Reno Short Round

After the slack on Thursday morning, Mexico needed some new shoes.  While waiting on him to be shod, we were debating on Ace flying back to Reno for the short round or catching a ride back with some other guys. Roger Nonella, another tie down roper also needed a ride back to Reno. Thursday evening Roger and his horse hopped into our rig and we headed West. Since we got a late start, we decided to call it a night once we made it to Laramie, WY.

Friday morning, we had breakfast at the Chuckwagon and got back on the road.  Ace got a call from Cody Quaney, another roper who was up in Reno.  We had an open hole in the rig, so we stopped in Evanston, WY to wait for Cody and his horse to join us.  We drove to Elko, NV and decided to make the rest of the trip on Saturday. 

We made it to Reno, NV on Saturday afternoon.  The guys got the horses fed and watered and we had a little down time before the short round started.  

We took a quick #shortroundselfie right before I left my cowboy for the stands. 

Ace and Mexico started out great!  The crowd was pretty loud and Mexico got pretty spooked.  He started pulling the calf out from under Ace, which could've cost him the round.  Skillfully enough, Ace already had the calf tied when Mexico darted backwards.  Ace tied the calf in 9.8, winning the short round!  Ace was third in the average, with a time of 29.3 seconds on three. 

The live stream of the Reno Rodeo skipped right over calf roping.  Click HERE to watch Ace & Mexico's short round run!

Roger placed fourth in the average and Cody followed behind at fifth.  Our winning rig headed back to Fernley, NV to stay the night. 

This morning we hit the road back towards Greeley, CO.  Ace is up in Greeley for his second run on Monday night! 

NV --> CO

After Ace's run on Monday night we drove back to Fernley to stay at the arena and were debating on driving or Ace flying to Colorado. On Tuesday morning we loaded Mexico and started the drive towards Greeley, CO.  We decided to split traveling into two days. Tuesday night we stayed in Evanston, Wyoming at a ranch belonging to some of Ace's friends. Mexico had a pen waiting for him with hay and water and we didn't even have to set up!  If I've learned and loved anything about the rodeo lifestyle, it's that anyone and everyone will always lend a helping hand and always extend their utmost hospitality.  Big thank you to the Martin Ranch!

Wednesday morning we started our second leg of travel, onto our 5th state in less than a week.  We needed some coffee and decided to stop at the nearest McDonald's.  

How adorable are these saddle stools for kids?  I think Slone Saddles might have a new product available soon! 

The scenery on the road is constantly changing.  I am in awe of all the different landforms and animals we have seen while traveling.

At a point in time, an Elk (just like the one above) decided he wanted to run into Ace's old red Chevy while he was driving. Needless to say, we were happy to view these Elk and were even happier they decided to stay off our stretch of I-80!

On Wednesday night, we met another family friend in Loveland, CO for dinner and to pick up a package for Ace.  Our stop was the perfect amount of time to escape rain along the route.  And boy was Ace excited to have some fresh contacts to put in this morning! 

Shortly after dinner we made it to Greeley, CO.  We got the trailer situated and made a make-shift pen for Mexico.  Ace and I went into town and found an old school drive-in and decided it was too cool to pass up. 

We split a chocolate shake and headed back to our home on wheels.

Ace had his first run in Greeley this morning. He tied his first calf in 9.2. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's first run at Greeley!

Although driving over 1,000 miles doesn't seem like much fun and flying would have been easier, it made it worthwhile for Ace to be riding Mexico this morning.  He's currently placing 2nd and we will hit the road back to Reno, NV for Ace's run in the short round on Saturday night!

Reno, NV

Sunday was another relaxing day. We watched the morning slack and went to In-N-Out burger.  Don't have many of these around Texas, so it was my first time!

Pretty good, but I'm still a Southern girl whose partial to Whataburger! ;). 

Afterwards, we caught up on two redbox movies and called it an early night. 

On Monday morning, Ace had his first run in the Reno Rodeo. He tied his first calf in 8.7, which brought him back to the perf that night. 

While killing time during the day, we watched the BFI Team Roping. Ace didn't think I'd like it, but it was actually pretty neat to watch! 

Ace's second calf was a runner and brought him and Mexico a little further down the arena. He tied his second calf in 10.8. He's currently placing in the first round and placing fourth in the average with a 19.5. Hoping this holds and he gets one more calf in the short round on Saturday night! 

Follow these links to watch Ace's runs from Reno:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/27epacwb6hongkn/Reno%2C%20NV.mov

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qyc4hkyg5mi3bk6/Reno%2C%20NV%20%281%29.mov

We are headed towards Greely, CO.  Our roadtrip consists of listening to "The Help" on Audible and crackin' sunflower seeds! This evening we stopped at Red Iguana in Salt Lake City, UT.  It's our first Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives eatery of the summer! 

On to the next rodeo! 

Our Afternoon at Lake Tahoe

Yesterday we had some down time in between rodeos, so we booked a fishing charter on Lake Tahoe. The scenery driving from Fernley to South Lake Tahoe was absolutely gorgeous! The water was a beautiful crystal blue and it was about 70 degrees when we arrived. 

After buying California fishing licenses for the day, we were waiting for the Hopper II to pick us up from the dock. Ace noticed a man wearing an Aggie shirt and of course struck a conversation. Turns out, the man and his family were on the same charter and happen to know several rodeo guys that Ace knows.... Small world! 

Ace was the first person aboard our boat to catch a fish. 

Boy, he sure looked excited! We thought we were out fishing for some big guys, but it turns out the Salmon we were out to get didn't get much bigger than this! 

Out on the boat, it sure did get windy and chilly! Thankfully, we both packed our Slone Saddles jackets to break the wind! (Thanks, Slone Saddles!)

After our daily catch of 5 Salmon, we headed to the Riva Grill at the marina and had their chef cook up our catch! 

Yummy!! 

TX-->NM-->UT-->NV

The past few days I've logged more traveling miles than I have in my 23 years! On Thursday I boarded a one-way flight to Albuquerque, NM and got picked up by the most handsome cowboy I know! He was coming from Sante Fe, NM, where he split fourth in the first round with a 9.4. 

Just outside of Albuquerque, we stopped at a little taco stand on the highway.

Ace is a pretty good candid photographer and the tacos were great!

Our afternoon of traveling towards Pleasant Grove, UT brought us to Moab, UT at about 8pm. Mexico needed to be out of the trailer and Ace and I definitely needed some rest.  We rested until 3am and hit the road towards Pleasant Grove. 

The weather was drastically different than the weather we left behind in Texas! It was pretty chilly and I was surprised to find a little snow left on the mountain top! 

(Note to self:  always keep a blanket in the truck!)

After the 8am slack at Pleasant Grove, we started towards Reno, NV.  When passing through Salt Lake City, UT, we stopped for a quick leg stretch at the salt flats. 

Of course we had to take a #saltselfie! 

After we stopped, Ace decided he needed to rest his eyes and put me behind the wheel of the rig. 

He didn't get too much rest, but any straight highway training is helpful for a girl who is used to driving a VW Jetta.

On Friday night, we made it to Fernley, NV. Ace is up in Reno on Monday, so we have a little down time to rest and explore. Next stop:  headed to Lake Tahoe to get in some afternoon fishing! 

The adventure begins.....

Ace and Mexico will be headed out today for the summer rodeos. Can't wait to be back with my boys on Thursday! Prayers for safe travels and good runs! 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11