Day 1
DENVER • LARAMIE • WYOMING TERRITORIAL PRISON •
DINNER:
The Wild West brings so many things to mind.
Hard, handsome cowboys. Rough-riding rodeo horses. Chuckwagons
on their way across the plains and prairies. We board
our flight in Charlotte and head towards Denver to begin an
adventure into the untamed and untouched West. Arriving in
Laramie, we visit the Wyoming Territorial Prison, the only prison
to have ever held the Legend of the American West, Butch
Cassidy. Once the “home” of some of the most dangerous
outlaws, we can now walk the halls of the “Big House across
the River” and explore its cells and artifacts. Our dinner is
included tonight before we check into our hotel in Laramie. (D)
Day 2
CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS • BEHIND THE CHUTES TOUR
• PRCA RODEO • TERRY BISON RANCH TRAIN RIDE •
DINNER:
Whether it’s the sounds, the lights, the competition
or to have the experience of a lifetime, everyone comes for a
different reason to Cheyenne’s Frontier Days. Bringing western
culture to the forefront, the arena was Wyoming’s first airfield
and home to many of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows. We get
a first-hand look at what goes on during a rodeo from behind
the scenes on our Behind the Chutes Tour. Meet the animals,
step into the chutes, and then get ready for the best rompin’,
stompin’ rodeo you’ve ever seen! Next, we visit Terry Bison
Ranch and take a ride on the bison train! See bison up close
and personal, while getting a tour of the ranch. We have dinner
at the ranch before returning to our hotel for the night. (D)
Day 3
CHRIS LEDOUX PARK • BUFFALO • MOUNTAIN MEADOW
WOOL • TA GUEST RANCH • DINNER:
If you know rodeo,
you know the name Chris LeDoux. Hall of Fame rodeo rider,
LeDoux was also an American Country Music singer-songwriter
who recorded 36 albums. Today we travel north to Kaycee
Wyoming for a photo stop at the Good Ride Cowboy Monument
remembering Chris LeDoux. Then, we “load ‘em up and move
‘em out” for a short and easy ride to Buffalo for a stop at
Mountain Meadow Wool Mill, a spinning mill set below the
Big Horn Mountains on the Western Plains of Wyoming.
Producing 100% made in America wool yarn, our tour of the
Mill will be a special treat. Our final stop of the day is at an
authentic ranch in the heart of Buffalo and the site of the
Johnson County Cattle War of 1892. Experiencing traditions
of both the old and new west, we sit down to a delicious,
farm to table meal and witness an exciting demonstration of
professional horseback training. (D)
Day 4
BRINTON MUSEUM • SHERIDAN • KING’S MUSEUM •
ROPES • BIG HORN MOUNTAINS • CODY WY:
The Brinton
Museum connects people to the past, present, and future of
the American West. Located on the 620-acre historic Quarter
Circle A Ranch in Big Horn, the Museum offers an authentic
view into the life and lifestyle of a Western gentleman and
art collector who was a patron and friend of many of the most
celebrated 19th and 20th-century Western artists. A must-see
is the 24,000-square-foot, $15.8-million, collection of art, one
of the most significant and extensive, Western and American
Indian Art collections in the Rocky Mountain West. We have
free time to explore Sheridan before visiting the King Museum
& Ropes. For the modern rancher, King’s is a treasure trove
of new tack, apparel and world famous ropes. The King’s
Museum also has one of the best private museums in Sheridan
and is a stop worthy of all visitors. With dozens of saddles,
wagons, carriages and western curiosities covering every
surface of the museum there is so much to see that you
could spend days looking over the entire collection. Saddle
up, we are traveling west through the Big Horn Mountains
this afternoon on our way to Cody for the night.
Day 5
HEART MOUNTAIN • BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE
WEST • CODY CATTLE COMPANY DINNER • SHOW:
Heart
Mountain Relocation Center, located just outside of Cody, was
one of 10 relocation camps built to house people of Japanese
descent forcibly relocated from the West Coast of the United
States during World War II. We visit The Heart Mountain
Interpretative Center offering photographs, artifacts, oral
histories, and interactive exhibits that help us understand
what confinement was like for the internees and what led to
their confinement. Next, we visit five amazing museums, all
under one roof! There’s plenty to see at the Buffalo Bill Center
of the West. Explore Plains Indian cultures, trailblazing cowboys
and cowgirls, classic and modern western artworks, and
more — all sharing the uniquely thrilling stories of the West.
The highlight of our day may be found at Cody Cattle Company
when we take our seats for a thoroughly enjoyable evening of
foot-stompin, hand-clappin, fun-filled, family entertainment
topped off by an unlimited family-style meal. Get ready for
the best dinner and show in Cody! (D)
Day 6
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK • OLD FAITHFUL • LUNCH
AT LODGE • MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON MT:
Take an unforgettable tour through Yellowstone National Park.
We stop at Old Faithful, grabbing photos of this famous geyser,
before stopping by the lodge for an included lunch. Riding
through the Park, keep your cameras ready for glimpses of
wildlife. Eagles, bison, wolves. Never know what you will see!
Then we take a drive around the vibrant travertine terraces
of Mammoth Hot Springs. We travel on further north, entering
Montana, for our overnight stop in Livingston. (L)
Day 7
MEDORA • NORTH DAKOTA COWBOY HALL OF FAME •
MEDORA MUSICAL • PITCHFORK FONDUE:
Saddle up
your horses! This morning we ride across the northern edge
of the Crow and Cheyenne reservations arriving in Medora
North Dakota this afternoon. Stretch your legs as we meander
through North Dakota’s Cowboy Hall of Fame. Hear the story
of the men and women who developed the plains horse culture
as well as those who still live the lifestyle today. Galleries filled
with artifacts and memorabilia are combined with interactive
exhibits of Native Americans, the homesteaders, the creation
of the ranching industry, and the development of the sport
of rodeo. Explore the centerpiece, the Hall of Honorees,
celebrating the men, women, events, and livestock that made
extraordinary contributions to the history and lifestyle of
North Dakota. Get ready for a little history, a little humor,
and a whole lot of Western spirit at the Medora Musical, the
ultimate Country Western Music Revue! This live outdoor
spectacle showcases a variety of music favorites – from
Dolly to disco – and provides good old-fashioned family fun
with thrilling variety acts, live horses on stage and a firework
finale. Dinner tonight is a one-of-a-kind experience of Pitchfork
Steak Fondue. (D)
Day 8
THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK • BISMARCK
• STATE CAPITAL PHOTO STOP • DINNER • LEWIS •
CLARK RIVERBOAT CRUISE:
Theodore Roosevelt came to
Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883, just a young, spectacled
boy from New York. He could not have imagined how his
adventure in this remote and unfamiliar place would forever
alter the course of the nation. The rugged landscape of this
national park gives us a glimpse into the strenuous life that
Roosevelt experienced here which helped shape a conservation
policy that we still benefit from today. Traveling on to Bismarck,
we take time for a photo stop at the Capital, before checking
into our hotel and going out for another delicious, included
dinner. The fun is not over! We round out our day, and our
Wild West adventure with a cruise on the majestic Missouri
River aboard the Lewis and Clark Riverboat. (D)
Day 9
FLIGHT HOME:
Today we journey home, not on a horse or
in a wagon, but in a nice comfy plane. Flying above the
clouds, we can reflect on our trip out West, remembering the
many amazing places we have been and the fun things we did.
