It was a ranch rodeo kind of weekend in the California mountains.
Bridgeport Scenery
The scenery is hard to beat in Bridgeport, California. Towering mountains make for a stunning backdrop for the town’s annual Fourth of July Ranch Rodeo. “Town” might be a bit of an overstatement; it’s basically one main street and a rodeo arena. But really, what more do you need? It’s the perfect summertime destination for the working cowboy crowd.
Stars and Stripes
It doesn’t get much more American than riding a bucking horse in front of the Stars and Stripes. Well, maybe if a cowboy rode a bronc while carrying Old Glory, but that’s more of a grand entry mishap than an actual rodeo event. I’d still watch, though.
Power Couple
Power couple Josh Reed and Jess Cardon live together, work together and pick up broncs together. You know, just regular cowboy stuff. Jess is the only woman currently employed as a pickup man with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. I bet she’d punch me in the arm as a joke if she knew I called her and Josh a power couple. She’d probably make it hurt at least a little if she knew their nickname was “Joshica.”
Majestic Mountains
I couldn’t get enough of those majestic mountains in the background. I bet the folks who crossed this country in covered wagons in the 1850s were about sick of ’em by the time they hit this part of California, though. The Eastern Sierra was settled because some pioneers looked at those towering peaks with no bridges, roads or cellphone service; said “nope”; and built a ranch down in the valley, right where their wagon broke down.
Catching Crawdads
These young cowboys spent three days at a ranch rodeo, but they had no idea who roped what steer or rode which bronc. All they cared about was catching crawdads, which they deposited into a kiddie pool at the communal campsite. Each one received a name, such as “Bob,” “Ariel,” “Bubbles” and “Walmart.”
Riding pony colts
Catching slick horns in town is like money in the bank. Well, if the run is fast enough to stop the clock and place in the top six. Or four, depending on the overall event payout. Some really small rodeos only pay three places. Possibly two if they couldn’t scrounge up any added money. Basically, just try to rope as fast as possible and hope for the best.
Point of View
The action gets fast and furious when two pairs of partners on the same team each rope a steer at the same time. Nobody ran into each other this time, which was kind of a bummer from a spectator’s point of view. Pretty sure all the cowboys and their insurance carriers were relieved, though.
Fireworks Display
The saddle horses were happy to stand in knee-high grass and chomp grain in their nosebags. It almost made up for the fireworks display, which they did not appreciate as much as the children did. It was the only thing all weekend that made the kids take a break from catching crawdads.
