During the American Revolution, King Louis XVI of France dispatched soldiers and ships to assist the American colonies in winning the war and establishing the United States of America.
Nearly 250 years later, Cody returned the favor by rescuing nearly four dozen French tourists who had become stranded near Meeteetse.
When a Four Seasons Travel coach bus carrying 45 French tourists broke down on Wyoming Highway 120, several Cody businesses came together to help them and their journey. The Marquis de Lafayette would have been proud.
“I was impressed with how many people reached out,” said Wade French, owner of Cody Trolley Company. “We got them from their hotel in Cody to Yellowstone and back. It was very cool.”
Trolley To The Rescue
On Tuesday, French was in Billings, Montana, when he received a call from Mike Darby, the owner of Cody’s Irma Hotel. He was attempting to coordinate a rescue.
“Mike told me, ‘We’ve got a bus broken down,'” he recounted. “As soon as I ended the call with him, I got another call from a lady who was actually sitting on the side of the road with them in Meeteetse and was wondering if I was available to pick them up.”
French (not related to the French) immediately dispatched one of the Cody Trolleys and a 15-passenger van, driven by Larry and Alice Munari, to Meeteetse to pick up the French tourists and their luggage. Patrol Sgt. Phil Johnson from the Park County Sheriff’s Office was already on the scene when they arrived.
“The problem was something with the hydraulic hose,” French told me. “There was a lot of oil leaking out the back.” It wasn’t going anywhere without major repairs.”
When I was hungry or thirsty
When the Munaris arrived in Meeteetse, they loaded all things French into the trolley and van. The Meeteetse resident who called French ensured that everyone had a bottle of water for the short ride to Cody.
It was pouring rain when they arrived at the Best Western Sunset Inn, and the van was packed floor to ceiling with luggage, but everyone made it safely.
“I met them at their hotel, helped them unload all the luggage, and get the folks off the vehicle,” French told me. “Most of them didn’t speak English, but they were there to help us unload. It was an intriguing moment, but we got everyone there.”
However, the wave of generosity was not yet over. Bubba’s Bar-B-Que was already closed by the time the French tourists arrived at their hotel, but they sent enough food to ensure that everyone had a hot meal after their ordeal on Highway 120.
Wade French went above and beyond by transporting the bus driver, Lee, back to the vehicle so he could attempt to repair it.
“Someone with Four Seasons Travel called me asking if we knew of an Uber because their driver was in town and needed a ride back to the bus,” he told me. “We don’t really have Uber, so I picked him up with my personal pickup and drove him out to the bus.”
Got You Covered
The French tourists made it to Cody, but they remained stranded until a new tour bus arrived. It was time for another call.
“The tour company called again and asked, “Can you help us get into Yellowstone?” “My vehicles don’t do Yellowstone, but I have a few suggestions,” French said.
Coulter Jones, owner of CoveredGround Tours, stated that his company received a last-minute call from Four Seasons Travel to transport 45 people from Cody to Gardiner, Montana, where another tour bus was waiting. Three of his guides, Cody Goodwin, Emma Richwine, and Jack Weinstock, stepped forward and offered assistance.
“They didn’t confirm it the night before, so it all happened the day of,” Jones disclosed. “I didn’t hear about it until after they got back, but the team pulled together and made it happen.”
Goodwin, Richwine, and Weinstock each drove a van full of French tourists from Cody through Yellowstone to Gardiner. It was more transportation than tour, but that didn’t stop the French from having a brief experience along the way.
“They had a great time,” Jones explained. “Mammoth Hot Springs was a highlight. They had a French-speaking leader, but some of them spoke broken English, and they had a great time.”
CoveredGround Tours transported the French tourists to Gardiner, where the replacement coach bus was waiting to whisk them away on the remainder of their Wyoming adventure. Jones was proud of his team, but he was not surprised that so many Cody businesses demonstrated a similar level of generosity.
“They called us for a rescue, and we helped them out,” he explained.
Cody is happy to assist the next visitors from France or any other country who are in trouble.
