Roadtripping and Camping In The West W/ Kids: “Hell On Wheels” Rodeo- 6

Pulling into a rainy Cheyenne after a short drive out of Utah and a very long drive through the entire top half of Colorado was fulfilling, to say the least.  We knew weather was in the area so we were prepared.  That afternoon we wanted to keep as much dry as possible, so we unloaded everything out of the back of the truck into the hotel room .  This was all the stuff that wasn’t locked in the two top rocket boxes, so most of it was in large duffels, but needed to be secured in the room or the front of the truck.  After road-tripping for three long days with two days of camping thrown in there, the crew was ready for hot showers  and soft beds.  And why not…we deserved it as this was our first real road trip and camping spree since coming off the Adventure Bus across America.  We were loose…camping again.

Cheyenne turned out to be the perfect city to regroup and reassess our camping and road trip goals.  After looking at where we had been and where we were going, we decided we had done a pretty good with reservations and trip distances and kept to our plans.  We would stay in Cheyenne for two days, then head to South Dakota to spend a few days camping in the Black Hills.  Cheyenne is a neat, historic old west city that’s steeped in railroad.  The city seems to eat and sleep railroad and rodeo, making lots of enjoyable tourist options.  We spent hours checking out the railroad museum, window shopping in the attractive old downtown and finding the modern super Walmart to resupply before heading to the Black Hills for days of camping.   While in Cheyenne, we had found a small non-touristy rodeo we looked forward to checking out…Hell On Wheels Rodeo circuit.

What is hell does “Hell On Wheels” mean and why would they name a Rodeo that? 

From Wikipedia:  Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific Railroad workers westward as they constructed the first transcontinental railroad in 1860s North America. The huge numbers of wage-earning young men working in what was a remote wilderness, far from the constraints of home, provided a lucrative opportunity for business. As the end of the line continually moved westward, Hell on Wheels followed along, reconstructing itself on the outskirts of each town that became, in turn, the center of activity for the Union Pacific’s construction work.  

Since Cheyenne is all about railroad history, this is a very, very appropriate name for this particular rodeo series. 

Wanna read more about this collection of Americana that sprung up in the Old West….click this link:  Hell On Wheels

Hell On Wheels Rodeo Series

The second night we stayed in Cheyenne, we checked out the Hell On Wheels Rodeo.  We had a blast and I think it was the kids very first rodeo.  I had not been to a real rodeo since my time in Texas so it was really cool to see everything and we loved the pure athletics from women, men and horses.  I would definitely say this was one of the highlights of the trip and encourage you to go if you ever have the time.  

In Cheyenne for these couple days in June we saw lightening and some rainy weather, but I think the realization that we were in the plains probably hit us the hardest.  Losing sight of mountains and hills on the long drive between Cheyenne and the Black Hills the next day was an eye opener…and fodder for the story next week. 

Till then, stick with us for more- 

Posts so far about the rest of the trip: 

Roadtripping and Camping In The Western US With Kids-1

Roadtripping and Camping In The West With Kids (Zion)-2

Roadtripping and Camping In The West With Kids- The Road To Dinosaur-3

Roadtripping And Camping With Kids- Dinosaur National Monument- 4

Roadtripping and Tent Camping In the West W/Kids- Dinosaur To Cheyenne-(5)