Days of '47

Kolache Bull
Originally uploaded by Wandering Eyes.

Last night we went to the Days of '47 Rodeo. It has been a few years since we have gone to this event. I tend to prefer the small-town rodeos to the big professional productions. However, with 100 + degree temperatures, I thought an indoor, air-conditioned rodeo sounded pretty good.

One of the highlights was the opportunity to see a near- perfect bull ride last night. Cowboy Jarrod Craig scored 94 points on his ride. Obviously this photo is not of Jarrod's ride. (This cowboy is about to have a sudden reconnoiter with the ground!) However I liked the photo a lot when I saw it. It is from a photojournalist who goes by the moniker of Wandering Eyes on Flickr. You can see larger versions of these images by clicking on them.

I asked the kids what their favorite part of the rodeo was. Amy liked the Grand Entry with the rodeo queens. She also liked the barrel racing -- events with girls in them. Go figure! Unfortunately we didn't see much of the barrel racing because we were out on the concourse when that event was taking place. This photo is courtesy of Randy Peters on Flickr.


Bryan's favorite part was the halftime/intermission entertainment. There were two freestyle motocross riders who performed several amazing tricks. They had a ramp, and jumped way up into the air (just missing the jumbo-tron) and did a variety of tricks. Somehow they managed to land and get their bikes stopped in time before crashing into the other end of the arena. I've got to admit it was pretty entertaining, even though it was not traditional rodeo fare. You can get an ideo of what their tricks were like here.

As for the nice, cool, air-conditioned, indoor rodeo -- well that didn't turn out too well. With it being 100 + degrees outside, the best they could manage in the arena was about 85-90 degrees. As a result, we were fairly uncomfortable for most of the evening. On the bright side, the shaved ice concession did really well. I know our family enjoyed patronizing them! Chomping on ice was a good way to stay cool. Later, I half-seriously said that my favorite part of the rodeo was the shaved ice!

Dawn Ann and I both enjoyed the rodeo. We enjoyed watching many good rides, both on the bulls and the on the horses. The bull-fighters (clowns) were also very entertaining, as well as efficient in keeping the cowboys safe.

I think the most dangerous event was the wild cow milking contest. One guy got head butted by a wild cow, and tromped-on twice. But he kept getting up and trying to get control of the cow while his partner tried to get some milk. It was a zaney, crazy, and wild event.

All in all we had an enjoyable evening -- even with the heat. I think, though, I'll wait 'till January to go to my next rodeo -- When the Bull Riders Only (PBR) tour comes to town. If we're lucky, we'll need to drink hot chocolate to warm up!