HagaFinn's BlogSpot: Buffalo Bill Cody and On to Vail

Neil and Pamela in the Maroon Bells on the White River NF

Hello from the Rockies! We are here in Vail, Colorado at the US Forest Service Retiree Reunion, and enjoying some fantastic weather and views. We flew last Saturday into Denver and overnighted near the airport. This is the relatively new airport that Neil says is located in Kansas. It is't that far east, but a lot further than old Stapleton Airport was.

Our Dinner Spot Was Ted Turner's Montana Grill

We had a great meal at Ted's, where Neil had a bison ribeye steak that was fantastic. The next day, we drove west towards Vail and stopped at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave Site on the top of Lookout Mountain above Denver. It has a great view of the Coors Brewery in Golden and of Denver. We had never been there, and had a good hour or so in the museum learning a lot about William F. Cody and his career as Buffalo Bill.

It Ain't the Smithsonian, but Was an Enjoyable Stop

Pamela with Some Other Western Characters

We did not realize that Bullalo Bill was such a folk hero and today's equivalent of a Super Hero, but there were thousands of "dime novels" that contributed to his fame and helped to launch his western shows.

When he died, his funeral reminded many of State Funerals of Presidents. His grave at the top of Lookout Mountain probably has more visitors than most Presidents. There was some controversy at the time about whether he should be buried here, in Cody, Wyoming that he founded or where he lived in Platte, Nebraska. The folks in Denver were worried about the body being moved under the cover of darkness, so they poured about two tons of cement on top of the grave. The grave is still here.

Buffalo Bill's Gravesite

We left Lookout Mountain and got on Interstate 70 west to Vail. There was a lot of traffic, but most of it headed back into Denver after visiting the Rockies. It was a great drive and we got to Vail around 1600 and checked into a great room at the Marriott Hotel and Resort at Vail Mountain. We have enjoyed the reunion very much and will make plans to attend the next one in 2015 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the neat things about the meeting was the color guard for the American flag by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division who trained at nearby Camp Hale and fought in the Italian Alps and other places during World War II. Many of the veterans returned to Colorado and started the ski industry and places like Vail Mountain.

We have been struggling a little bit with the 8,200 feet of elevation here at Vail, and we actually had an event up on the mountain above 10,000 feet. We are looking forward to getting back to sea level where we can breathe easier!

We return on Saturday evening and are looking forward to a visit by Neil's family on Sunday and Monday. The weather back home in West Linn has stayed drive and warm, but should be in the 70's next week.