Big Do ‘ins in Pinedale
For us, Pinedale, Wyoming is almost on the far side of the moon. A long way from home. Rawlings is where we have always turned north looking for serious mountains and cooler temps. This trip, Pinedale was the jumping off point for the Green River Lakes area.
With the Princess being the consummate trip planner that she is, stumbled upon a parade and rodeo as part of Pinedale’s famous Mountain Men Rendezvous Round-Up. These events have been going on every year since 1936. Pinedale is close to the location of historic rendezvous from the early fur trapping era. Events in town celebrated this heritage for four days. (www.visitpinedale.org) The Rendezvous Parade was not like the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, this turned out to be hometown fun that included local ranchers driving big shiny pick-ups, the rodeo queen on horseback along with her entourage and even an appearance by Smokey the Bear.
Just like in the small town we are from, there were baton twirlers and the fire department. Everyone in the parade seemed to know just about everyone standing around us. People on floats threw candy at the excited children standing on the sidewalk. The children next to us examined every piece of candy they caught before depositing their treasure in a plastic bag bought along for the occasion. The Princess and I just grinned at all the fun the town was having.
Later in the day after the parade, people gathered at the rodeo grounds outside of town. This is “big do’ins” as my friend Larry would say. We have tried to fit a rodeo or two in our loose schedule for a couple of years. Professional rodeos are always exciting with very seasoned riders. Small town rodeos have their own special vibe since the riders are all local people who have family and friends throughout the stands. We expected this one was going to be a lot of fun and we were not disappointed. Before the rodeo we had great bar-b-que and all of the lemonade we could drink. Beer was plentiful. Every rodeo begins with the national anthem and often there is a prayer to keep all of the riders and animals safe. This rodeo included a tribute to a local veteran who had been hurt the week before. There was the hometown rodeo queen along with a raft of princesses in waiting of various ages, there were little boys just trying out their skills with miniature broncing horses and then the bigger boys riding much bigger broncing horses.
In the bronc riding competition we were intertested to learn that both the rider and the horse are each awarded points for a combined score for the ride. At the minimum a rider must stay on the horse for the full eight seconds. The rider also has to have his spurs above the shoulders of the horse as it leaves the gate. The horse is given points for how high it jumps and how aggressively it trys to dismount the rider. When you think about it, it is a lot like gymnastics.
The local favorites in each event drew rounds of applause and cheering no matter how well they did. Seated in the stands behind us, some local high school girls were trading secrets, a little too loudly to remain secret, about many of the “cute” cowboys who turned out to be either or both a relative of someone they knew and or a neighbor of a friend. Wonderful small-town stuff. The Princess, much to her chagrin, could not help eaves dropping on their conversation while pretending to act a little annoyed with the constant chatter.
Of all the events in a rodeo we liked barrel racing the most. Barrel racing is a woman’s sport that requires that the riders train with their horses constantly. It is a true contest of speed and skill. The riders are timed as they make a clean circle around each barrel and then run back to the starting line. The horse and rider seemed to be one as they rounded each barrel and then push for the finish. Look at the pictures close enough and you can almost see the same expression mirrored by the horse as on the woman riding. Very intense.
If you want to catch this weekend next year it would be best to book your camping spot early. The hotels and commercial camp grounds fill up completely during this festival. We were lucky enough to get a spot at the Highline RV park about 10 miles south of town. (www.highlinetrailrvpark.com) The only space we could get was dry overflow parking but we were glad to be there. This RV park is a perfect stop before and after a backcountry jaunt. It is a family affair and prices are reasonable.
Dennis and the Princess
Oh, one more thing. The Pine Coffee Supply in Pinedale is a great coffee shop. Right on the main drag. ( http://www.pinecoffeesupply.com/ )
