all dressed up like gunsmoke for saturday night

Day 6: Laramie, WY and Cheyenne, WY

We started day 6 with the Wings Over Warren air show featuring the Thunderbirds at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne.

The show was unlike any other air show I’ve ever attended, I think because it was on an actual base.  The crowd was way more historical military aviation nerd and way less “I expect somebody to wing walk while something explodes in the foreground”.

Cars were allowed to enter the base starting at 6am for the 9am show and they were limiting attendance on-base, so it was an early AM for us, especially as the heavy fog delayed the start of the show. We basically sat in a field for 3 hours with no cell signal until the fog lifted.

Ada managed.

The Thunderbirds were stunning as always. It was a nice follow-up to seeing their unbelievable pagoda flyover during the national anthem at the 2022 Indianapolis 500, during which Ada, Mommy’s Little Operations Manager, screamed “HOW DID THEY TIME THAT???” The extended show gave her a lot more examples of their timing abilities.

From the air show, we headed to the Cheyenne Frontier Days grounds for an afternoon at The Daddy of ‘Em All, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo.

“Oh my GOD, but WHY?” Ada asked after the very first bull rider left the chute.

Her favorite events quickly became tie-down roping and team roping. She enjoyed watching the roper’s horse cooperate with his rider and she loved cheering for the calves that got away and therefore “won”.

The Daddy of ‘Em All for me was a visit to Cheyenne-based leather shop Alexis Drake, which I discovered the last time I was in Wyoming and have built a bit of a collection via her website. I leaned all the way in to the rodeo vibe this time. No regrets.

We dawdled our way back to Laramie through the Medicine Bow National Forest as some rain rolled in.

And we wrapped up the very very long day with a couple of good steaks and another trip to the hotel pool for my little chlorine-powered fish.

Today’s title from “Lights of Cheyenne” by James McMurtry.