RR greets you at the door

Anyone who grew up in the 1940s or early ’50s, especially boys, remembers Red Ryder, the cowboy hero of newspaper comic strips, comics, books, 38 feature movies, and for nine years a popular radio show. And countless millions of young boys ever since remember with fondness either owning or wanting to own their very own Red Ryder BB gun — as made famous by character Ralphie in the popular holiday movie “A Christmas Story.”

Harman’s studio for two decades

The man behind Red Ryder and his Indian sidekick Little Beaver was Fred Harman, who grew up and later spent much of his life in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Late in life, Harman gain fame as a serious western artist.

John Wayne slept here.

Early on, he struggled as an artist and businessman. When they were both getting started, he and his buddy Walt Disney formed a company that failed.

You can learn all about Harman and Red Ryder at the Fred Harman museum in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on the western edge of town along state route 160. Admission is $3, less for kids.

Ralphie and BB gun.

Visit Harman’s studio and see his paintings and even originals of Red Ryder cartoons. Buy a genuine Daisy Red Ryder BB gun for $60, or spend $110 for a rare Ryder Ryder comic book. If you don’t want to buy a BB gun, then just admire the very first Red Ryder BB gun ever made. Harman’s serious art is displayed: one small painting sports a $10,000 pricetag. As an extra treat, sit or even lie down on the long couch that served John Wayne’s bed when he would visit.

The museum is open year round, but call first in the winter months to get the abbreviated schedule, (970) 731-5785.

RV parking appears limited when you drive in, but drive around back for more space, or just park on the grass — no problem.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, celebrates the spirit of the American West by weaving together the stories of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and natural history—into the rich tapestry that is the West.

Named for William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the man who “took the West to the world,” the Center reveals these stories of the past and present. Learn all about Buffalo Bill, his Wild West Show, and the West he knew and loved. Follow his life from frontiersman to actor, showman to entrepreneur, real man to the legend he became.

Discover the art of the West through stunning, priceless masterworks of painting and sculpture, with subjects ranging from inspirational landscapes, unique wildlife, diverse peoples, and the fascinating heroes and legends of the West.

Share the life stories—the culture, history, and art—of the Northern Plains Indian peoples, past and present, and hear these stories in their own voices.

The story of the American West is incomplete without firearms. As you tour the most comprehensive collection of American-made firearms in the world, see how firearms factories, competition, and production innovations have as much to do with the West as the gun itself.

Learn more about Buffalo Bill Historical Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, at its website. And no problem with parking for large RVs. The park lot of spacious.

There is no business sign identifying the North Cascades Nursery along U.S. 2 near Sultan, Wash. But you can’t miss the place — it’s surrounded by a fence made of used snow skis. The Stevens Pass ski area is about a half hour drive east in the Cascades.

Three years ago, owner Jake Sharpe posted a sign asking passersby to leave their old skis.

Now, hundreds of them stand side-by-side to form the unusual fence, which is expanding all the time. When it finally circles the business, Sharpe plans to contact Guinness Book of World Records to request the “World’s largest ski fence” title.

The fence is mostly skis, but there are some snowboards, too — some with boots still attached.

There is plenty of room out front to park your RV for a quick stop to look at plants or snap a photo of the most unusual fence.

When the Lewis and Clark  Corps of Discovery–31 men, one woman, and one dog–set off from Fort Mandan on April 7, 1805 to explore the land west of the Mississippi River, they were accompanied by an Indian woman interpreter named Sacajawea.

Born a member of the Agaidika tribe in 1788 near present day Salmon, Idaho, she was captured by a raiding party of Sioux and later sold to a French trapper named Charbanneau, an interpreter, who would accompany the expedition. She was pregnant with his child when the party set off on their epic journey.

Sacajawea, though not a guide, was familiar with the some of the country through which they traveled and was instrumental in their peaceful trading with the native tribes as they crossed the continent. If she were alive and the same age today, she’d be too young for middle school. When she was born, the United States was 12 years old and ended at the Mississippi River. Sacajawea didn’t know it existed. None of the members of her band had ever seen a white person.

They traveled up the Missouri River in six canoes and two larger, flat-bottomed pirogues. Sacajawea set up a warm tepee the first night, a skill learned as part of her Agaidika education. Most of the men slept outside. The tepee was reserved for Lewis and Clark, Charbonneau and another civilian interpreter, and Sacajawea and her baby. It was used until it fell apart.

On the third day, Sacajawea dug Jerusalem artichokes for the men to eat. It was the first of many times she added variety to a diet that relied heavily on meat. One of her most important contributions, however, was her mere presence. Though Lewis and Clark thought of themselves as traveling through unexplored territory, the continent west of the Mississippi was actually well known. It was home to dozens of Indian tribes who knew the land intimately and vigorously defended their turf. Intruders ran the risk of paying with their lives. Without Sacajawea, the Corps of Discovery could have been mistaken for a war party and annihilated. The presence of a woman and a child assured potential enemies that its intentions were peaceful.

You can learn more at the Sacajawea Interpretive Cultural and Education Center, 200 Main St., Salmon, Idaho. info@sacajaweacenter.org