bill) Cody, who, in the late 19th century became legendary in these parts. He started his life in quite an ordinary fashion, in the days of the Wild West when gold prospecting, gun-running, outlaw-hunting and posses were part and parcel of American Western lore. He began his career establishing traveling entertainment shows that showcased the West for the rest of the country to see: singing, dancing, spectacular revue shows, fire-eating, etc.—all the antics associated with live shows in the 19th century—became his stock-in-trade. In time, he took on the stage name of “Wild Bill Cody” and traveled with his troupes across the Atlantic, all the way to London, where a dignitary no less than Queen Victoria herself was a guest at one of his shows. Needless to say, he became enormously successful and wealthy and ploughed the money he made back into the town of Cody where he established hotels with restaurants, saloons, bars, etc. One of the places he founded was the ‘Irma Hotel and Saloon’ which he named after one of his daughters. His entire life is well mapped out in the world-class museum in Cody which we had a little more than an hour to explore.

We were very happy to be granted free entry tickets into the museum and, upon asking at the Reception Desk where we should begin, we were told to start in the Buffalo Bill Museum itself as that would give us a composite idea of his contribution to the area’s development and prosperity as well as inform us about his life. And that was exactly what we did. There is so very much to see in this place that you could spend a whole day in this museum—which is really five museums in one! We had time for just two, but they were a truly informative and enlightening experience. We saw taxidermied bison, a load of wile life of the area, plus stage coaches, etc. in a great stage of preservation. Lots of film clips of his shows—including rodeo displays—were available and we watched a couple. There was a great deal of memorabilia from his own life such as photographs, his personal possessions, items from the person collections of his children. etc. Plus, downstairs, there was a whole gallery devoted to color posters announcing his shows in various languages for different parts of Europe to which his performing troupes had traveled. It was all quite fascinating indeed!

Having found out as much as we could about Wild Bill Cody, we moved to the Fine Arts Museum which was on the other side of the main lobby. There, we were treated to a wonderful display of paintings and sculpture pertaining to the history and landscape of the region. It was marvelous to see original works by sculptors such as Frederick Remington who immortalized the Wild West through his bronzes. In fact, in one section of the Museum, there is a reproduction of Remington’s studio in New York which I found fascinating as it contained a collection of objects from the Wild West that he utilized in his paintings. There are also a number of canvases by a variety of contemporary artists (including one by Alfred Bierstadt) depicting the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone that we had seen only this morning. How glorious it was to see the numbers of ways in which artists can interpret the same visual scene. Outside, the scene was just as stimulating as there is a huge picture window through which we could see the mountains that circle the town of Cody. In the yard bordering the parking lot, there is a larger-than-life size sculpture of Wild Bill. It was all truly wonderful and we had such a great time in this museum. I was so glad we visited it and only wished we’d had more time to admire the rest of it, as I’m sure, it would have been just as stunning. If you are ever in this area, I would advise that you give the town of Cody at least one whole day in which to enjoy this museum in detail.

Our Accommodation at King’s Inn, Cody:

When the museum closed at 5.00 pm, we used our GPS again to find our way to our accommodation for the night. We had made a reservation at ‘The King’s Inn’, a motel which turned out to be a really goofy place. It’s logo in a massive lion’s head. Inside, there is a vast lobby that is absolutely crammed with taxidermied animals from Africa. You can well go on an African safari in this lobby alone—no need to go to the Masai Mara to see the Big Five! There are lions, antelope, rhino, crocodiles, leopards, etc. all ringing the lobby where you sit in the morning for breakfast. When I inquired as to why the lobby is filled with this sort of object, the receptionist told me that the owner had spent a lot of time in Africa and had been buying these items as he had the perfect place in which to display them. Hmmm…

Anyway, after we settled into our room, being that we’d had no lunch to talk of, we decided to go in search of an early dinner. I used ‘Lonely Planet’ to find a place and one of the spots they recommended was the ‘Irma Hotel and Restaurant’ on Main Street. Before we arrived there, I bought a few souvenirs (magnet, T-shirts) in one of the stores there. I have to say that the town is stacked with memorabilia from the days of the Wild West. They are trying hard to preserve the ambience of those times and I felt as if I had strayed into the sets of a Wild West movie.

Dinner at the ‘Irma Hotel and Restaurant’:

In this hotel, founded by Wild Bill Cody and named after his daughter, Irma, a big attraction in the Grill Restaurant is the solid oak wood bar and cabinetry that was presented to the actor-director by the Queen of England of the time, Victoria, who was so impressed by his virtuosity that she made him this enormous gift. It was shipped across the Atlantic from England and makes a gorgeous focal point in the restaurant. We feasted our eyes upon it as we ordered and ate our dinner.

Served by a wonderful waitress, we ordered the Cowboy Burgers which came with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and a side salad. We washed it down with beers that were the perfect accompaniment to a very tasty meal. The restaurant itself had the feel of a grand hotel in the 19th century: it was strung with posters, flags, black and white photographs, etc. that recounted the history of the era. All fitments and furniture date from that period—which made for a very authentic dining experience. We enjoyed our time there, in that vast hall, surrounded by other diners, in a space that was upscale and historic enough without being stuffy. We think we made a great choice because other than finding really satisfying food, we had another little bit of sightseeing covered in this historic space. At one time, this building offered accommodation to wealthy prospectors and entrepreneurs who wished to become part of the business life of a thriving town. Today, it is more of a touristic curiosity but its association with a very colorful part of America’s past still lives on.

Our dinner done, we drove back to our hotel for showers and a much-needed rest. We had covered a lot of ground and we had certainly earned a good night’s sleep.

Until tomorrow, cheerio…