I can still hear my mom excitedly tell me, “Dad and I are going to Cheyenne Frontier Days!” Cheyenne, Wyoming is about an hour and a half from where we live in Drake, and it probably took my parents a couple of hours from their home in Estes Park. I am guessing that my mom wore the denim skirt and vest that still hangs in my closet… one of many items I acquired after she passed. I don’t wear it, but I struggle to let it go.
This was Alan’s and my first time to check out Frontier Days. We didn’t get any expensive tickets for the concerts, which included Garth Brooks, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, and Ashley McBryde among others. We also didn’t commit enough time there to see the rodeo, partly because I am not a huge rodeo fan. However, I would have enjoyed the barrel racing.
The website for this extravaganza proclaims:
THE DADDY OF ’EM ALL HAS BEEN KICKING UP DUST WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST OUTDOOR RODEO AND WESTERN CELEBRATION SINCE 1897!
Cheyenne Frontier Days was canceled last year due to the Pandemic. However, this year, a record number of 267,369 rodeo and concert tickets were sold. There are so many things offered, it is hard to describe it all!
- PRCA Pro Rodeo
- Frontier Nights (the concert series)
- Information on the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program (Blog coming in the future about that!)
- Live Music and Dancing at the Buckin’ A Saloon
- Carnival Midway
- Old West Museum
- Chuckwagon Cookoff
- Cowboy Church
- A Grand Parade
- The Indian Village
Alan and I spent most of our time in the Indian Village and walking around the shops. We enjoyed watching the Native American dancers and spent most of our cash purchasing the cool stuff we saw at the Village shops. There is an entire area dedicated to Native Americans. It was there that I purchased this ponytail cover.
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Facebook Page has lots of great photos, including some that I shared here:
The town of Cheyenne is fun to visit even when Frontier Days are over. This link tells you where horseback riding is allowed. As close as it is to us, we’ll have to check some of those places out next summer.
The railroad has quite a history in Cheyenne. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the former Union Pacific Depot now boasts a visitor’s center, restaurant, and museum.
Alan and I plan to return to Frontier Days next summer, and perhaps see a concert as well. We didn’t plan very far ahead for this trip. If you are planning a trip to beautiful Wyoming or Colorado, factor this in if possible!
We just returned from a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We visited a herd of BLM Mustangs… watch for a future post about that. We also did a lot of “geyser gazing” at Yellowstone National Park. I will probably also write a blog about fire damage we viewed along the way, the Native American Reservation and culture, and other interesting takeaways from our trip.
Totally off my normal topic, but is anyone else experiencing MAJOR issues with USPS? Rates have gone up and service is non-existent… I might actually write a blog and tell you all the unbelievable experiences we are enduring here in Colorado.
Next week I’ll tell you about beautiful Wyoming, and after that about the Wild Horse Sanctuary we visited. Also coming soon, our very technical ride to Fern and Odessa Lakes in RMNP. Stay tuned!
