The Man in the Golf Cart Who Changed Our Plans
Sometimes the best travel advice doesn’t come from a guidebook or a carefully planned itinerary. Sometimes it arrives in a golf cart.
We pulled into Ponderosa Campground in Cody, Wyoming, late in the evening after the office had already closed. We found our designated campsite, settled YOLA in for the night and figured we’d check in properly the next morning.
Sure enough, morning came — and so did Larry.
Cruising around the campground in his golf cart, Larry swung by our site with a big smile and a cheerful good morning. After welcoming us, he gently reminded us that we still needed to stop by the office and officially check in.
Then he asked a simple question: “How long are you staying?”
“One night,” we told him. We were just passing through.
Apparently, Larry had other plans for us.
He started telling us about all the things we really shouldn’t miss while we were in Cody — the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Old Trail Town, the historic Irma Hotel, and the Cody Cattle Company for barbecue and live country music.
The more Larry talked, the more our one-night plan started falling apart.
And you know what? Larry was absolutely right.
We explored Cody, learned about its fascinating western history and discovered a town we probably would have driven through far too quickly.
What started as a quick overnight stop became another reminder of something we’re learning again and again on this journey:
Larry, thank you. Thank you for the warm welcome, the wonderful recommendations and for convincing two travelers who
were “just passing through” that Cody deserved a little more of our time.
We arrived expecting a place to camp for one night. We left three days later with another wonderful experience — all because of one friendly guy in a golf cart who took the time to stop and talk to two strangers.
YOU ONLY LIVE ADVENTURE
