Wyoming Lifestyle Blogger - Carnival Dreams

One of the highlights of my summer growing up was Cheyenne Frontier Days.  But if there was a highlight of that highlight, it was the CFD carnival.

The week before Frontier Days was supposed to start, my best friend, Kari, and I would pour over the program from the previous year.  We’d inspect the photos and make a plan for what rides we would ride, and in what order.

The Falling Rainbow.  The double-decker ferris wheel.  The Octopus.  The Sizzler.  The giant slide.  What to hit first?  How long would my parents let us stay?  How long could our stomachs hold out?

My stomach held out until I was about 17.  After one too many trips on the Zipper and the Sooper Loops with my boyfriend and another couple, I finally hit my breaking point.  I spent the rest of the night convinced I was going to die from throwing up so much.

Lesson learned.

Now I leave the carnival rides to the kids.  Wyokiddo has inherited her parent’s love of all things twirly and whirly and spinny.  Our town’s local celebration started this week and I hit the event to snag some pictures for Cole’s Classroom, the photography site I write for.  She went with me, but decided she’d rather save her carnival experience for Cheyenne Frontier Days and a day with her cousins.

That didn’t stop her from enjoying the evening, though.  While I worked to capture the Tornado, Wyokiddo and Outdoor Guy snagged some cotton candy and studied the game.  She was also measuring herself against the signs, ensuring she would indeed be tall enough for her favorites next week.

As she dozed in the backseat on the way home, I heard her mumbling to herself.

“I think I’ll start with the big slide first,” she said, ticking off her fingers.  “Then the hang gliders.  Those are my favorite.”

Like mother, like daughter.

Teresa