This was pretty close to a perfect day. I knew there was no point in getting here early, and Louise isn’t getting here till about 9:00, so I slept in till about 6:30 and just read the complimentary paper and drank the in house coffee. I didn’t have the bike packed till about 10:00, and proceeded to the fairgrounds again for the rodeo. I got to see the first round of everything they didn’t have yesterday, and it was warmer and you could sit in the grandstands out of the sun. I got there just in time to see all the district cowboys and cowgirls introduced by state district. They started off with bareback riding (boys – nobody finished) and then in order: pole bending (girls), steer wrestling (boys), goat tie (girls), saddlebronc riding (boys), cow roping (girls), team roping (boys/girls), barrel racing (girls), and finally, bull riding. They were done with the first round by 12:30 which is perfect timing – I jumped on the bike and took off. It was a very entertaining morning and I enjoyed the heck out of it. As I had breakfast, or sitting in the stands, or just watching all the people involved in this rodeo, it reminded me of the tight community that polo has been all the years for me, with parents and kids immersed in one thing that the whole family can enjoy. As they introduced all these kids, they gave a quick background on what they like to do and what they have accomplished. Most all these kids are high GPA and have many interests, both athletically and academically, along with being very involved with the communities they come from. All of this was the best of yessir/nosir western upbringing and small town America at its best. What a great morning!
The afternoon wasn’t all that bad either. It was high 70’s with lots of sun, the roads were thisway/thatway and pretty much free of loose gravel till you got to the scenic back roads, and then you had to be careful because there were not always guard rails – and in some places, you NEEDED guard rails. I went from the grass lands of southeast Idaho to what looked like lava flows, and back again. All of sudden, you see these mountains coming up on you, but you still see fields of crops. Then you start making the climb up with cooler temps and some wind. Once you get to the top, it’s like – WOW!! Have to stop and take a picture, and enjoy why you’re really on this trip. As you descend, it gets warmer and the wind goes away. The grass lands are still here, and now you’re looking at snow capped mountains all around. Just before I got to town, I stopped and gassed up and bought a 6 pack of “Old Faithful Ale”. It’s billed as Yellowstone’s finest. We’ll see – I plan on trying a few different ones, but in the meantime, I have this 6 pack that I have to finish. DAMN – I hate it when that happens.
This Best Western that Louise booked has a FIREPLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A motel with a FIREPLACE!!!!! Whoa! I’m glad she’s paying for this.
The afternoon wasn’t all that bad either. It was high 70’s with lots of sun, the roads were thisway/thatway and pretty much free of loose gravel till you got to the scenic back roads, and then you had to be careful because there were not always guard rails – and in some places, you NEEDED guard rails. I went from the grass lands of southeast Idaho to what looked like lava flows, and back again. All of sudden, you see these mountains coming up on you, but you still see fields of crops. Then you start making the climb up with cooler temps and some wind. Once you get to the top, it’s like – WOW!! Have to stop and take a picture, and enjoy why you’re really on this trip. As you descend, it gets warmer and the wind goes away. The grass lands are still here, and now you’re looking at snow capped mountains all around. Just before I got to town, I stopped and gassed up and bought a 6 pack of “Old Faithful Ale”. It’s billed as Yellowstone’s finest. We’ll see – I plan on trying a few different ones, but in the meantime, I have this 6 pack that I have to finish. DAMN – I hate it when that happens.
This Best Western that Louise booked has a FIREPLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A motel with a FIREPLACE!!!!! Whoa! I’m glad she’s paying for this.
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