Sunday, July 3, 2011

Hamilton, Montana... This Weren't My First Rodeo...

 ... and I've been to a county fair or three... So to be honest, I wasn't expectin' a whole lot at a rodeo in this lil' backwater town of Hamilton...

Yeah... well... it's kind of nice to have your expectations surprised once in a while...

Hamilton Montana... Senior Rodeo... or... Guys and Gals... Who just won't accept aging... Gracefully! They're gonna go out screamin' and kickin' :)

... or... Maybe Ridin' a Buckin' Horse!


First show I've been to... in a bunch of years... I avoid 'em... They can get a guy to thinkin'; "Yeah... I can still do that"

NOT!

Uh... I broke 'nuff parts when I was young and Bounced good... If I climbed on one of those neck snappin' Bareback horses today?...


Which is what I rode when I was still on the Sunny slopes...That Ol' bronc would take two jumps outa the chute and my head would snap off like the popper when ya crack a whip! :)

Most of these guys, are on the shady side of 50... either tougher then rawhide... or dumber than stone! :)

Though... they did have some youngsters to give a giggle or two in the mix...


Ohhhh.... he's hangin' on... he's hanging' tight.....


Until ... Ker-whop!... he bites the dust! :)


These Lil' guys were 4 maybe 5 years old... Rodeo stars in the makin' :)

Now... maybe the onliest thing a Cowboy likes betterin' ridin' a good buckin' horse...

Is... watching a good horse work...


Well... OK... Not the Onliest thing...


Those guys under the big hats... have been known on occasion to take notice of the fair side of the genetic pool...


... and watchin' a gal on a good horse... racin' the pattern... is a fine thing...

But a guy has to admit it... the rough stock is still and always... the premier part of a rodeo...


Even if some Ol' Busters... don't have 'em selves a good day... and get fed 15 lbs of good Ol' Montana dirt!






It was actually a pretty good show... sometimes... to be gentle... at these "small" shows... the... uh ... skill level, just ain't there... So... Considerin' that ALL the riders in Senior Rodeo have to be above 40 (except for the couple of events they stuck in for the youngsters)... and MOST of those in these pics... have long since passed 50, they did themselves proud... Guess they've been doin' it long enough to not embarrass themselves. :)

What was really pathetic...was... watchin' these folks ropin, ridin' rough stock, and racin' the barrels... I got up from my seat on the wooden grandstand, after sittin' for most of three hours... and it took me five minutes... to stand up! :)

We move to Seeley Lake tomorrow... barring unforeseen circumstances... after 18 days in this camp... gonna miss it here... this has been a nice and soft camp on the Bitterroot.

Movin' On
Brian

Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

6 comments:

Janet said...

Loved the rodeo shots - an good for those "old" guys:) I can barely ride my bicycle any more:)

Having lived in small towns in Kansas, I know lots of them have great little rodeos. Some have pretty good purses too.

Looking forward to your next adventure:)

Snackmaster and Jan

Barney, The Old Fat Man said...

It not only takes me five minutes to get up, but I need strong sturdy things to hold close by as well.

box Canyon Blogger said...

Stay off the broncs, CowBoy. a broken leg or neck would ruin my vicarious adventure.

Gaelyn said...

Nice shots at the rodeo. I like my horses calm for riding.

Safe journey to the next beautiful place.

Joe said...

Rodeo's are great fun!
I wouldn't do it.. But they sure are fun to watch!
Do you have any pictures of yourself on a one of them wild beasts?

Brian said...

The only surviving pics of me horseback are all on critters with some etiquette! :) It's been quite a few years... but the album that had some rodeo pics in it... vanished during one of the 11 moves we made in our first 7 years of bein' hitched... :( aw well... life in the west...