Happy Trails with Mike & Ellen Taylor

Cody, WY, is really cowboy country! The Fourth of July parade was as much Western as Independence Day, with many beautiful horses, decorated wagons, men dressed as frontiersmen, two-wheeled carts pulled by ponies, and a noticeable lack of Indians. The marching high school bands were quite small, and there were "Miss Rodeos" from tots to teenagers! At the beginning of the parade, over a speaker system up and down the street, everyone said the Pledge of Allegience, and then sang the national anthem. We went to the Stampede Rodeo on Friday night at an open-air arena that held maybe 5000 people, but it was not full. The announcer sat on his horse out in the arena, joked around with the clowns between events, and they both chatted with the spectators. It was really fun, and we didn't miss the big-name entertainment or the carnival!

Another highlight of our time in Cody was a trip to the surprisingly large Buffalo Bill Historical Center, with 5 museums within it. There was, of course, a museum all about Buffalo Bill Cody, with posters and photographs and memorabilia. But we also really enjoyed the Plains Indians displays and artwork; the museum of Western Art with paintings and sculptures by Remington, Charles Russell and many others; and the wonderfully interesting and beautiful paintings of the Lewis and Clark expedition by an artist named Fritz. Fritz spent years retracing the route and reading journals so that his 100 works would be accurate.

While in Cody we had a little trouble finding a good place to walk the dogs; one spot had a sign warning of rattlesnakes and bears on the trail, so we chose not to follow that trail! We walked around a reservoir a couple of days--not too scenic but not bad. We were right next to a regional airport, and every time a small plane would come in low, Gracie would watch it carefully, either wanting to herd it or making sure it stayed away from her people! Max was especially interested in the occasional dead fish along the path.

We are back in Montana now, (The photo above is so typical of the wide-open country in MT.), in Butte for the National Folk Festival. Tonight is an Indian Pony parade, then we're going to hear a Chicago Jazz group. The Festival lasts through Sunday evening, with all kinds of entertainment: an Irish band, breakdancers, fiddlers, Indian storytellers, demonstrations such as cutting horses and basketweaving, several jazz groups, fiddlers, singers, Indian artists, other artists, etc. And all of it is free! We are looking forward, also, to hooking up with a friend and co-worker of Gwen's, whose wife is from Butte. They are here on vacation to visit family and the Festival, and have offered to show us around.