I appreciate the irony that comes with my telling you – in a blog read by people on computers, tablets and phones – that around here in Yellowstone Country we are pretty good at riding horses, fishing for trout and putting away our electronics.
Sure, the cell phone coverage in Cody is good and a wi-fi connection is easily found. The cable company was my friend this week as I watched baseball’s World Series and Thursday Night Football featuring the Broncos and Chargers. I might even have caught up on a guilty pleasure (slow down, Jax) or two.
A vacation in Cody, however, is best done when you unplug. I get it that sometimes you need to check your e-mail or follow up with someone back in the office. I have one friend whose attitude is that cell phones should be confiscated at the airport (or the Wyoming border if you are driving) and there should be rules against their use on city streets, in parks, at the beach and basically anywhere within three miles of him when he is outside. Even though I have pointed out to one him for several years now that connectivity allows me to get away more often instead of tethering me to my desk, he refuses to see it any other way.
When in Cody you can immerse yourself in Buffalo Bill history.
One area I do agree with him is that there are time when they should be put away. You ever try reeling in a rainbow trout with one hand? And how can you appreciate the natural beauty around here if you are always looking down?
Here are my suggestions for when and when not to use electronics.
Do use them when you are researching the Cody Nite Rodeo.
Don’t pull out your phone in front of the rodeo clown unless you want to be part of the routine.
Do look for places that sell bear spray.
Don’t check your e-mail when you are hiking in bear habitat.
There are few places in Yellowstone where cell phone reception is possible.
Do use your map and gps capabilities to find the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Don’t google Buffalo Bill once you get there. Where do you think the information comes from?
Do turn off your ringer when you go to a Dan Miller show. (He can be worse than the rodeo clown.)
Cell phones can be used to take photos but that’s all at Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue
Don’t forget to take a selfie with Dan.
Do donate to the online Corrie N. Cody retirement fund.
Don’t be cheap.
Okay, maybe the last “Do” was not a real suggestion, but you should get the point. Use your electronics sparingly when you get here.
Until next week, I am lovin’ (the quiet) life here in Cody Wyo.