Day 74, Cody, home of the rodeo

Hoping to beat the heat, I was on the road by 7am. Feeling hungry about an hour into the ride (and not satisfied by the earlier dose of peanut butter), I stopped at a motel / restaurant / rv park right off the highway.

There was a big sign claiming they had breakfast - and they did. A buffet!

I demolished a large amount of bacon, sausage, biscuits, hash browns and eggs. It tasted amazing!

I ate a bowl of fruit too, for healthy reasons.

Not sure why the reservoir is so brown...

Not before long, I reached the dam just outside of Cody. They have a fantastic visitor center and views of the canyon.

After riding through a very long tunnel through the rocks following the river, I arrived in Cody. I spent the afternoon in the library, researching my route through Wyoming.

The library sits above the downtown area of Cody. A park lines the edge and is quite relaxing to sit on a bench and enjoy the city from above.

I grabbed an early dinner at McDonald's (for free, using their app!) and upon leaving, I met Paul.

Paul happens to be one of the actors in the gunfight the town reenacts every night outside of Buffalo Bill's Irma hotel. I told Paul I'd watch the show.

It was a bit cheesy, but fun regardless.

After the show, I had a wonderful conversation with a couple from North Carolina (I think... forgot to note that detail), Sue & Jeff. We agreed that traveling the United States is an enlightening experience where you meet the most amazing people. Safe travels Sue & Jeff!

I thought about going to the rodeo, but it would last well past sunset, and I really needed to setup camp.

And the weather is turning - thunderstorms in the distance...

I chose some BLM land up this massive hill near the rodeo grounds. The trail up was terrible - I'm sure most cars would have trouble driving on it. There were many moments I struggled to push the bike.

Regardless, I was rewarded with an incredible camp site, a thousand feet over the city. That's the image I used for the banner up top.

And here is a panoramic:

Joe