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Wyoming (crew)
By Lesley Grossman on August 13, 2008 1:54 AM | Permalink | 15 Comments
I've never been anywhere quite like Wyoming. On this trip:
- We flew in a plane so small, we had to take the cameras out of their bags and ride with them on our laps to make them fit onboard. I seat-belted mine in, just in case (and ate its bag of peanuts.).
- Upon landing, were swarmed by Cody's paparazzoi - one guy with a Nikon. The airport is smaller than my New York apartment, and our arrival is big news; jet service to the area is seasonal and we're the first ones to arrive for the summer. The next day, we're on the front page.
- Got laughed at by the rental car people when I pulled out my Google maps. Cody has one main road and it'll take you anywhere you want to go.
- Even the Wal-Mmart, which I could see from the airport.
- Getting lost for 90 minutes in said -Wal-Mmart while hunting for Luna bars and Fig Newtons.
- Finding live bait next to the Snapple in the soda case at the gas station on the way to the ranch in Shell. Note that there doesn't appear to be any fishing outlets nearby. Rethink Snapple purchase.
- Losing cell phone and Blackberry reception not because of weather, but because there just ...isn't any out this far. I won't lie -; this was probably the best part of the trip.
- The crew is given a whole house to ourselves. We promptly nickname it Real World: Wyoming and draw straws to decide who gets to be the naked guy and the drunk girl.
- There are four of us and three bedrooms.
- Luckily, mine has two teeny- weeny twin beds. Ginny (our superstar director) and I pretend we're back in college and bunk together. Pillow fight!
- Neither of us top out past 5''3", and yet our feet hang off the ends of our Bert andn' Ernie beds. * We also debate the best method of short-sheeting Paul (DP) and Damion's (audio) king- size beds but settle for claiming several of their many, many pillows.
- The ranch is beautiful, with an amazing mix of red rock, painted mountains, and lush green fields filled with wild flowers and sweet, tall grasses.
- So tall that, four hours into the shoot, I back one of the SUVs into an unseen ditch. Did I mention it was grassy? And muddy? And raining? And cold? And it happened 30 seconds after I casually mentioned that the hill we were on was kinda steep and I didn't want to hit the fence at the top as I backed up?
- SUV. IN. A. DITCH. WTF?
- Fortunately, our friendly host, Peter the Belgian Cowboy had both a rope, a Hhemi engine truck and a sense of humor. He pulled, we pushed and out popped the car, now covered in mud, inside and out, as. Wwe all climbed inside, ensuring we'd never get our security deposit back.
- Sitting on a pile of cow poo.
- Being so tired, I didn't care (although replacement jeans were purchased at Wal-Mmart. I cared just enough to not want to smell like cow poo for two weeks.)
- Cruising back into town and feeling pieces of our souls die as our phones chirped back to life and voicemails poured in. * Arguing with a waitress about the definition of noon and how it relates to getting eggs for breakfast or lunch or brunch.
- Trekking through the woods to get to the river to catch Sam as she goes by in a raft, knowing the water is a maximum 50 degrees and feeling bad for her.
- Feeling worse for ourselves when we realize the only way to actually get the shot is to wade in, waist-deep.
- Having a silent, gesticulating argument with Paul about whom exactly is going in the water first. I'Am victorious but realize that when the day includes soaking- wet underwear, there are no winners.
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Hi Samantha and Crew! We were in Cody on 7/24/08 on our way to Yellowstone. What a great western town! We are excited about seeing you at the rodeo, as we also spent an evening there as well! I can relate to your trip to Walmart...we were wondering where all those trucks were heading to on our way to Cody from Denver! Wyoming was quite a change from Illinois (suburban Chicago). We loved the quiet and the beautiful landscape! Happy trails! Kathy
Hey Samantha when are you and your crew going to visit Poland? Your Polish viewers are up in arms. You cant do passport to Europe without doing a show on Poland. There is so much to see there you could do a series on it. You owe it to us poles. Im counting on you. Have fun in Wyoming David
Hey guys! I lived out in Cody for 6 years, and my family is still out there. I took my husband on his first Wyoming experience the week after you all were there. It was a lot colder than average, so when Samantha was rafting, you can bet she was half frozen. We live in Kentucky, and tonight I enjoyed plopping on the couch as seeing the rodeo with Heart and Rattlesnakes Mtn. in the background, seeing the Irma and Cassies (the road up the hill from there used to end in my backyard), and all the wide open space. Hope you all had fun! I am sure you got your fill of driving around, but you couldn't do it in a prettier place.
We are so glad and excited you chose the Hideout for your weekend stay! It is a wonderful place and our family just can't get enough of it! The fantastic Hideout staff truly does deliver the experience of a lifetime; the beauty of the place is that you can get out and experience the thrill of "playing cowboy" and fulfill every childhood fantasy (except for the chasing Indians part) and then return at the end of the day, shower like civilized city folk and relax at a delightful cocktail hour and gourmet dinner and then fall into bed in accomodations you won't find at any other dude ranch. (The houses where you stayed are VERY luxurious and have every convinience you would need or want...) The riding is everything you could possibly hope for: the scenery is always changing, as you can ride through red rock and painted hills and a short time later be riding through canyons, beautifully flowered meadows, steep mountain terrain and forests that are so fairy tale that there is even a beautiful creek that runs through this incredible picture! With almost 300,000 acres of Hideout/Flitner land, whatever you are in the mood for is available and readily accomodated. Many times we have opted to do cattle work and there is no pretending involved...it really is cattle work and we love it. The owners, Paula and David Flitner, welcome each and every guest with open arms and make sure every need and wish are met. Cody itself is fun for a couple of days, but it does get boring after a day or two. The real treat is the Hideout....it truly is a gift to the soul and the satisfying peace you experience while there is yearned for long after you return home. Believe us, we know....we have been there 9 times! And we always return. Our family loves to travel and we love our yearly ski trips, but there is honestly no place quite like the Hideout!
Hey, crew from the Wyoming Dude Ranch show -- I am one of the "behind the scenes" office staff at your river rafting company in Cody Wy -- River Runners. We were thrilled to watch the show last night as it ran for the first time and all felt your staff did SUCH an amazing job filming, editing, writing, etc. -- our little slice of Wyoming heaven is beautiful and fun (even if we admit our river IS melted snow and C O L D !!!)and the show truly showed that. We hung large photos from your trip in the office and so many people have said, "well, if THEY floated with River Runners, then we're going to" -- you have a huge audience!! Thanks so much for including us on your trip -- and we're sorry the June weather was so chilly for your ride. The show was great and so were all of you!! Thanks for "getting soaked in Cody"!
Please provide the name and contact information of the ranch you and crew stayed at located near Cody. I would like to get information regarding a visit myself. Enjoy following your travels. Regards
I'm happy, and proud, to hear you all (Sam and crew) had a great time learning to be cowboys/girls. I'm also very pleased to hear that you were able to persevere through the tough times and can look back with a sense of pride and accomlishment. That feeling is well-deserved, I know from experience. I live in South Dakota and all of my extended family live on ranches, so I understand what it feels like to experience many of those situations for the first time. Kudos to you. By the way, I think a great idea for a show would be the Black Hills on the 4th of July. Could there be a better way to spend the 4th than camping mere miles from Mt. Rushmore, watching a fireworks show literally splash against the facade of our former presidents, spending time with the most heralded indian tribe in all of North America, and going on hikes all over the Black Hills experiencing some of the most beautiful scenery known to the world? I know, I know, it's tough to top.
Hi i was just wondering if you will be visiting Jackson Hole while in Wyoming.
Hi Sam! I'm glad you had fun out here in good ole Wyo. It truly is like no other place on earth. You should travel out here during Cheyenne Frontier Days. The weather is much warmer, I promise. If you have never been to this celebration, you don't know what you are missing. The biggest rodeo, hence the nickname "Daddy of 'Em All", a carnival, and nightly shows by some of the greatest artists. Hope you get to visit it sometime. Take care!
I was born in Cody (now living in San Diego) and was so excited when I saw you would be visiting! Reminds me I need to get back for a visit soon!!
I have relative that live in Cody that we have gone to see for the last 45 years.
You had white water rafting on there.
The Grand-daddy of all white water rafting & kayak races are on the Arkansas River in Salida, Colorado. They call it FIB-Ark (First in Boating on the Arkansas). The festival starts the Wednesday before Father's Day (June) every year, & ends on Sunday. The parade is on Saturday.
It might be something you would want to check out.
They have kayakers come from all over the globe for this event.
And they also have what they call "The Hooligan Race," it's anything that can float on the river. And people DO get creative making floatable objects. Ex: A huge Noah's Ark, A ski slope, & a bicycle with a ramp, to name a few that were in it last summer.
They also have live music in Riverside Park & a kids carnival as well.
It starts out with the Sertoma Breakfast Wednesday morning from 7:00am to 9:00am.
And they have high school girls who were chosen the be FIB-Ark hostesses to help out visitors.
And they have the Tenderfoot Hill Climb, in which locals or visitors can enter. They start at the 1st & "F" Street lights & then run & climb "S" mountain to the top & back down to the lights, trying to be the fastest time in their age group.
It's a wonderful celebration every year. And I've just told you just a few of the things that go on.
This coming year will be the 69th or 70th annual festival.
You can look it up on the web-site either under FIB-Ark, or under Salida, Colorado.
Salida is approx. 160 miles sw of Denver, located in a little valley in the "Heart of the Rockies" as everyone calls it.
There is approx. 5000 people in the town & approx. 14,000 people in the county (Chaffee County).
I have actually lived here for 35 years now.
People call it the "Banana Belt" of Colorado because we don't get the bad winter weather that all the other places in Colorado receive or the hot, hot weather in the summer time. It is Usually mild here year round.
You might consider this as a holiday weekend?.
It's a wonderful town with several bed & breakfastes, and motels. Along with a lot of little shops in "Historical Downtown Salida."
Samantha~
First, I absolutely love your show and try to watch it whenever I can. Second, I am saddened to see that you were in Wyoming and I missed the show. Not only were you in the state in which I live, but you just about in my backyard-I live in Greybull, WY. Everything that I've been able to find online about that show I know of and have been to. I also know all of the people in your pictures that were taken out in Shell at Flitners. In a way I find it humorous. I hope that one day you will return for a follow up show, maybe in June during the Days of '49 celebration. Many happy travels to you!
Hi:
My boyfriend and I watch your show and saw the Wyoming one, where you barrel rode? That was HILARIOUS!!!But that's ok, I'm a novice rider myself...well done. We named our German Shepherd after you, so we were thinking you should meet us in Yosemite and Sequoia next month as our guide??? (We'll spring for the wine)
Just got to watch your show. Your barrel ride was sort of cute.
Small aircraft are fun, and people are spoiled not getting to know them. On weekends my club's members fly single and dual seat gliders around Wisconsin's St. Croix Valley and we have a blast. Try a sailplane sometime!
Great that you enjoyed Wyoming. As a teenager I (a New Yorker) lived and helped out 2 summers on a working cattle ranch in northern Arizona. It enriched my whole life. Hope that next time you're out West you get to visit that wonderful Rim Country around Show Low. It's more wooded than where you were, but just as much echoes the spirit of the land.