THE COWBOY WEDDING
AT THE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL
BY
POPPY - 2007

Here we have a couple hundred pictures taken on our trip from Tucson, Arizona to Kaycee, Wyoming.  Our daughter Susan had decided to get hitched with a Kansas Cowboy, Brett Bedore.  As it turned out, we had a real "Cowboy Wedding" as documented below.

We had a carload departing from Tucson on Wednesday the 20th.  There were six of us including myself, Shirley, Sarah, James, Jesse and Mom.  Aunt Sharon & Uncle Harold had traveled from Illinois to Wyoming to see their daughter and we all planned to meet in Kaycee and attend the wedding.

As the clans of both sides gathered, in Kaycee, it was soon apparent that the folks
 up there in the wide open spaces of Wyoming were pretty laid back.  When we were planning on where to stay in this remote area about 65 miles north of Casper, internet research found an RV spot that featured a few hunter's cabins so we booked a couple of them.  The site was called The Powder River Cabins & Campground.  We really didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be just what we needed.  Brett's family from Kansas  stayed there too, so it worked out well.

The RV park owners, Randy & Christy Cleveland, were very friendly and provided us with most satisfactory, reasonably priced  accommodations.   They had seven adopted or foster children under seven, six horses, a new filly, a couple of blood hounds and a very friendly bull-dog named Molly!  Who knows what other critters they might have?  The two oldest kids were up at the crack of dawn every morning inquiring as the whereabouts of James and Jesse, so it was fun for the boys.  The owners were working on something until after dark.  They were classic examples of the hard working, laid back people of Wyoming.  Dunno' why I didn't get a picture of them.

Molly says Hello !!!!

Grandma, Susan, Jesse,
James & Sarah

Here's Brett !
Don't he look like a cowboy?

We had the honor of being the first to stay in the newly built cabin.  It is somewhat rustic even though it's new.  It still need a couple of amenities such as some nails or hooks to hang stuff on the walls.  It sported a microwave, a refrigerator & stove but it was definitely a "ONE- BUTT" kitchen, and that was just barely !  Shirley & I got stuck in there more than once !  

Susan was happy
to see her kids !

The small cabin on the left is the new office.  I didn't get a shot of the old one, but it was near the entrance of the park and had been sold.  Someone was to come & get it pretty soon.  You know, when they get around to it !  If they ain't there, you just put the money in the box.

I got up early Friday morning and snapped a couple pictures of the mare & new filly.  She was a cute one.  They got out of pasture once while we were there and the two of them had a good time of it !

Momma and baby

Come on ! Look
at the camera !

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the area they call The Hole-in-the-Wall, a 30-some mile run of red bluff that is absolutely beautiful.  The range of red rock is where Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid gang hid out in between bank and train robberies.  The wedding took place about 12 to15 miles from Kaycee  and it's just plain spectacular.

Hard to believe there's that many ranches when you're driving, passing antelope (speed goats), deer, elk and who knows what else.

Brett had obtained permission to have the ceremony in a beautiful spot not far from the beginning of the ridge.  Not far from the site, the ranch owner's home site is situated.  Nikki Taylor lives there and it's in the valley near the Red Hills &  Blue Creek.  You can see the bridge crossing the river and turning into the home area.  The pictures do not do justice to the view she has when she steps out of her ranch house.  There are 5 acre lots available for a mere $110,000 in this area, better get up there and snap up a couple from Outlaw Acres.

W ell, I wonder if there's any fish down there.  Dennis & I stood up on top and Brett took James and Jesse down and let them wet their hooks in what I think is Blue Creek.  We saw a couple trout, but I think the trout saw James & Jesse first.  In just a few minutes they had a great time.  Jesse slipped and got his foot all wet and muddy and James found a snake skin.  It was worth the trip. 

As I said before, the clans were gathering.  Uncle Harold & Aunt Sharon showed up while we were out checking out the wedding site.  Brett's dad, Dennis,  and his daughter-in-law, Tara, took off for Guernsey Army Training Center to pick up her husband Aaron (Brett's brother) who is in the Kansas National Guard and is training there.  Brett's mom, Betty, stayed behind and watched Aaron & Tara's little boy Dyllon -  "Double-D".  Brett's sister, Brenda Riddle and her husband James from Illinois came too.  Before Friday afternoon was over, we had hamburgers & what-have-you cooked up on the barbecue and lots of friends of Brett & Susan had showed up with a very ample supply of Coors (what else does a cowboy drink?) and the pick-up truck to stand around.  They were a well behaved group.  An exciting moment was when the sheriff showed up looking for someone with Montana plates that was working for the local county.  Guess you ain't suppose to do that.   Susan tried to get them to stay awhile and have a beer, but they refused and moved on.

The party continued, but not too long.  The old folks retreated to the cabins with the little ones and we waited for the next day when the wedding preparations would begin in earnest. 

We loaded the suburban up with the bride, her kids, Shirley, Mom & I and headed to the wedding site.  We were just a little fashionably late.  The wedding was to start 4:20ish and we were only about 15 minutes late.  Everyone else was there waiting patiently under the shade of that big oak.  They had to shoo off a bunch of young horses that had staked out that oak tree for their afternoon shade.  Too bad guys.  You'll have to wait until the wedding is over.  Now, we'll just have to dodge the road apples !

Yep !  We're still waiting.  Most of the guests in the shade seemed in pretty good spirits, especially the ones holding up the pick-up truck.

As you can see, they're still waiting...HEY ! It's starting ! The preacher is briefing the bride how it's gonna' be !

The Maid of Honor leads the way followed by the young, handsome cowboys who are escorting their Mom to meet Brett !

Let's see now !  How did it go?  Well, under the watchful eye of Jeff with the shotgun,  Aaron, Sarah, James & Jesse, the Cowboy Preacher Dale asked Brett & Susan if they really wanted to go through with this, and they both said, YES !  There may have been more words, but I didn't hear them.  Something must have been funny, because both of them were laughing at times.  Anyway, before you could take a swallow of Coors, they were married !!!  The groom kissed the bride in cowboy fashion and they exchanged rings.  I figured it was time the Preacher's assistant put that dang shotgun down !! 

I guess it was time to take some more pictures....as if there hadn't been any taken up to this
point !

We just kept adding folks to the picture until we got 'em all, I think !
Thanks to Aunt Sharon for taking the pictures !

There's the cook !
Good ribs, man !

Did you ever wonder where these traditions came from ?  For example: Drinking the champaign with arms entwined, or stuffing the wedding cake in each others face.  Whatever happened to drinking the stuff out of the shoe or a boot?

Here we go !  Is this a cowboy tradition where the groom removes the garter with his teeth ?  Now I know why the bride chose to wear a dress as opposed to Levis.  It would make this event a little difficult to complete.

Then, it's time to toss the bouquet, and who do you think caught it?  See if you can tell.  It happened too quick for me to get good pictures.

They had a dollar dance, but I must of been too busy to get a picture.  However, it was fun when Jeff shelled out a dollar to dance with the groom !!

Who's leading, I wonder ?  Looks like Jeff is leading.  Seems right since he's the biggest.

Believe it or not, we survived the wedding, primarily because we went home before midnight and didn't drink too much.  So on Sunday morning, Susan & Brett came over to open the gifts and to put a new A/C belt on the Suburban.  That's another story !

Sunday morning, Susan & Brett brought a bunch of Blue Jello and a "Slip-n-Slide" to entertain the kids.  So a couple of the Seven under Seven were having fun too.
Hey!  I just noticed.  The old office that's been sold is in one of the pictures !!  Later we had left over ribs and visited most of the afternoon.

All things considered, it was a pretty good trip and we enjoyed watching Susan & Brett get hitched.  We packed up and left Monday morning, heading back to Tucson.  Uncle Harold & Aunt Sharon left for South Dakota about the same time.  I'm not sure when the Bedore's and the Riddle's left for home.