While calming our nerves after the terrifying drive through the Bighorn Mountains, we decided to check out the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY. We are all big Buffalo Bill Cody buffs now.

It’s billed as “the Smithsonian of the West”. Wow, they weren’t kidding. This museum is really five museums in total. Of course, the Buffalo Bill Museum; the fabulous museum of Western Art; the Plains Indians; Natural History; and then the Firearms Museum. The price of admission (a mere $56 for all four of us) included a 2 day pass. We had the luxury of having the place mostly to ourselves and were able to see just about everything there in only one day.

My Dad and my brother Shawn would have drooled at the site of the firearms museum. The place was huge. I’ve never seen so many guns in my life. (nor do I think I want to again).

Just a taste of all the guns here

Another morsel

The Museum of Natural History was incredible – there was an amazing collection of stuffed critters there. Like this one:

Rachel with her friend, Mr. Polar Bear

We met some Raptors at a super cool presentation put on by a wildlife refuge group at the museum. There was a peregrine falcon, a turkey vulture, and a great-horned owl. We could have reached out and touched any one of these magnificent creatures, that’s how close we were. I had to avert my gaze, but Summer captured a video of the peregrine falcon lunching on a rabbit leg. With all the appropriate falcon crunching sounds. Ugh. If you have the stomach for it, check out the video on her page. Bon appetit.