IPRA Rodeo

 

Several weeks ago we went to the IPRA Rodeo held at the T. Ed Garrison Arena in Pendleton. Doug had two coworkers visiting from France. One of the girls is here on a long term assignment and wants to see as much as she can, including a rodeo and a NASCAR race (this girl wants true southern culture!!). When we heard that the rodeo was coming to Clemson, we knew we had to take advantage of it and take her. The second girl was in from France for a week and decided to tag along. 

We had planned to go for BBQ and then head to the rodeo when it started. Well, that plan went up in smoke when we drove by Brushy Creek BBQ to see that they have closed their doors for good. We then headed to The Smokin' Pig in Pendleton only to find an hour wait. That wasn't going to work either. So, we headed into downtown Clemson and ate dinner at the Palmetto Smokehouse and Oyster Bar. (sidenote: We would not recommend this place! The food was barely edible and the service was so slow). By the time we found a spot for dinner, ate, and made it to the arena, it was 9:00. The rodeo started at 8:00, and we had planned to leave around 9:30 to get Callen home for bed. Oh well! 

Cal borrowed some cowboy boots from a buddy, put on a plaid shirt and jeans, and was ready to be a cowboy! We kept telling him he was going to see cowboys and cowgirls along with horses and cows. He was excited!

We made it in time to see several events including tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and cowgirl barrel racing. The bull riding was one of the last events but we were wanting to beat the crowds out of the parking lot, so we left a few minutes early and didn't get to see any of it. Between each event, there was a small 'intermission' that included entertainment. During one of the intermissions, a cowgirl stood between two horses and had two others harnessed in front of those horses. She ran around the ring multiple times and even did a jump over a horizontal pole once. This made quite the impression on Cal! He likes to talk about the cowgirl standing on the horses!

Cal absolutely loved the rodeo! He watched almost every minute of it while we there (over an hour and a half) and never seemed to lose interest. This was a fun adventure with Cal...one that we will have to go to again and hopefully get there a little earlier next time!