PBR

Okay so not everything we do for fun is exclusive to Colorado.  Case-in-point, this weekend we went to a PBR (Pro Bull Rider) sanctioned event in Castle Rock. 

 

Now here's the back story to this outing (isn't there always with us?).  See, Mark and I have finally figured out that we need to pack for any kind of weather up here even if the forecast says that it should be "nice" outside.  This entails packing up and bringing at least 40 lbs of equipment per person, per event.  Yup, gloves, hats, heavy boots, lightweight boots, heavy jackets, lightweight jackets, medium weight jackets...you get the picture.  The event advertised that it was going to be held at the Douglas County Fair Grounds. We had no idea what kind of facilities there were there so we did a Google Maps satellite search and saw a huge outdoor arena and a few smaller buildings and we figured that it was going to be held at the outdoor arena.  After checking the weather (that said it was going to be in the 50's with high winds) we decided to brave the elements and go anyway because we had already purchased our tickets in advance. We put everything in the truck and headed out, drove to the arena, arrived, and started putting on our 40 lbs of outer wear.  That's when we noticed that everyone else was walking towards one of the "smaller buildings" with lightweight coats on.  Much to our delight this event was being held INDOORS!!  (did you hear the choir of angels sing?) So we ditched the heavy coats, hats, gloves etc. and headed inside one of the heated, wind-free buildings!  In hindsight I guess we should have realized that most "outdoor" events will probably be held indoors in Colorado in February. (head thunk)


About the PBR.  I guess the bulls must have been pretty good because only 4 of the riders managed to stay on the bull for the required 8 seconds. (That's about 9 seconds longer than I could ever stay on one) Here are a few shots of the 45 rides we saw. These guys fell off:

 This guy stayed on:

They also had a mechanical bull, vendors, fair food and a small pony ride for the little kids. 

And unbeknownst to us, they also have something called the Mini Bulls.  This event is apparently a big deal these days.  The bulls are bred to be extra small and very YOUNG kids are riding them.  What shocked us more than anything is that they said these kids compete all over the US and basically follow the PBR circuit with the men.  They start these kids off really early- 8 years old to 9 years are in the Pee Wee Division, 10 years old to 11 years old are in the Junior Division and 12 years old to 14 years old are in the Senior Division.  I don't know about you but with all of the stuff they are finding out about CTE I'm surprised that parents are letting their kids participate in this sport at such a young age. But they do and no shock here..none of the kids made their times either.  It was a fun way to spend a cool, blustery day...INDOORS!

One of the mini bull riders

2017 Cripple Creek Ice Sculptures

Okay for those of you following this blog you will recall that the last time Mark and I went to Cripple Creek we had a *small issue* with anybody knowing what in the heck they had going on in their fair little town. And as you recall- it wasn't entirely my fault that I had really crappy communication with their citizens knowing what was going on in their little town and our trip there was a complete bust.  

So when I saw that Cripple Creek was holding their Ice Festival I knew better than to just believe that the information found on their web site was accurate.  I decided that I needed to call the Visitor's Bureau and Information Center to get more information about this Ice Festival and guess what?  The first person that I talked to actually knew exactly what I was talking about !!!  Good sign so far.  But wait for it.  I swear I'm not making up any of this conversation. Mark was listening to the call and can verify that this is the conversation that I had with this lady...word for word:

Her: Yes, the Ice Festival is February 11th to the 19th.

Me: What day are the sculptures going to be finished for viewing.

Her: Everyday.

Me: Okay so what day would be best to see the completed sculptures?

Her: Everyday.

Me:  Would it be best to wait until the 19th?

Her: NO! They will be gone by then.

Me: Wait.  What?  You mean they won't be there on the 19th?

Her: Yes but you want to come before then.

Me: Oooookkkkaaaaayyy.  So can you tell me what would be the best day to see the sculptures? I mean what is the exact day that YOU would want to see them.

Her: Everyday. They are nice everyday.

Me: How about the 12th? Would we be able to see the sculptures then? Will the artists be finished carving on the 12th and we can see them?

Her: Well they carve everyday so you can see them on the 11th through the 19th. 

Me: Thank you.

Her: <click>

Wow..I know that my English isn't very good and that I have trouble communicating and all but really?

Fortunately, when we arrived on the 12th the sculptures were mostly done.  There were only a few artists that were still working on their projects when we got there so I'm going to say that this trip to Cripple Creek was a complete success compared to our last visit!

Tree of Life

Tribal mask- look in the eye sockets :)

A lion

A Jeep

An Ice Slide

A Safari Tent

A Rhinoceros

This was one of the sculptures they were still working on.  It had elephants and giraffes so far

A nod to the local miners and their "mules" (Zebra)

"Waiting on a Woman"

Not our truck but one that was in the parking lot.  Someone had a sense of humor about the wreck!

Pagosa Springs "Anything Goes Sled Race"

So the online feature of "Things To Do This Weekend" stated that Pagosa Springs was having their annual"Anything Goes Sled Race 2017".  Can you possibly tell me that ANY part of that doesn't sound like a must-see event?  Me either.  So the conversation in our home goes something like this:

Me:  Guess what I found for us to do this weekend?

Mark: (pretends he doesn't hear me)

Me: (clearing my throat) Hey, guess what I found for us to do this weekend? (only louder)

Mark: What?

Me: The Pagosa Springs Anything Goes Sled Race.

Mark: What in the hell is that?

Me: I have no clue but it sounds like fun.

Mark: Let me guess, you already have reservations to go, right?
Me: Grins.

On the way down we decided to stay off of the Interstate and drove the back roads instead.  I will have to say that this is one of the prettiest drives we have been on since we started exploring Colorado.

So basically this event is a sled race that Pagosa Springs does during their annual Winterfest. Basically anyone can enter it and the only requirements are that "they are homemade.  Speed is important and entertainment is critical".  Sure enough these contestants met all of the requirements.  There was everything from Porta-Pottys to blow up pool toys that were converted into a sled that they raced down the hill. There were three categories for the top prizes: Fastest, Most Original and Best Crash.

There were pretty good crowds cheering on the contestants

In case anyone didn't know where the "Sledz Races" were being held

These two guys just used a tarp

These two kids made theirs out of a kiddie pool

This kid made his look like a DJ station

This guy used a blow up alligator

This gal made hers out of a hospital Porta-Potty

Squatch made his out of a lawn chair

This kid made his with "stuff he found in his garage"

I didn't get pictures of all of the contestants but you can see there was quite a variety of sleds.  It was a fun afternoon and as you can see the weather was perfect! We walked around town a little bit and saw where the hot springs are located before heading to South Fork where we had reservations to spend the night. 

We sure love this property.  It's the same one that we stayed at when we were in South Fork over Labor Day. Of course it wasn't covered in snow when we were here in September!

Our cabin

One of the other smaller cabins on the property

Firewood ready for all guest cabins

The headwaters of the Rio Grande that is right outside of the cabin we stay in

                                             We also stumbled upon this herd of bison.

 

Notice I didn't say buffalo? That's because I've been corrected so many times since we moved here about calling them buffalo.  They say that "buffalo are found Africa and Asia but bison are American buffalo".  Well excuse me...  Just a side note: when I looked up the definition of buffalo, I found that it is a form of the French word "boeuff" which simply means "large cow".  So from now on I'm calling them "large cows" and I dare anyone to correct me :)

But I digress- this herd was standing out in a pasture very close to the road we were on, just minding their own business doing "large cow" things.

As soon as we pulled the truck over to take a look at them, this one "large cow" sauntered over to the fence line and stopped within 18 inches of the fence. I kid you not- it was almost like he was asking to have his picture taken so of course I obliged him. Don't worry- I wasn't in the pasture with this guy; I was safely behind the barbed wire fence. 

International Snow Sculpting Contest 2017

If it's January it means that it's time for the International Snow Sculpture Contest in Breckenridge.  So if you have been following my blog you know that the first year we went to see this I made a *little* error in the weekend that we could go see the sculptures.  Last year we went on the right weekend and got to see them.  And we made it again this year.

Once again, we were blown away by the artistry and the beauty of these sculptures.  They are simply gorgeous.  I mean these things start off as a big ol' chunk of compacted snow and in a week the artists transform it into these creations.  We got into Breckenridge about 4 o'clock- just in time for us to see the sculptures in the daylight. By the time we finished we were hungry and went to find something to eat.  We have eaten in downtown Breckenridge quite a lot but had never tried Swiss Haven.  It serves fondue and raclette and we had a pretty good meal there. After dinner we went back to the sculptures and saw them with the colored lights on them.  The lights really help capture the intricacy of the pieces and we actually like to see them lit up instead of in natural light.  Enjoy!

 

 

Downtown Breckenridge

 

Dinner at Swiss Haven