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So Kat was here last week and I showed here all that Cody and the surrounding area had to offer. We saw the parade, the rodeo, the museum and Yellowstone National Park. I'd like to say that I did all the tourist stuff for Kat's sake, that I would never have done it on my own, but that's far from the truth. I took much longer at the museum than she did and every time there was an animal close to the road in Yellowstone, I was the first one to jump out of the car with camera in hand. I'd like to say that I'm a Wyoming boy but I think I might be too much tourist now.

I've always had some pride in being from Wyoming, even when Brokeback Mountain came out (and no, there isn't any Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming; at least not that I'm aware of. If there is the camping sites on that mountain might have changed since the release of that movie.) I still identify with Wyoming, but now I realize that it's a fragmented identification, Where I pick and choose the pieces I'm proud of. I'm not super fond of the rodeo nor am I a super patriotic, flag-waving, god-fearing cowboy, nor do I believe I ever will be.

Other times I feel I've failed Wyoming. While I have no abitions to be a cowboy, I'd still like to know how to ride a horse yet I'm terribly alergic to horses, hay, dust, sagebrush, and saddles (probably). I attempted to go horseback riding with my grandma a few years ago and all I did was sit atop of the horse and sneeze and wheeze and gasp. I actually felt sorry for the horse having to put up with this poor excuse of a cowboy. I've only shot a pistol once and while I blew my target away (an unarmed bowling pin, I was not actually bowling at the time), I also bruised my hand and damn near knocked myself in the head with the gun.

So what do I love about Wyoming? I love my family, they're part of Wyoming. I love the wildlife which in some was is very similar to my family. I love the mountains and the open spaces and how easy it is to get lost here. I guess I just don't relate to a lot of what people think Wyoming is: the cowpokes, the cows, the country music and the politics. Outdoors here feels like home and I'm going to wander around in it for as long as I can, provided I have an ample supply of allergy medicine.