The Roundup: A Conversation With Cody Beers

This week, host Wendy Corr has a conversation with WYDOT spokesperson Cody Beers. A lifelong Wyoming resident, Cody is not only the go-to information guy for anyone traveling to Yellowstone National Park, he’s also the broadcasting voice for the Wyoming Indian High School Chiefs and Lady Chiefs.

WC
Wendy Corr

June 15, 202432 min read

The Roundup Beers
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)
Watch on YouTube

Wendy Corr:

Well, hey there, folks, welcome to The Roundup! We are a Cowboy State Daily podcast, focusing on interesting people in the Cowboy State. And I'm telling you, I have known our guest today since I first started doing radio, but I've known his family even longer than that.

That's one of the things about living in Wyoming for any length of time - people you meet, yor your paths overlap. And Cody Beers and I, our paths have overlapped many times over the years - and I'm so tickled to have him on as a guest today! 

Cody has just celebrated 20 years with the Wyoming Department of Transportation. He's the spokesperson for district five up here in Northwest Wyoming, but he has lived the Wyoming life, and I'm just thrilled to be able to bring his experience and his knowledge and his stories to the listeners of The Roundup. So Cody Beers, good day to you! I'm so glad to have your face on here. You and I used to talk in person a lot more than we do now, but Cody, good morning. How are you?

Cody Beers:

Hey, good morning. It's always a beautiful day in Wyoming and I'm glad to be here with you, Wendy. And yeah, you've got the golden voice of Wyoming, and I'm very proud of you and what you've been doing in your career.

And I’ve brought my parents do your music show, and I want to do that again. And because my dad loves music, he's getting to the point in his life where he'll probably just be dancing on stage with you guys.

So well, all good stuff, and it'll be fun, but life is what it is. It's what we make of it. And every day in Wyoming has been a joy, even though some days are a little bit more stressful than others. 

Wendy Corr:

You have had those days, Cody, because you're the one that has to tell us when there's a rock slide in Wind River Canyon, and when the highway over the Bighorns is closed, and when there's construction going on on the road to Yellowstone.

These are the stories and the information that you have to impart to all of us, and you've been doing that now for 20 years. 

But let's go back to your Wyoming roots. Cody, you were born in Torrington, and that's a fun story in itself, but you've lived everywhere, including on South Pass. And not everybody can say that. Tell us a little bit about your growing up in Wyoming.

Cody Beers:

Well my dad was drafted in the Vietnam era, and he was stationed in Hawaii. That's really where they put a lot of troops right before they sent people to Vietnam.

And so my mom went over there. Mom and dad lived the bare bones life over there, and that's where I was conceived. And then they didn't want me to be born there, so they shipped me home - inside my mom - and I was born in Torrington. My mom was staying with my grandparents then, and then dad got discharged, thankfully, and was able to come home.

And we moved to a ranch up in Lusk, worked for the Reed family, which has Fremont County roots.

And about a year later, my uncle in Lander - who celebrates his 90th birthday this weekend - my uncle Jerry Hecker was also a WYDOT guy, and he let my dad know about a job on South Pass. And so dad applied, got the job. 

They threw all of our worldly possessions, probably including my crib, in the back of an old stock truck, and off to South Pass we went. We lived in South Pass for about nine years. I used to ride a bus 28 miles one way to town to go to kindergarten, and then first, second and third grade.

We moved to Cody when I was in third grade, about ‘73 or so. And dad became the maintenance foreman at the Wyoming Highway Department in Cody. 

You know, my mom worked various jobs, and then ended up being one of the longest serving employees ever in the, I believe the bank’s called BMO now, but it started out as First State Bank in Cody.

It probably had six or seven different names through her career, which was about 30 years, and dad retired. He was a longtime horseshoer until he got bucked off a horse and broke his back, and so then he went into leather work.

And his leather work was known region wide for the quality, he made hundreds of cell phone cases back when we had the flip phones, and built saddles, did the whole thing.

And so we've got an outdoor type family. Family vacations were spent in the mountains on horseback back in the day. Did a lot of pack trips, when anywhere we camped, we didn't really worry about grizzly bears or anything like that back then.

I spent a lot of time on my family's ranch down in Lander, I was on a horse much of my early youth, chasing cows up through the Wind River Mountains. 

Spent a lot of time with my dad and the Bennet family over working on the Pitchfork Ranch - I knew the Turnells well. Joe Thomas runs that ranch now, and he's one year older than me, as we both graduated from Cody High School, so we talk to each other. Still love that area a lot. 

But I ended up in Riverton because a friend of mine told me about a sports job there. After I'd gotten out of journalism school, I was working for Bruce McCormack in Cody, who was longtime publisher of the Cody Enterprise, and Bruce and I remain close friends to this day.

And he's been very involved in WYDOT activities, first as a transportation commissioner, now he's an aeronautics commissioner. So Bruce and I have that connection through all these years, about 35 years. 

So it's connections, really, that and people you associate with through time, which led me finally back to WYDOT after a six, seven year newspaper career.

And you know, I met my wife in Riverton, we've raised two sons, both of them are married. And we're expecting our first grandchild in August. So very exciting. And you know, life is what it is, you just keep rolling with the punches.

And I can't think of a better place to raise a family, to live in all corners of Wyoming. It's just a wonderful place. 

You know, I think we've gotten a little bit away from what I like about Wyoming. In the end, you know, we can disagree about anything, Wyoming people are famous for disagreeing, but I really like to see our state and our people get back to the point where, yeah, we can still disagree.

But at the end of the day, we're all friends. And we like each other, we work together, we get along. 

And I think that's what makes my job work for me is that, you know, people know where I stand on issues, but we hunt, we fish, we travel together, we talk, we have lunch.

And we continue to make those connections, Wendy, and you know, I think that's an important part of being a Wyoming person. Absolutely, to get along and work together.

Wendy Corr:

And that's exactly right. And that's what's made your life - what a Wyoming life. I mean, you've just had all of these amazing things in your life.

And I think that is probably the dream, that everyone who either wants to live in Wyoming, or who has lived in Wyoming, is making those lifelong connections, doing all of the wonderful things that you've been able to do.

And yet you've kind of capitalized on those connections in the way that you have got, like you mentioned, Bruce McCormack and all of these wonderful people that you have worked with over the course of the years.

That's got to make your life in some ways easier and your work easier, because when it comes to all of the reporting that you have to do on Wyoming Department of Transportation issues, it's knowing the people. 

And tell me about some of the more challenging, more challenging situations that you've had to kind of mitigate, and be that face that everybody talks to and says, ‘Oh, no, Cody, what's going on with this?’ What are some of the more challenging situations? 

Cody Beers:

Well, one of the jobs that I take on a daily basis with a lot of pride is my work as WYDOT’s tribal liaison with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes.

Through time, and through my career at WYDOT and through my family connections, living on the reservation - my grandparents were ranchers right in the middle of the whole thing - I learned a lot about people and how to get along with people from my grandpa Albert, and my Grandma Betty who were very involved in the reservation community and also in the Fremont County community. 

And so I developed a connection with a lot of people on the reservation through my life, friends, neighbors, those type of things. And so when WYDOT asked me if I would do this job, I said, ‘Yeah,’ but it's always challenging. You're working government to government, you're working on those relationships. 

And, you know, one of the advantages I've had is, I've also had the opportunity - as you know, I'm a big sports guy, but I have been for the last 10 years, the radio voice of the Wyoming Indian Chiefs and Lady Chiefs basketball teams.

And it's just opened so many doors for me, relationship wise, being able to use those relationships to benefit WYDOT and benefit the safety and long term health of the highways and bridges on the Wind River Reservation.

We've done a lot of work out there, fixing fences, fixing pavements, rehabbing bridges, rebuilding bridges that had been damaged to the point where they were not safe. So that's one of the more challenging relationships. 

But I'll tell you, in 20 years, we've seen it all in Northwest Wyoming when it comes to some of the types of things that are happening in southwest Wyoming, in Teton County right now.

We've had slides on US 14 In the Bighorns, we've had slides down outside of Lander on Wyoming 789. Also, we've had slides in the Cody area, west of Cody on 14-16-20.

On Chief Joe scenic highway, Wyoming 296, we've had a series of slides up there, and we have several others that we're going to be working on up there. Wind River Canyon, we've had slide issues, we've had the highway trying to slide into the Wind River near the campgrounds and the tunnels in Wind River Canyon. 

Of course, the falling rock issue that we continue to have on a kind of a more sporadic basis in Wind River Canyon, because we tried to take a proactive approach our engineers, we went to a contract and we've done a lot of moving of rocks toward the road using mountain climbers, using modern technology.

We've also done that up by Buffalo Bill reservoir, west of Cody. So the idea is to get as many of those rocks moving toward the roadway in a controlled environment with flaggers, and then moving that stuff away in trucks. It takes a while for those hillsides to heal.

But I think we're seeing the benefits of that this year in Wind River Canyon. Also west of Cody, where we have fewer rocks falling. 

Now, I say all that with the caveat that anytime you're driving in a canyon, driving on a mountain pass - and we have plenty of mountain driving in the Bighorn basin - there's only a couple of ways you can get out of town, so to speak, without driving over a mountain.

And so we always need to be cognizant when we're driving, looking for falling rocks as well as wildlife on the road. So, you know, I would say, buckle up and drive safe, and it's true. You need to take accountability for how you drive - and be safe out there on the long, long Wyoming highways.

Wendy Corr:

You know, it kind of makes Wyoming sound like a very dangerous place to be, because all of these slides are happening in all of these places throughout the state. Wyoming's unique in that way.

There's not a whole lot of other states where you can say, ‘Well, you've got this hazard here, and this hazard here, and this hazard here.’ It's kind of like playing, you know, dodge the hazards. But that's something that you that you work with every day.

Cody Beers:

Yeah, I would say Wyoming is a very safe place and wonderful place to raise a family, and enjoy life. But it's also, you know, as close to being wild as just about anywhere in the lower 48.

We have very long - you know, Governor Mike Sullivan probably said it best, back in the day when he said we have very long streets in Wyoming, and not very many people.

And so it's good to have rest when you're driving. It's good to have the ability to pull over and look at what Wyoming is about and the tourism department in Wyoming does a great job.

There's a lot of interpretation out there that you can take in when you're traveling Wyoming. There's also hazards, and you know, when, quote-unquote ‘disasters’ happen, WYDOT works very hard.

And my coworker down in Rock Springs, Stephanie Harsha, has been all over this issue involving Teton County since it happened, and there's wonderful information out there.

We've got a very involved news media in Wyoming, and you guys do a great job. I get most of my information right now from Cowboy State Daily about what's happening in Teton County, because you guys are covering the issue very well. And thoroughly.

You know, some of our people are like, ‘Can't they just leave it alone for a day?’ But anyway, you guys do a good job, and our media is very engaged. People are very engaged in this issue, because you know, it's impacting people's lives. And whether you're visiting here, or trying to earn a living, you've got to make a long commute.

It's the same thing as - I've got friends who commute from Riverton and Lander clear to Thermopolis every day. I've got friends, including my son and his wife, who are getting OB care in Thermopolis, and they live in Riverton.

And the baby will be born in August in Thermopolis. And so when it's time and you've been through that, as a mom, you want to be in the right place. 

Wendy Corr:

You don't want there to be a massive rock slide in the middle of the Wind River Canyon when you're on your way there. 

Cody Beers:

Yeah, yeah, you don't want to be stuck at a flagging station as the baby is deciding that it wants to come. So there's a lot of that in Wyoming. We're very rural still.

There's a lot of things that happen out on our wide open roads, I mean, we're spending more time talking about national issues in Wyoming because these people are traveling through Wyoming.

And they're showing up in interesting places, because people are using their cell phones to guide their travels. People are still turning down dirt roads, trying to get a shortcut. You guys, you guys wrote about that.

Wendy Corr:

Yes, oh my gosh. And there's just no way to get people to understand you don't necessarily trust your GPS.

Cody Beers:

Yeah, and just because the locals say there's a shortcut over that mountain, that doesn't mean it's the safest place to go.

We've had trucks stuck between Lysite and Ten Sleep when the Wind River Canyon has been closed in the winter, because all of a sudden their GPS directs them to go over the mountains and get stuck in the snow.

And it becomes an issue then for search and rescue, for Fremont County Road crews, for WYDOT. We have put signage up everywhere, ‘Don't believe your GPS.’ But, you know, people aren't looking at signs.

They're looking at their phone when they're driving in. And, you know, the phone is talking to them with that soothing, I'd say, ‘Wendy Corr’-type voice. 

But it's, it's been an interesting life. And, you know, I get a lot of questions now, ‘So, when are you retiring, Beers, you know, what's the deal?’

And I'm like, you know, I still like coming to work. I love being around people. WYDOT has very good people. We have been lucky. Our recruitment efforts are strong. W

e're seeing our highway patrol numbers go up statewide, we've been able to hire good people on our maintenance crews, engineering crews. You know, we still have openings statewide, but we're very proud of our workforce. 

We're proud of our new director, who's doing a great job for us.

He's very involved in this Teton County issue, which is reassuring to people like me who have to go out and speak on behalf of the agency, because you know, that your agency leadership, if you have an issue in Northwest Wyoming, is going to be right there standing behind your shoulder, providing support. And that's great news for the taxpayers of Wyoming, and the people who use our highways. 

Wendy Corr:

It's so good to hear that the transition has gone well. And you know, you've talked about the other things that you do.

You've talked about your sports broadcasting, I want to kind of shift off into this sports broadcasting that you've been doing. I think that - it's fascinating that we all in Wyoming, we all have, so many of us have two jobs. It's just the way that it works, and not necessarily just because you need the income - although that's most of the cases. It's because there's so many wonderful things that there are to do with your life.

You can't just stick with your one job. So you have broken off into sports broadcasting, you're doing broadcasting with your son now as well, tell us about your passion for Wyoming sports and the young athletes that are growing up here in Wyoming.

Cody Beers:

Well, it probably all started with the game of baseball, and the game of football when my kids were starting to play.

I mean, activities were very good for me when I was young, it kept me out of trouble for the most part. You know, we had a rule in our house that you better be home before the streetlights come on.

And back in the days, growing up in Cody, in the early 70s, there weren't very many of those.

o we would leave our house at, you know, eight in the morning, be gone all day on our bikes and be back by dark. And kids in today's world don't do that as much.

My oldest son did some of that, and I supported that because they were kids being kids, and they were, you know, staying out of trouble. 

But what we've seen over time is that kids get involved in activities in a more organized type of effort. Little League Baseball is big in Wyoming. You know, my sons wanted to play football and so we got involved in junior football.

I was there to throw out the footballs, throw out the baseballs, and try to impart my limited knowledge - even though I did play some baseball and enjoy the game a lot. 

And so coaching, I ended up following the boys through Legion baseball, got involved in the Legion program. I was the state commissioner for three years.

That is a job, now - that's a volunteer job that takes 60 hours a week in the summer. And my mentor is now the state commissioner in Casper.

His name's Jack Sims, and a lot of people will know Jack because he was the guy that gave me a chance to play baseball when I was 13 in Cody.

A longtime employee at Cody Marathon Oil, the whole deal, and now he's retired in Casper - but it's people like that who give you the passion that you want to keep contributing in. 

And so I started working some part time stuff in Riverton at the radio station, and just kind of evolved to the point where one of my radio guys, his name's Ray Rinamak, he now lives in Michigan, but he says, “Beers, I need help at a at a basketball game tomorrow. Can you be there?”

And I'm like, sure. I didn't even look at the schedule. I just showed up to do color commentary - and it was Lander and Riverton! 

It's kind of like Cody and Powell, big rivals, you know. And so we worked the first half, and Ray gets a phone call and he says, “You're gonna have to take the second half, man, I gotta go back to the studio.”

I looked at him, I'm like, “Oh, this oughta be good.” 

But, you know, I had grown up in Cody listening to a gentleman at KODI Radio, Rick Travis. And anybody my age or a little bit older will remember Rick, the guy had golden, golden tubes.

I mean, he was an incredible broadcaster. He had hair halfway down his back, but he was just awesome. The guy was great. You know, Chance Bond, he is in Cody now, kind of looks like him, and of course Chance is about two or three years younger than me. But Travis was awesome.

And he created that love for radio in every young child - and so I have always listened to the Wyoming Cowboy broadcast, Riverton, Lander, Cody, Powell. I mean, what a privilege it is to listen to Scott Mangold on the radio, he's a living Hall of Famer. 

And so I had that training right there, and I'd taken some broadcasting classes in college. So it just became natural and, and I've, you know, I think I've gotten better over time.

And I do Riverton football in the fall, which I love. And my son was a really good Wolverine, and so I invited him aboard last year. He's my on-site producer and color guy, which has taken a lot of stress off me running all this technology that we have now. We're doing every broadcast on video.

Radio has evolved, too, and it's just a lot of fun. And last March was kind of the icing on the cake, I was able to call my ninth state championship game, and Wyoming Indian boys won their seventh state championship under Coach Craig Ferris, and 13th overall in their short history, which goes back to the mid 80s. 

So I love getting out and traveling the state - that's something you have to enjoy if you're a radio guy, make trips to southwest Wyoming one weekend, and next weekend, I'll be in Rocky Mountain High School in Cowley, or in Lovell, or even in Powell. And the key to all of it, Wendy, has been an extremely understanding and supportive wife.

My wife, Robin, we've been married 33 years. She supports this habit. And it's a habit. It's, it's a joy, it's a love, it keeps me going, it makes the winter shorter. 

And it keeps me connected to young people, and, you know, kids that are living a tough life.

That's what I would say - basketball is often some of the best things that happen in their lives on the reservation, and so it's my joy and privilege and honor to be able to announce these games, and try to get these young people some exposure to the outside world, but I just love it.

And it's a good time. The fans are extremely supportive. Once in a while I get a finger pointed at my face, but it kind of goes with my daily job, too.

Wendy Corr:

You are that interface. I mean, that's just your job.

That's who you have become, you're the person that people go to talk to. You're the person that people get information from, whether it's for the sports games that you call, whether it's for questions about what's happening with road construction - I texted you yesterday, what's going on between Cody and Powell here?

Those are things that you just get used to, but that people rely on you for. And one of the things that I know, that I treasure about you, and that everybody up here in Northwest Wyoming treasures, is the fact that you are so reliable.

You're just that guy that we can always count on to have that information. So we hope you don't retire too soon, just saying - because you're a wealth of information. 

I love how you're talking about all these people that you have crossed paths with who have influenced your life over the course of your career, both in WYDOT and in the broadcasting field.

Who are some of the people, Cody, that you see, that are that are up and coming in the state, that are just people to watch? That are people that we should, that are the future leaders, that are the ones that we're going to be going to - whether it's for WYDOT, whether it's for broadcasting for sports - who are the people we need to keep an eye on?

Cody Beers:

Well, I would tell people to always keep an eye on Wendy Corr. You have, your career has fascinated me a little bit, because you always hit the ground on your feet, and you always better yourself.

And those are qualities, I think, that we have to have in Wyoming, is, we have to be resilient. We have to be able to listen to other people. I think we've lost that a little bit.

And I hope that young people put down their phones, and are able to understand and work together a little bit better as a group.

But man, what a fascinating question. You know, there's a lot of youth in the state that want to be here. You know, I have really enjoyed my working relationship with Cody Mayor Matt Hall - super listener, a guy that doesn't waste any time getting things done. And he's been a joy.

You know, working with legislators is always an interesting exercise. We do have some young people coming into the legislature. I work with a lot of people who identify themselves as members of the Freedom Caucus - and I haven't noticed the divisiveness with the people I work with that we seem to read about quite a bit.

These are people that seem to want to do the right thing. Now, I don't really follow where they end up with voting in Cheyenne and all that, but I like what they do for the citizens of the state. Legislators are elected to do the best job they can out there. 

You know, I really like some of the new news talent, who's working.

There's a young man that was in Cody, now he's in Powell at the Tribune - Zack Taylor is doing a nice job as the editor of the Powell Tribune.

I talked about a good friend of mine, Joe Thomas, who's become a statewide leader in the agricultural circles in Meeteetse. We used to tease Joe when he was little, he always wore a big cowboy hat and he still does. But he does a great job in that industry. 

Man, you know, I spend a lot of time working with people who, frankly, are older than me and people who are very interested in, just life.

I often feel like the only people I talk to are the people who are mad. But I take joy in the fact that when we come out of those conversations, we're still friends.

And I always freely give them my phone number - please give me a call. Let's talk. Let's listen. Let's understand each other. 

Man, that was just a great question. I don't want to single anybody out and forget somebody. You know, some of the people I work with are some of the best - our State Public Affairs Officer, Doug McGee is in Cheyenne and is seriously one of the most supportive humans I've ever known.

My former supervisor who's now at the State Construction Department, best person I've ever worked for, Shelby Carlson.

She's still working with another gentleman who used to be our chief engineer at WYDOT, Del Macomey, who has Lander roots, he is now back as director of the State Construction Department. Absolutely fabulous people. But I could name 300-400 WYDOT people who I think are just outstanding humans. 

And, you know, I think the thing that I love about my job with WYDOT and public service is that we try hard every day to answer every question in a timely manner.

Whether it's a visitor to the state who is extremely upset about an experience they may have had, say at a rest area - rest areas are a whole another deal. I mean, you just never know what people are going to say to you when they call you about a rest area - but I think I take joy in the fact that we're able to answer those questions and answer them truthfully. 

You know, I think Jimmy Orr is doing a wonderful job at Cowboy State Daily, and producing a product that everybody wants to read.

Now the local radio stations and newspapers are still doing wonderful stuff. One of my favorite people is in Basin, her name is Barbara Anne Green.

Wendy Corr:

I love Barbara Anne!

Cody Beers:

Radio personality extraordinaire back in her day, but now reporter, chamber director, state parks commission member - we talk weekly, and I tease her about living in an alley, because her pickup’s always parked in an alley in Basin.

But you know, just wonderful people that you run into - county commissioners, city council people. Those are people that I rub elbows with a lot.

Business people, Chamber of Commerce people. You know, a person in Cody that I absolutely adore, because she's always very responsive, is Liz Stuard at the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.

She's worked in the background through numerous directors, and she always tells me what's happening, or sets me straight on an issue, which I appreciate. So there's so many people like that. 

You know, Wyoming is full of leaders. And, you know, it's not the people in the jobs as paid leaders that make our state go either - it's the guy that's pushing a broom at Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the guy who gives people rides to jobs.

The guy that throws his regalia on and dances every year at PowWows across the West. 

You know, one of my favorites is, I'll just call him Dean. That's his name.

He grew up with my kids, and he has done so much with his life. He takes care of kids at the Arapahoe school where my wife works.

He dances all across the west with his dad and brothers, and he's just a true leader among young men - and these are people that are going to help Wyoming persevere into the next generation.

Wendy Corr:

Cody that is just awesome. I had no idea when I tossed that question out, the wealth of really great names and ideas that were going to come out of that.

We're about out of time, sadly, but this has been a really, really fun conversation. Cody, in a nutshell, I'm going to ask you a work question here. What are some of the things - the Bighorn basin is such a crossroads for tourism.

What are the construction questions, what are the construction areas we need to watch out for as we are traveling through this part of the state coming up in the next few weeks?

Cody Beers:

Well, it's a relatively quiet year in Northwest Wyoming for construction, we've got some pavement work that we're rehabbing trying to improve through our pavement preservation program.

We've got some work on bridges, down between Thermopolis and Worland. We've got some construction going on right now - delays on all these projects, you know, 20 minutes or so - we're going to be chip sealing over in Buffalo Valley, in Teton County, north of Jackson.

We've got chip sealing going on at Bull Lake, which is up by Diversion Dam west of Riverton on 26/287. But a lot of our summer projects this year are going to wrap up early. So the second half of the summer, you know, it's probably starting in late July, it's going to be free sailing out there, so to speak. 

But what I would tell people is that, you know, despite the wide open roads, there are speed limits, and people need to slow down.

People are not slowing down at all. And what I can tell you is that the Highway Patrol is just about full in Northwest Wyoming, we've got all of our officers, and we could be funding education at record high levels if people don't slow down, I mean, we've got speeds out there, I get passed every day, I'll be going, you know, 71 or so.

And people pass me like I'm standing still on the road. And it's like, Whoa, what is going on, and it’s everywhere.

Wendy Corr:

Where’s a trooper when you want them to be there?

Cody Beers:

People are in a hurry, and we are all in a hurry. We have fewer minutes in the day, it seems like even though there are still 24 hours in a day, we're all in a hurry to get from one point to another.

So I would say slow down. And our seatbelt numbers are still about low 80% statewide. Those are the locals I'm talking to now. These are the locals and the people who look at your podcast. “Buckle your seatbelt, dammit.”

I mean, I've been saying this for years, buckle up, and you can save your life. And it's amazing to me how many people spend all this time on car seats with their kids, they put them in the back seat, they buckle them up safely, which is wonderful.

And then they climb in the front seat and don't buckle up.

Wendy Corr:

All of our cars now are yelling at us to, you know, “Ding ding ding ding ding!” 

Cody Beers

Yeah. And so what do they do? They buckle the seat belt behind their back so that dinging doesn't happen.

So, you know, it's really important for your family, for you, and for the other drivers on the road to buckle your seatbelt.

Because staying in that safe space buckled up safely, could allow you to defensive-drive your way out of a crash, but not if you're being thrown around in the front seat. So I'm off my soapbox now. 

The one thing I would like to throw in here at the end is, I've lived a wonderful life. And I continue to do that. I love life living in Wyoming.

Love my family. I love my friends. And if I don't know you, please give me a call anytime and let's talk. If you have a question. I'm available - and I think we need to be available as public servants.

You can call me seven days a week, I always answer the cell phone - ask my wife, she gets kind of tired of that, especially when we're on vacation, and I'm talking asphalt in Wyoming!

Wendy Corr:

Well, I can attest to the fact that I can reach out to you anytime, Cody, and ask you a question. And I'm grateful for that, as are all of us who rely on you for this really important information.

Transportation is so - it's just one of the necessities in Wyoming, and we're glad that you're there at the Wyoming Department of Transportation. We're glad that you've been a spokesperson for us, that you've been a spokesperson for these wonderful sports teams that you have found yourself associated with.

Cody, what an interesting Wyoming life you've had! And we're so glad that you've shared it with us today.

Cody Beers:

Thank you Wendy. Keep singing - you really are our Wyoming meadowlark!

Wendy Corr:

Oh, that's so cool. Thank you, Cody!

Cody Beers:

Well, I really appreciate everything you do. So thank you very much.

Wendy Corr:

You bet. Absolutely. And thank you - and thank you folks for tuning in today to The Roundup! What a fun conversation we've had with Cody Beers with the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

And we have so many more wonderful guests coming up in the future, so please tune in. If you've missed any - we're going, I think we're on like episode 28 now, so if you want to go back and and listen to any of the other conversations that we've had, you can follow our YouTube channel, you can follow us anywhere you get your podcasts.

Just join in, join in the fun and join in the conversation. Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks, Cody. Folks, have a wonderful week!

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Wendy Corr

Broadcast Media Director