June 19, Cody, WY- Rodeo

Ready for the Rodeo! The kids were soooo excited!


Austin, now says he wants to be a bull rider when he gets big :-/



The rodeo beginning.




A bucking bronco in action.

Thurs, June 19- We slept in till 8:00 this morning and then got packed up for departure. Sadly, we said goodbye to Jon and family. Their 3 week vacation is nearing an end so they will be heading back before us. As we passed out hugs we all commented on what an awesome experience this trip has been, and how glad we were that we made the sacrifice to do it. It will be a family memory for us adults and the kids for years to come!
Today our travels took us through the northern part of Yellowstone, to Mammoth Springs, past a few more geysers, and then out the East entrance of the Park. From there we headed to Cody, Wyoming. We arrived by 5:00 pm and much to our delight found a Wal-Mart supercenter right on the edge of this cowboy town. Allison excitedly said, “Mom, there is a Wal-Mart, can we please move here?!” (she knows that is a pre-requisite if we ever move. )! I told her I think she should plan to go to college somewhere out here and find a cowboy husband. Then dad and I would bring the RV and visit for several months at a time. She liked the idea of moving NOW, much better!
Anyway, we parked the motor home in Wal-Mart’s parking lot, along with several other RVs, and then the kids got ready for the highlight of the evening- the RODEO!. Austin excitedly put on his cowboy outfit that I had made him for his birthday, and Grant put on his cowboy hat. Allison’s western attire was still in NC, but that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm. She had a smile on her face that went from one ear to the other! We arrived at the rodeo about 20 min early and although it was obvious that this Thurs. evening crowd would not be a large one, there still was an air of excitement around us.

Here is Austin’s take on the evening:
“Tonight we went to Cody and went to a Rodeo. It was really fun!!!!!!!! I liked
watching the people riding the bulls. I liked to see when the kids tried to get the
ribbon off the calves tails. The rodeo clown was very funny. I want to be in a rodeo
when I grow up!”

By 10:00 everything was over and we were on our way back to our “home” at Wal-Mart. I’m sure the kids will dream about riding horses and lassoing bulls tonight. :-) Karen