Unfortunately I did not look at the entertainment schedule and I missed the Cowboy Mounted Shooting demonstration yesterday.
So for those that don't know about it, I at least want to show you some pictures of mounted shooting that I got off the Internet. They use rifles and single action pistols. The ammo is black powder blanks and it only travels ten to fifteen feet.
The riders shoot a course of balloons that are attached to sticks and the sticks are place inside orange cones. It is a timed event and the course can zigzag all over the arena while their horses are at a dead run.
It is very exciting to watch and I am sorry I missed it.
It rained Thursday night and into early Friday morning, so the match was delayed one hour but thankfully it cleared up and it just stayed overcast. The shooters gathered around the gallows where Yuma Jack and Shooting Iron Miller had a shooters safety meeting. They go over a safety briefing along with the days activities.
Then they say a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
With a loud "BOOM," the canon makes it official! It is the start of the 20th Anniversary of Comancheria Days at the Adolf Stieler Ranch!
Here are some of the more elaborate gun carts. I give these folks lots of credit for coming up with such cleaver ideas and designs.
Now for the beautiful outfits. The ladies really get dressed up. You may see a cowgirl, a soiled dove (prostitute), a saloon girl, Victorian dress or a school marm.
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Lefty Rhodes posing with Haddy Heard and Shootin Star. (A thorn between two very lovely roses) |
Lefty Rhodes
Lefty finished his first day of shooting with 6 misses out of 120 rounds. Not quite what he wanted,but maybe tomorrow will be better..
We had a wonderful treat for supper. This is an authentic Chuckwagon. I wrote about the history of the Chuckwagon in Part #2 of our travel blog but here is a little bit more.
The Chuckwagon was invented by Charles Goodnight (1836-1929) a Texas cattle rancher. He and Oliver Loving (1812-1867) drove their first herd of cattle northward along what would become known as the Goodnight-Loving Trial. The chuckwagon was on their initial cattle drive.
Goodnight and Loving were close friends. When Loving was dying, Goodnight stayed by his bedside during the two weeks it took Loving to die. As requested by the dying Loving, Goodnight carried the body from New Mexico to Weatherford, Texas for burial.
"Cookie" as the trail cooks were called back in the day served beans, salted meats, coffee and sourdough biscuits to the hungry cowboys. Food was also gathered "en route". There was no fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs or fresh meat available unless an animal was injured during the cattle drive and therefore had to be killed.
Our Friday supper was a lot better on this cattle drive. "Cookie" fixed chicken and beef fajitas that were fork tender and very flavorful along with flour tortillas, sauteed peppers and onions, beans and toppings of fresh guacamole, jalapenos, salsa, sour cream and cheese.For desert, Cookie fixed peach cobbler in a dutch oven!
I would have loved to have gone back for seconds, but instead I was good. Just one tortilla with one serving of meat and a little scoop of the delicious sides. I allowed for a few bites of dutch oven peach cobbler and I am glad I did, it was delicious!
Stay tuned for Part #5. (Whew, this RV full timing lifestyle keeps us busy). We were entertained just before tonight's supper by Pistol Packin' Paula, a trick shooter, bull whipper, western dancer and gun twirler. Her story and pictures tomorrow!
Until then.................Happy Trails to You...........
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