Had an absolutely fabulous time yesterday in Heber City. The occasion was the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair. I've been wanting to see this gathering for awhile now, and as it was supposed to be such a gorgeous weekend, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. My friends Angel and Amy joined me for the excursion. We had a lovely colorful drive through Parley's Canyon and the Wasatch Valley up to Heber City.
Most of the events were held at the new High School. There was a Mountain Man trade show going - we got to see a real live Blacksmith at work - outside the school. Inside we were surrounded by real live cowboys, and all sorts of other folks who'd come from far away to check out the event. We got to hear some traditional cowboy poetry and stories, and got to hear some terrific western music. A couple of the groups we really liked were Carin Mari and Pony Express (her sound reminded me of Suzy Boggess), and the Sons of the San Joaquin (kind of a Sons of the Pioneers cover band). We also got to have some awesome barbecue for lunch.
We were really interested in seeing the live mustang auction, but it started a bit later. So, to kill a little time, we grabbed a milkshake at Granny's. For me, it's just not a trip to Heber without a stop at Granny's. After a yummy raspberry shake, it was back to the Wasatch Events center for the mustang auction. It's put on by a terrific organization that specializes in rescuing and rehabilitating wild mustangs, so that they can be adopted out to good homes. There were a lot of beautiful horses and it was fun to see the trainers show them.
Again, there were plenty of real cowboys around and they delighted us with their knowledge, skills, and good manners. There's just something about a cowboy tipping his hat to you, that makes you all of a sudden want to ride off on a horse with one of them.
I've always wanted to travel and see the world. For the most part, that hasn't happened much. But I've discovered that there are plenty of exciting, inexpensive things to do and see here in the Mountain West, and most of the time I don't take enough advantage of them. So one of my goals has been to look around and do some local things that might be off the usual beaten path. It makes me appreciate where I live and it's history and culture even more.
Most of the events were held at the new High School. There was a Mountain Man trade show going - we got to see a real live Blacksmith at work - outside the school. Inside we were surrounded by real live cowboys, and all sorts of other folks who'd come from far away to check out the event. We got to hear some traditional cowboy poetry and stories, and got to hear some terrific western music. A couple of the groups we really liked were Carin Mari and Pony Express (her sound reminded me of Suzy Boggess), and the Sons of the San Joaquin (kind of a Sons of the Pioneers cover band). We also got to have some awesome barbecue for lunch.
We were really interested in seeing the live mustang auction, but it started a bit later. So, to kill a little time, we grabbed a milkshake at Granny's. For me, it's just not a trip to Heber without a stop at Granny's. After a yummy raspberry shake, it was back to the Wasatch Events center for the mustang auction. It's put on by a terrific organization that specializes in rescuing and rehabilitating wild mustangs, so that they can be adopted out to good homes. There were a lot of beautiful horses and it was fun to see the trainers show them.
Again, there were plenty of real cowboys around and they delighted us with their knowledge, skills, and good manners. There's just something about a cowboy tipping his hat to you, that makes you all of a sudden want to ride off on a horse with one of them.
I've always wanted to travel and see the world. For the most part, that hasn't happened much. But I've discovered that there are plenty of exciting, inexpensive things to do and see here in the Mountain West, and most of the time I don't take enough advantage of them. So one of my goals has been to look around and do some local things that might be off the usual beaten path. It makes me appreciate where I live and it's history and culture even more.
Comments