2026 Longmire Days - July 16-19.
This year my friend Patricia came from Houston to go with me to Longmire Days since my long time travel companion Rudi couldn't make it. While she's not a huge fan of the show, she was excited for the experience.
I donated again this year - Bronze level like last year. I got us a hotel for a good price. And packed the little yellow truck to the gills! And I got her ATEEZ seat covers!!!
Sunday the 12th - I drove down to Fort Collins to our hotel after work, then I totally BRAVED Denver International Airport - driving to it at dusk and to the hotel in the DARK!! OMG - TERRIFIED and trying NOT to let Patricia know! hahahahha! Got to the hotel and crashed out in a dead sleep.
Monday the 13th - we left Fort Collins - after I got gas I had to turn around and take the hotel keys back. Then we left and headed out again. About 40ish miles out of Laramie, we got stopped in a line of construction traffic, but it wasn't only construction - something had happened and we saw a ground ambulance AND a life flight helicopter. That delayed us about 40 minutes.
We made it to Laramie.
Then up through Medicine Bow.
We had lunch in Casper, then braved the BLASTED heat all the way into Buffalo. It was horrible and even though my truck A/C was just tested on 7/8, it could not handle the heat 😥
We got our hotel room and it was on the second floor with no elevator and one queen bed - WTF. We figured we could handle it, showered and went walking around town since it had cooled down a little bit.
When we got back to the hotel, OMG it was hotter than outside and the A/C was just blowing warm air. So went to the manager and he got us a 1st floor room with 2 queen beds that I had requested and a WONDERFUL working A/C - I kind of froze Patricia out of the room.
Tuesday the 14th - we ate breakfast at the Busy Bee and then headed to Lake DeSmet and to Sheridan, where we went to the Kings Saddlrey and the King Tack Museum, the Railroad Depot Display, The Sheridan Inn, and then back to Buffalo for some Tai Food!
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| WATCH OUT THERE'S A BEAR!!! |
Wednesday the 15th - We got up early and drove Crazy Woman Canyon! OMG it was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Then to Dannielle's house to help prep Volunteer Shirts for the Volunteer meeting and Race Shirts for race morning. Then to the Volunteer Meeting.
Thursday the 16th - First Day of Longmire Days! We worked the Apsaalooke Cultural Day at the Johnson County Fairgrounds - The Crow tribe did an amazing Cultural day - we helped with Opening & Welcome at Arts & Crafts Fair with Tepee Raising, Woman’s role in Crow Culture, Beadwork and Regalia, Parade Regalia Demonstration then our shift was over and then we hid in the A/C for a while before heading to the TA Ranch for the VIP Reception.
Friday the 17th - this was the WORK day - 7:30 am helping set up street barricades for the food vendors, then tried to get breakfast at the Busy Bee, but that turned out to be to GO as we had to run over to the 5K and help with street barricades there and keeping traffic out of the race area, then help with clean up. Then to the Autograph Session with Craig and Longmire Cast Members. This was a busy and long assignment. We went back to the hotel and crashed until it was time to go to Auction - Patricia had done an AMAZING painting of Walt (Robert Taylor) that she donated.
As a plug - she does AMAZING work and you ALL should commission her! Like NOW 😆
Saturday the 18th - We worked the parade. Then went thrift store shopping and to some other shops. Then we worked the Longmire Conversation at the High School.
Sunday the 19th - Well this was an INTERESTING day. And it made me so grateful for the Longmire Family I have made over the years.
Up and we went to the Paradise Ranch for the Longmire Horseback ride.
My truck had been acting up off and on all week - thought it was the battery but O'Reilly tested it and cleaned the connectors and it seemed fine. Yeah. If a vehicle is going to be bad, it chooses the most interesting places.
We drove to Paradise, took pictures, I went on the ride and rode the Appaloosa gelding named WHATS UP! Beautiful ride, great lunch, the running of the horses, and more pictures with some fun ones for Patricia being "country."
Then it was time to head back to town and the truck wouldn't start. Anne and Casey offered to take us to town to get a battery, did that, one of the wranglers, Kade, helped us put it in and she STILL didn't start. OMFG. So called AAA, it was going to take them 3 hours, and Kade said he'd help the tow truck driver get it to Jennifer's mechanic so we didn't have to stay - I have only nice words for Paradise Ranch and 98% of their people (had a couple not so great encounters with staff) but everyone else was AMAZING!
Anne and Casey took us to the Volunteer Reception and back to the hotel. Patricia and I skipped the WRAP party because I was having severe reactions to the heat. Classic heat exhaustion symptoms. So we crashed at the hotel.
Monday the 20th - Jennifer took me to the mechanic. Of course Buttercup started there, but I asked that they change the starter because I didn't want it dying somewhere. So, Jennifer took me back to the hotel and Patricia and I walked the Nature Trail to downtown and went to the Busy Bee to eat. On the way back we went on this one bridge and thought we were going to DIE! OMG.
We waited and finally around 1 pm, I noticed my watch alerting about a call almost 2 hours earlier that my truck was done. My phone never rang 😒
Jennifer was nice enough to take me back to the mechanic and I was so surprised that they were very reasonable and reminded me of my mechanic in Estes.
Patricia and I got on the road about 2:45 pm and headed down I-25. Stopped in various towns along the way - Kaycee, Casper, Wheatland, Chugwater, Cheyenne, and stayed the night in Fort Collins - was a little peeved at the hotel in Fort Collins this time - and the Subway for having an open sign up and refusing to serve us at 8:15 because they forgot to lock the doors. But the beds were comfy and we crashed hard.
I just want to say a huge thank you to Anne, Casey, Jennifer, Dannielle, Paul and the folks at Ed's Auto repair, Superior Towing, Kade and everyone at Paradise Guest Ranch and anyone else that I forgot.
Tuesday the 21st - I took Patricia to Lake Loveland, and then thrift store shopping, to Buc-ees, and then we ate lunch and I drove her to DIA. Again, I braved this in the daytime rush hour traffic - another fear conquered. And then I headed home. Buttercup died at a gas station but restarted to made it to Estes and set an appointment with the mechanic - as I noticed her struggling when A/C was on and she died when I tried it again.
She's been a good little truck and this is her first major stuff in 5 years so......
I was sad to see Patricia leave, as now it's back to the real world for a while.
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