Quiet Urban Adventures

LCs brother from Minnesota stayed for only a short while before returning home.
Which is not uncommon.

The day before he left we were all in the mood for quiet adventure and so we stayed in town.

Cody is divided into three major sections:

"Up on the hill".

"Downtown".

"Lower level".

On this day we wandered in places up on the hill.

This part of town includes Beck Lake and Markham Reservoir - a wonderful recreational green space nestled in the midst of a straight-up residential area.

This park is used extensively by locals who want to enjoy the outdoors without having to leave the city.  

Mountain views.  Trails.  Picnic areas.  A dog park.  A bicycle park.  Fishing and swimming and kayaking. 

Also up on the hill is shopping.  The airport.  The recreation complex.  Highway leading eventually to Greybull in one direction and Meeteetse in another.  The library and post office and Veterans Park.  

And at one end of a residential area is an entrance to BLM land.

We started at an overlook adjacent to the rec center.

While LC and Gary read informational boards about the history of Cody, and looked out over the entire span of mountains and mountain ranges that were visible from this elevated perch, I wandered briefly with Kory.

Predictably she was drawn to tall grass and narrow trail.

It was a beautiful day.

Warm - not hot like it is now - the world was abundantly green after all the rain we have had and the wild flowers were in bloom.....................

The trees of the city in the foreground with McCullough Peaks in the distance..................

By the time Kory and I circled back to the overlook LC and Gary had found a bench to sit and relax, and I smiled as I watched them talking and laughing with each other.

It was obvious that they were enjoying this place, and enjoying each others company.

We had been to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West the previous day to attend the grand reopening of the gun museum.

Entry to the museum was free to the public and the place had been packed with visitors, so I did not even try to take pictures.

It is an extraordinary place and I will take pictures in the fall once the museum (and Cody) finally quieten down again.

So we were tired the next day.

We had all enjoyed the museum, but the next day was a day to be outside and to find some quiet beautiful.

This was one of those places....................

Looking from the overlook back towards the ice arena.

The entire recreation complex consists of the arena, the recreation center and the aquatic center.

Across the parking lot from the rec complex is the library, and that was our next stop.

LC and Gary climbed back into the vehicle and headed to the parking area in front of the library, while Kory and I crossed through the rec complex parking lot and headed for the ponds that surround the library..................

This area is one of those "Kory Places" that I wrote about not long ago.

One of those places that she knows so well.  

That she loves to explore.  

That she knows will allow her time to be outside and wandering.

She knows exactly where she is when we turn into this place and she immediately becomes excited and filled with anticipation of great adventure.

The library building itself is gorgeous inside and out.

The grounds are beautiful..................

Cody Public Library...................

The plan had been for the guys to move the Suburban to the front of the library and then meet us on the library grounds.

By the time Kory and I were half way across the grounds though, it became apparent that they were both going to hold back and wait for us close to the vehicle.

Not surprising.

Two tired men.

Instead of looking for them I focused on the terrain around me.

The beautiful buildings.  The beautiful green space.

The pond that completely circumnavigates the library.

The views of Cedar and Rattlesnake Mountains in front of me, and Heart Mountain to my right.

Kory was having a wonderful time, as she always does in this place.  

Abundant new and interesting odors.  

A place to drink and swim and cool off.

A wondrous and magical place for a curious dog.....................

A look back at more of the recreation complex...................

30 minutes after saying goodbye to LC and Gary, we all regrouped in the parking lot in front of the library.

One last look at the ponds.

Next stop - Veterans Park.....................

Veterans Park is located across the four lane highway from Beck Lake and adjacent to the small Cody Airport.

For a small town it is a really outstanding park - abundant green space and benches for resting and reflection, views of the lake and surrounding mountains, and monuments and spaces to acknowledge the sacrifices and service of Cody citizens from WWI up to today.

Six weeks earlier LC and I had visited this place to honor the dedication of the new War Dog statue.

We were at the back of the attending crowd, listened respectfully to a range of speeches, and by the time they finally unveiled the statue we were so cold we decided to bail on the proceedings - instead going on the hunt for pie and coffee at Grannies Restaurant downtown while we both warmed up.

Six weeks later it was increasingly hot and the park was empty except for us - two men, a woman and a dog......................

Each war (or major "police action") has its own separate space in the park, but lining every section, every footpath, are stones commemorating someone who was special to someone else.

The names make their sacrifice real.

Every time I look at the names I feel the pain of their loss.

Spread out all over the town, all over the county, all over the state, all over the country, are the families tied to these names.

Every time I am in this place I can feel the people named.  And can feel the pain of their families.  Every one of them..................

Our dog always finds the water.

She found the doggie water fountain by the overlook at the rec center.

She found the ponds at the library.

She found the overflow of Beck Lake that is adjacent to the Veterans Park.

Cooling off on a hot day with Cedar Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain in the background...................

One random shoe found in the rocks by the lake.

The overflow is popular with fishermen, and is also a popular place to put-in canoes and kayaks.................

I took a number of pictures of the War Dog/Handler statue, but there was a sun spot in most of them.

We'll have to go back.

But it is a beautiful statue....................

In total we spent a couple of hours wandering three different urban areas up on the hill in Cody.

A good way to spend a very warm Sunday morning while engaging in quiet adventure...........................

It seems very safe to me to be surrounded by green growing things and water................Barbara Kingsolver

Early Morning Walk At The Lake

It took until mid-July, but after an extremely cold and wet spring summer finally found its way to Cody WY.

On a very hot, sunny, dry and quiet Sunday morning I walked trails with my dog.

We loaded up into our old Suburban (AKA The Beast), drove only a mile to the turnoff leading to Southfork access of Buffalo Bill Reservoir, drove one more slow mile down a beautiful gravel road, and then briefly waffled about whether to turn left or right when we reached the intersection.

Right would have taken us almost down to the water.

Left would lead us to a couple of grassy picnic areas, a boat ramp, and a series of trails.

At the last minute I pulled the steering wheel to the left and eagerly headed for the closest gravel parking lot.

We would wander on trails......................

Releasing Kory from her vehicular bondage, she immediately took off in a fast run, ecstatic to be running free on this beautiful early morning.

She is a funny dog.

She knows every place in the region that is "her" place.

When we turn off the Southfork Highway close to home she knows we are going to the lake.

When we turn off the SF highway closer to Cody she knows that we are going to the place on BLM land known as Diamond Basin.

When we pull into the library parking lot in town she knows that she is going to walk around the library and swim in the ponds that surround it.

When we pull off close to the Post Office she knows we are headed for Beck Lake.

When we pull off the Greybull Highway she knows she is going to run at Oregon Basin.

When we pull off the Greybull Highway way out of town she knows we are going to see the wild horses.

And so on.

She knows all her places.  All her special, adventure filled, wondrous, running, freedom puppy-places.....................

Letting my dog take the lead we wandered away from the Suburban and quickly picked up a narrow trail.

This would not be an epic, lengthy, challenging hike.

It would simply be a hike alongside the inlets that made up parts of the ever-rising Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

It was still early and there were no other people around.

The sky was beautiful.

The water was calm.

And we wandered together - enjoying where we were, and enjoying this time alone together....................

At the end of the first trail we turned right, walked down a short hill and picked up a second trail that would take us even closer to the lake proper.

To my left I realized that the pond was again filled with water after having been bone dry for the past six months.

Kory had run and played down there throughout the winter (just as LC, Kory and I had wandered on endless amounts of land that was now underwater at a different lake access)....................

The view to my right...................

With all the rain we have had over the past few months the grass was tall and still green.

It shouldn't have been at this time of year.

By mid-July everything should have been brown and drying.

Usually it WOULD be.

But not this year.

As we continued walking I was glad both that Kory had gotten her rattlesnake shots and that I was wearing rattlesnake boots.

We did not see a snake on this day, but with all the tall growth that we were walking through I was glad that we were protected anyway.

You just never know..................

Looking across the inlet at the back side of Cedar Mountain.

Pleasure boat in the foreground.................

A field of yellow wild flowers.................

Kory has been traumatized for much of the past few months.

She is terrified of thunderstorms.

Out of her mind, no safe place in the world, constantly moving and jumping and breaking things in the house terrified.

With so much rain, so much wind, so much thunder, so many storms almost every afternoon and every evening, it has been a real challenge.

Trying to calm a dog who is inconsolable.  Trying to sleep at night.  Trying to puppy-proof the house.   Trying to not get frustrated when things get knocked off counters and tables.  

I hope that the storms will stop for a while.  For the sake of both our shattered nerves and our traumatized pup.

On this sunny Sunday morning she was simply our happy, healthy, frolicking Kory.......................

Purple wild flowers along the shore......................

Sunny where we were, but grey and cloudy over Carter Mountain.............

A cove filled with drift wood that came out of the mountains, flowed down to Cody via the Shoshone River and eventually washed into the reservoir.....................

30 minutes after picking up a second trail, we circled around to our left and picked up still one more trail.

This trail followed the irrigation canal, and we would circle this all the way back to our vehicle.

I was loving this walk.

Kory and I had the entire Southfork access of the lake to ourselves this early in the morning, and the world around us was a beautiful place...................

I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips. ~Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

A Brother Visiting

 A few days ago we picked up Gary from the Cody Airport.

LCs brother is visiting.

We are not sure for how long and his visit for unexpected but welcome.

We picked him up late in the day and stopped on the way home so that Kory could run and play at Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

And so Gary could see where we live.

The lake is so close to us.

Only two miles from the house.

And even after living in this home for almost a year now, the novelty of being so close to water (after living in the desert in Idaho for over four years) has not worn off.

I'm not sure that it ever will.

We have walked by the lake in the heat, the wind, the freezing cold, the snow.

We have fished there and kayaked there.

Bicycled there and eaten lunch and dinner there.

We love it at the lake.

The water level is rising fast now.

There are places that we walked all winter that are now underwater.

But the world is green, filled with flowers, and it's beautiful...................

 Brothers don't let each other wander in the dark alone...................Jolene Perry

Overpriced And Fancy

I became a member of the Cody Chamber of Commerce back in January.

If I had known how quiet and tough of a business market Cody was in the dead of winter I'm not certain that I would have committed to a membership.

But they got me early in the season (as did the local newspaper when I also committed to a large scale marketing push for tourists that I hoped would pay off through the summer).

By the end of February I was kicking myself for spending the money when money was becoming increasingly difficult to come by at that point.

But here we are - now early in July - and the past winter is just distant memory.

Cody Chamber has proven to be a wonderfully supportive, active and engaged chamber for which I am eternally grateful.

I do not regret becoming a member at all.

One of the regular programs they have is a monthly after-hours deal.

Different businesses in town host get-togethers after 5, which includes tours of the respective businesses, and inevitably food and drink of some description.

Most of the businesses that agree to host are well-established, large scale, well funded, and with enough space to accommodate 100 or so hungry and thirsty business-owners.

I'm often one of them, and I have told LC good naturedly that I plan on eating and drinking my chamber fee ($200) at these little soirees between now and next January when my 2020 membership fee will be due.

I'm only (half) joking of course.

The food is always great and in truth I know very few of these folks, but it is a good chance each month to smile and nod and hand out a business card or two.

And often a chance to visit a business that I might otherwise never get to see.

Last month was one such occasion.

A new furniture gallery opened recently and Chamber members had the opportunity to see the place before it was open to the general public...................

I walked into the gallery feeling vaguely uncomfortable (as I always do at these things), looked around quickly to see if I knew anyone there, did not see any familiar faces, and instead slowly wandered the main floor immediately in awe of the pieces in front of me.

They may have been pieces of furniture, but they were actually more like pieces of functional art.......................

No-one else was taking pictures, and in truth I wasn't even sure if picture taking was welcome, so I did not take many.

The floors were fancy.  The lighting was fancy.  The furniture slash art work was fancy, and I tried hard not to laugh out loud when I looked at the price tags................

I smiled.

I nodded.

I wandered slowly.

I ate a piece of fancy, low cal, spinach pizza, hungry and desperately wishing I could get my hands on a piece of thick crust pepperoni from Pizza Hut.

There was only fancy, fruity beers to drink so I was now not only hungry but also thirsty.

The furniture slash art work was made by a variety of artists.

At one point an elderly gentleman and I were standing admiring a piece, we introduced ourselves to each other, and when I learned that he was an artist I politely asked him if he had work in this gallery.

Smiling he replied "No - this was by invitation only.  And I wasn't invited".

Smiling politely I responded with the banal, as these kinds of places and these kinds of conversations demand.................

Standing in line for another piece of thin crust, artisan, low cal, spinach whatever whatever (because the gallery owners were bringing out pizzas one at a time) I was suddenly over the entire experience.

I grabbed a slice of lousy pizza since I was still hungry and stood in the middle of the room because.................well.............if you spilled pizza on one of these pieces you could easily become the proud owner of a VERY overpriced piece of wood.....................

If I sound dismissive about the entire experience it's because I was.

And am.

It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was the cup of tea of presumably many people, so in that regard it was a success for this new business.

The furniture slash art work was beautiful.

All of it was beautiful.

But I left early and still hungry, and as I headed towards my Tahoe with 207,000 miles on the odometer I called LC and asked him to put a frozen pizza in the oven for me.

I was hungry.

I'd be home in 15 minutes.

One last look at a $25,000 desk and a $4000 chair, and I was outta there...................

War Dog

Memorial Day weekend Cody dedicated a new statue in Veterans Park.

The statue is named War Dog.

The dedication was on a Saturday and hoping to catch the last hour of the dedication ceremony (that included speeches from dignitaries, patriotic music, the statue unveiling and then food) I scheduled the store to close early at 1pm.

With people still milling around and shopping, it turned out that I did not make it up to the park until 1:30.

By then the ceremonies were in full swing, and I had to park across the highway from the park.

No matter.

Glad to have finally made the ceremony I walked up the brick lined foot path, scanning the group in search of LC........................

Memorial Day Weekend in Tennessee was always a very big deal.

As the Aquatics Director for a Parks and Recreation Department it was always the culmination of three months of non-stop work, getting the outdoor pool ready for the summer.

The logistics of cleaning both the big pool and the wading pool, and the endless expanse of concrete deck.  Getting the pool filled, chemically balanced, mechanically up and running smoothly.

The hiring, training and scheduling of guards.

The marketing, and all the other logistics involved in what would always be a very hectic and always busy summer.

By Memorial Day it was good to go.

I always took Opening Day off work - confident that the physical plant and the staff I had nurtured for months were ready.

Accessible by phone if they weren't.

And as I inevitably mountain biked on trails out at the military base that was my favorite place to both bike and run (and across the road - paddle), the temperature was always blast furnace hot.

It was Tennessee.

It was always hot in Tennessee by Memorial Day.........................

Once I reached LC (who was standing at the back of the crowd), I gently touched him on the shoulder.

Momentarily startled he turned to see who had touched him and then smiled at me in recognition.

Standing beside him I focused on everything around me, trying to catch up on the ceremonies, and was immediately freezing cold.

It had been raining all morning but was now simply a misty, overcast, grey and very cold day.

God it was cold.

I shivered, trying to ignore the fact that I wasn't dressed well enough against the cold........................

Cedar Mountain on the left.

Rattlesnake Mountain on the right.

Jims Mountain through the gap........................

For the next 30 minutes I listened to speeches.

When it was time to finally unveil the statue I heard the applause but couldn't see the statue from where we were standing.

We were too far back.

There were too many people in front

Somebody else began to talk, but by then I was so cold that I didn't even care who it was or what they were saying.

When the speeches were finally done everyone in attendance was invited to move towards the statue and see it in more detail.

Determined to trooper on I began to head that way, but LC grabbed me by the arm.

This time it was MY turn to be startled and I turned to look at him.

"Let's go to Grannies and get some coffee".

"Don't you want to see the statue?"

"We'll see it another time.  I'm freezing".

"Me too.  I'll meet you down there"......................

So after standing in the freezing cold listening to boring speeches in the back of a crowd, we didn't even get to see the statue.

Or eat the food.

Or even visit the many other wonderful statues and memorials that fill Veterans Park.

Instead, we went to Grannies Restaurant, drank coffee and ate apple pie.  

With ice cream.

And that was OK.

We'll visit the park again soon.

When it is sunny and warm and when we have the entire place to ourselves.

A Cody Enterprise picture of War Dog and his handler.

We like it.........................