On second thought I DO like to brag, 'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag
Saturday - 6/28
Early start today (6:30), but not as early as I would have liked. If we get on the road too early, it will put us into our first stop before the kids are awake.
We are making a stop at Devil’s Tower on our way to Cody. It would be great to be able to do some hiking here. In order to get to Cody in time for the Rodeo, we will have to be out of the Devil’s Tower area around 10:30 am.
The drive up to Devil’s Tower had me navigating some winding roads. Add some VERY strong winds and it meant keeping my knuckles tight on the wheel. Driving the RV has become much easier, unless you have conditions like this.
We got to Devil’s Tower around 9:30. What a sight as you approach from a distance. We got out and let the kids climb around the base. I listened to the first 5 minutes or so of an interpretive talk. This would have been a nice hike to take around the base, but it was an hour and a half and we just did not have the time.
On up the road, and early afternoon we hopped off I-90 and headed straight west into the Bighorn Mountains. More switchbacks than I remembered and the views were spectacular (at least the ones that I could catch while keeping my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the edge of the road).
There is a lot of snow still at these elevations, and the mountains are magnificent.
Once we reached the top, we started a long coast back down. The road followed a stream most of the way and each turn offered up white water and waterfalls.
Once out of the mountains, we filled up (second time today) and I checked my mileage for the first time. I know that this was not the best time to check as most of the drive was up and down mountains, but I figured it would be an indication of the worst. We got just over 7 miles to the gallon. OUCH.
On across the plains. It is very dry on this side of the mountain.
We passed a lot of farms that had large boxes spaced every hundred yards or so. I asked about these when we got to the campsite and was told they are for Cutter Bees.
Set up camp, had a quick dinner, then made our way to the office to catch the bus to the rodeo.
This will be one of the highlights of the trip for sure. We got front row seats right behind the gates used to load the horses and bulls. The evening started with
Johnny Cash’s Ragged Old Flag and the National Anthem. Very inspiring.
Then on with the rodeo. They had groups of riders performing each of the events: barrel racing, steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping, bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. Entertainment throughout was provided by the rodeo clown.
Seeing these cowboys prepare, bow their heads and kneel for a prayer, then hop on these crazy animals made you stop and think about who is crazier, the animals or the cowboys who climb on. We saw many get up and walk off in a daze, some limping and a few who could not get up at all, but needed to be carried off.
They had a junior event where boys 6-14 years old rode small bulls. Each one was thrown. Some were walked off in tears and a couple had to be laid down in front of us to be tended to with ice. As the announcer said, it is illegal to hit your kid in line at Walmart, but no problem strapping them to a bull to be thrown.
Half way through, they asked all the kids 12 and under to come out into the arena. I had told all 3 of my children that Crocs and flip-flops are not proper footwear for the rodeo as you never know what you might be stepping in. None of them wanted to listen, and Charlotte even asked me to see if my shoes would fit her for this event. Georgia was a bit apprehensive, but joined her brother and sister just before they started the event.
About 100 kids were out there, and they let 2 calves loose with ribbons tied to their tails. These ribbons were for prizes, a horse ride at a local ranch or a Blizzard at the local Dairy Queen. It was chaos with 100 kids chasing the 2 calves.
As they came around the corner, we saw Charlotte in the lead grabbing at the collar of one of the calves. She thought the ribbon was tied to the collar. Suddenly, they announced that they had both winners, and all the kids returned to the center. The first winner announced was Jackson from Chicago! Charlotte was running around the arena looking for a lost sandal.
A fun event and it was so neat to be able to see everything up close. Charlotte kept asking when we could return. I don’t think it was as much about seeing another rodeo as it was that she really did not want to be upstaged by her younger brother. Said next time she would listen to Dad and wear some real shoes rather than sandals.
Early start today (6:30), but not as early as I would have liked. If we get on the road too early, it will put us into our first stop before the kids are awake.
We are making a stop at Devil’s Tower on our way to Cody. It would be great to be able to do some hiking here. In order to get to Cody in time for the Rodeo, we will have to be out of the Devil’s Tower area around 10:30 am.
The drive up to Devil’s Tower had me navigating some winding roads. Add some VERY strong winds and it meant keeping my knuckles tight on the wheel. Driving the RV has become much easier, unless you have conditions like this.
We got to Devil’s Tower around 9:30. What a sight as you approach from a distance. We got out and let the kids climb around the base. I listened to the first 5 minutes or so of an interpretive talk. This would have been a nice hike to take around the base, but it was an hour and a half and we just did not have the time.
On up the road, and early afternoon we hopped off I-90 and headed straight west into the Bighorn Mountains. More switchbacks than I remembered and the views were spectacular (at least the ones that I could catch while keeping my hands on the wheel and my eyes on the edge of the road).
There is a lot of snow still at these elevations, and the mountains are magnificent.
Once we reached the top, we started a long coast back down. The road followed a stream most of the way and each turn offered up white water and waterfalls.
Once out of the mountains, we filled up (second time today) and I checked my mileage for the first time. I know that this was not the best time to check as most of the drive was up and down mountains, but I figured it would be an indication of the worst. We got just over 7 miles to the gallon. OUCH.
On across the plains. It is very dry on this side of the mountain.
We passed a lot of farms that had large boxes spaced every hundred yards or so. I asked about these when we got to the campsite and was told they are for Cutter Bees.
Set up camp, had a quick dinner, then made our way to the office to catch the bus to the rodeo.
This will be one of the highlights of the trip for sure. We got front row seats right behind the gates used to load the horses and bulls. The evening started with
Johnny Cash’s Ragged Old Flag and the National Anthem. Very inspiring.
Then on with the rodeo. They had groups of riders performing each of the events: barrel racing, steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping, bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. Entertainment throughout was provided by the rodeo clown.
Seeing these cowboys prepare, bow their heads and kneel for a prayer, then hop on these crazy animals made you stop and think about who is crazier, the animals or the cowboys who climb on. We saw many get up and walk off in a daze, some limping and a few who could not get up at all, but needed to be carried off.
They had a junior event where boys 6-14 years old rode small bulls. Each one was thrown. Some were walked off in tears and a couple had to be laid down in front of us to be tended to with ice. As the announcer said, it is illegal to hit your kid in line at Walmart, but no problem strapping them to a bull to be thrown.
Half way through, they asked all the kids 12 and under to come out into the arena. I had told all 3 of my children that Crocs and flip-flops are not proper footwear for the rodeo as you never know what you might be stepping in. None of them wanted to listen, and Charlotte even asked me to see if my shoes would fit her for this event. Georgia was a bit apprehensive, but joined her brother and sister just before they started the event.
About 100 kids were out there, and they let 2 calves loose with ribbons tied to their tails. These ribbons were for prizes, a horse ride at a local ranch or a Blizzard at the local Dairy Queen. It was chaos with 100 kids chasing the 2 calves.
As they came around the corner, we saw Charlotte in the lead grabbing at the collar of one of the calves. She thought the ribbon was tied to the collar. Suddenly, they announced that they had both winners, and all the kids returned to the center. The first winner announced was Jackson from Chicago! Charlotte was running around the arena looking for a lost sandal.
A fun event and it was so neat to be able to see everything up close. Charlotte kept asking when we could return. I don’t think it was as much about seeing another rodeo as it was that she really did not want to be upstaged by her younger brother. Said next time she would listen to Dad and wear some real shoes rather than sandals.