WLM | adventure
Here’s where our story took that predictable life-with-
kids turn: our son was worn out. Period. Walking
around the enormous center was not what he wanted
to do. Fortunately for us, there was something for
everyone at the center, and for him, it was a game
with an old-timey gun in the Cody Firearms Museum.
Levi is a gun collector and enjoys shooting, so he was
thrilled with the displays. Our son’s attitude improved
immensely, and just in time, because the raptor
experience was beginning. WOW! We were impressed
by both the size of the birds and the nice view of
the action. The presenters were knowledgeable and
entertaining. After the show, our son was ready to roam
again. Our daughter and I enjoyed the Cody family
exhibit, and we had a very enjoyable stay. Whenever I
visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, I always come
away seeing something I didn’t see before. Carve out
some time, it’s an impressively large facility!
After nudging our son through his afternoon meltdown,
we decided it was fair to let him direct our dinner –
pizza (shocker). We threw in some veggies scored at the
grocery store and movie chill time and an early night to
bed. It was going to be a big day tomorrow!
Day three – Yellowstone! I know what you’re thinking
– Is she suggesting they did Yellowstone in a day? No, that’s
impossible. We made strategic decisions on what to
see, based on Levi’s favorite photo opps. We checked
out of our hotel early, ate breakfast in the car and made
stops along the beautiful drive between Cody and the
Yellowstone gate. Our daughter found the impressive
dark gray rock walls, framed with the low-hanging
clouds of our weekend’s ever-present rain, straight out
of one of her favorite novels. She free-formed story lines
with ever-bubbling enthusiasm as we drove, and I’ll
admit it made this writer mama’s heart melt. The greens
were vibrant in contrast to the color of the foreboding
walls, and small waterfalls sprang from the rocks along
our drive. Levi offered geology lessons, and our son got
into spotting wildlife. It was a fantastic morning.
One of the best memories of Yellowstone was the
constant wildlife! The intermittent rain seemed to
encourage the bison to settle in as we attempted to
keep track of the number lying in grassy patches and
under trees. Last count I remember was passing 100,
especially in a tree-lined stretch of road that was full of
adults and juveniles. We also saw bald eagles, deer, elk
and plenty of small birds.
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Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2019