Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Thermopolis and Cody

Our friends Debbie and Rod took us for a drive to Thermopolis and Cody of Buffalo Bill fame.



These were the first irrigation machines that we saw actually working. There is a lot of sugar beet grown in the area and Rod used to work at the sugar beet factory.


The Bighorn River which would eventually flow into the gorge we visited the day before.





Buffalo or American Bison.



They are huge when fully grown. The meat is a little dry and I prefer Elk.


Looking down into Thermopolis.



Roundtop Mountain.






It all looks so 'western'.




Presumably some sort of blue wild flower.




Back to the buffalo.









Formation beside the road.


Thermopolis claims the world's largest mineral hot-spring. There is the usual smell of sulpher but not as pungent as that in Rotorua in New Zealand.






There are also formations created by the minerals in the hot springs. I suspect these minerals help cause the greenish / yellowish colour of the water in the Bighorn Gorge.


However the formations at Pamukkale in Turkey are larger.







Rod likes to fish in a lake called Boyson Reservoir about 17 miles south of Thermopolis so he took us down to see it. The road passes through some tunnels near the dam that creates the lake.




The dam. There is also a train line that passes through a tunnel by the dam.


Train line bridge.


The part of the lake where Rod likes to camp and fish.


During the idle moments, Rod likes to play on the bouncy things. The middle one without the seat is his favourite.





I think they are daisies.


The dam spillway.



Top of the dam.


We then went to Legend Rock where Indian petroglyphs have been found.


I was glad to be wearing my hiking boots.



Some cows were supervising but soon moved off.


Many of the petroglyphs have been defaced.




Some of these could date from 10,000 years ago.









The 'I don't have a viewfinder' pose.












The path, hopefully free of snakes.


More graffiti.



Looking across the valley from the petroglyphs.





You can just see Marianne in the middle of the photo.





We then traveled on to Cody where we had a good Mexican lunch.


Wide streets.


This is Buffalo Bill territory and the town is named after him.







Naturally this is a town that is enthusiastic about guns.




We then visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.


The museum is divided into five parts, one of which is guns.


I was a lousy shot when I was in the cadets in school. This Lee Enfield 303 is what we were issued to carry around. Most of them dated from WWI.










Number 9 belonged to Patton.




There was a section devoted to 'western' art. This was a statue of President Teddy Roosevelt on a horse that had been deconstructed.



And two very different versions of the Battle of Little Bighorn.



The pistol belonged to Wild Bill Hickok.



These belonged to Annie Oakley. When I was growing up in Australia I would read comic books that mentioned her, but I never thought I would ever see this part of the world.




Queen Victoria did not appear to be amused.



Finally, Rod is the proud owner of a 1962 Ford Falcon. He took me for a ride in it and it was certainly a blast from the past.


I loved the bright red. The radio was the original tube / valve AM model and it sounded good.



Back in 1962, air conditioning was an open window.




So take a ride in a 1962 Ford.




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