this year’s family trip with my family was set in the beautiful town of cody, wyoming.
never heard of it? neither had i before traveling there over 10 years ago to visit my grandpa’s ranch. this is now the third time we have visited the town and it keeps getting better and better. i especially loved that i could now share this special place with b.
cody, wyoming is east of yellowstone national park. there are about 10,000 residents of cody. the city of cody was named after william frederick cody (buffalo bill).
i don’t know if it gets any more small town feel than this. and that is maybe why i like it. it is such a change of pace.
my grandpa’s ranch is about 30 min away from the town so it felt like even more of a retreat from the hustle and bustle. not to mention there is no cell reception on the property and spotty wifi. but can i just say it was a little thrilling to be so disconnected from social media? it was a great way to be “technology free” and enjoy one another with no distractions. this was just the trip i needed.
let me preface this post by saying this will no way be a guide to cody because frankly we stayed up at the ranch 90% of the time. cody is not known for its’ food scene or elaborate city. it is known for its’ stunning mountains, sweeping valleys and long rivers. it is a place to forget yourself and be immersed in god’s beautiful earth. so think of this more like a travel diary.
we started off the trip by celebrating my brother in law and step grandma’s birthday. my sisters made their day extra special by bringing up a photo booth and making a cake. of course, we had to have zombie props for my brother in law.
these family trips only get more fun as there become more nieces and nephews and as those nieces and nephews get older. i absolutely love bonding with them.
something not to be missed while out west is shooting guns! this was b’s favorite activity on the trip! it was my first time shooting a shotgun. i will be honest and say i was not great at it but it was something i was glad i did at least once. my oldest sister was a modern day annie oakley and this was her first time shooting a gun so you never know until you try!
this trip was filled with many firsts as it was also my first time fishing (that i can remember). i am sorry to say i didn’t catch any fish but it was still fun. b caught one and my brother in law caught a few. we chose the catch and release method.
fun fact! when i was young, i used to be obsessed with horses. i once won a trophy vaulting on a horse and took horseback riding lessons before entering high school. i still love it. i was so happy to be horseback riding again.
we rode all the way to the very top of a mountain and looked down on this view. i seriously wanted to take a picture with every step we took but pictures don’t even do it justice. cody, you are completely stunning.
one day we did head into town for the buffalo bill museum (must see!) , a tour of old trail town cody, dinner at wyoming’s rib and chop house, and the famous cody rodeo. all of which i highly recommend!
i will say my least favorite of all the activities was the cody rodeo because of how horribly the animals are treated but it is such a big event in cody so we felt like when in cody, right?
dusk in cody made my heart swoon. and those clouds? wow cody!
but mostly we just explored the mountains, ate a lot, played card games and snuggled on my newest nephew who is only 2 months old.
these are my people. i am so happy i got to be with them for 3.5 days.
until we meet again, cody!