Denver, CO

Since Ace and I have been back in South Texas (aka home), I haven't written any rodeo related posts, as the winter was pretty calm.  Throughout this past summer, we enjoyed traveling throughout the West Coast and loved exploring every state we entered.  I dropped a pin at every city that we visited (for a rodeo or just as tourists).  The following map depicts the approximate 24,000 miles and 13 states that we visited from June 2014 - September 2014.

After the summer run, Ace had a little downtime from rodeos.  He started working at the family business, Slone Saddles, and I started working at a local dental office.  After a little time off, Ace started roping again in November and decided to try out a new pair of boots at practice.  Unfortunately, the boots weren't quite broken in enough and caused a bad get-off, which resulted in a strained hamstring.  On top of the injury, Ace forgot to enter the Denver rodeo before the books closed.  He blames it on working under a tin roof and not getting his rodeo reminder text messages.... I'll let that excuse slide this time (but only because it led us on a wild Christmas adventure)!

We had been back and forth with Christmas plans trying to include visiting with both of our families and being able to travel to Denver - if his hamstring allowed for it. 

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Boerne and Tyler Driskill (Owner/Executive Director of Driskill Films)  took the most beautiful family pictures.  If you're in need of a brilliant photographer, check out his site:  www.DriskillFilms.com

On Christmas Day, I spent time with my family in Shiner and Ace was with his family in Boerne.  In the afternoon, Ace got in a quick practice session and made the call for us to head to Denver.  I left Shiner at about 7 pm and headed to Boerne.  At about 10 pm, we hit the road for Denver, CO. We drove through the night and made it to "Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone..."  In our delirious state of no sleep, we thought this line was the perfect motto for our all-night drive.  We stopped at What-a-Burger to get breakfast, since we knew we wouldn't find any in Colorado!

Once we got to Dalhart, TX we stopped for some wood shavings and got some hay for Mexico.  The lack of sleep caught up to us and we started running into a snowstorm, but we kept on hauling.  

We stopped to eat lunch in Aguilar, CO at a neat little cafe and warmed up with some hot cocoa.  

We were both exhausted, so we pulled into a nearby truck stop to sleep for a bit.  Ace awoke quickly and was frightened at the sight of his steering wheel in front of him.  He thought he had fallen asleep at the wheel!  This had given us both enough of an adrenaline rush to keep moving towards Denver.  We hit the road and ran into more snow but finally made it to Denver about 6 pm on the 26th.  After getting Mexico situated in a stall at the arena, we went into downtown Denver to our hotel.  We were both so thankful for a warm place to stay!  

On Saturday morning, we woke up at 5:30 am to a very chilling 4 degree Denver.  We had breakfast at the Butcher Block Cafe, one of Ace's usual dining spots when he is in Denver.  After breakfast we headed to the arena and got ready for the qualifier.

Click HERE to watch Ace's first run
(I let out a huge sigh of relief that Ace's hamstring didn't hinder his run)

After Ace roped we went back to our hotel and rested for a bit.  We watched a movie and searched for some Groupon deals for dinner.  We walked around downtown Denver and had an early dinner at Rialto Cafe.  I was so excited to experience my first White Christmas!  The snow was absolutely magical... and freezing cold!  Definitely a new experience for this South Texas gal!

After dinner, we went to the arena to feed Mexico and get him situated for the night. 

On Sunday morning, we woke up a little later since Ace was a little further down.  

 Click HERE to watch Ace's second run

After his run, we got checked out of our hotel, loaded the trailer and started driving toward home.  We had talked about possibly making a ski trip on our route home, but hadn't made definite plans yet.  I had some college friends staying in Ruidoso, NM and we considered making that our plan - as long as we could make arrangements for Mexico.  

We got to Ruidoso around 1:30 am and got Mexico situated at a small local ranch. Since it was really late, we decided to sleep in the truck rather than pay for a hotel room.  The next morning, we went to the Sitzmark Chalet Inn and met up with our friends, Rasha and Max.  I hadn't seen Rasha for months in Texas, but got to meet up with her in New Mexico - Funny how that works!

Thankfully, Rasha and Max borrowed me some ski pants and gloves and Ace and I headed for the slopes.

It was my first time skiing and it was definitely a fun but somewhat frustrating experience.  My first time getting off the lift resulted in a face plant.  Before we got to the bottom of the bunny slope, I had crashed three times.  We caught the lift two more times and I hadn't fallen again, so Ace decided we should take the lift to the top of the mountain.  Such confidence he has in me!

We got fairly close to the top when our lift had a mechanical malfunction and left us stranded 10 ft away from the get-off area.  We weren't too cold, until we got stuck up on top of the mountain.  The way down the slope was a little brutal for me.  There were so many skiers and I still hadn't mastered getting stopped or turning perfectly.  We finally made it to the bottom and I was exhausted and beat up.  Ace went back up the lift and skied down two more times, that way he could actually get a few good runs in.  He was such a good sport when I was physically exhausted and completely frustrated with my first day of skiing.

When we got down from the mountain, we went to feed Mexico and had dinner with Rasha and Max at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. 

On Tuesday morning, we hit the road for home. As we were leaving, it started snowing on us again.  On the way home, we listened to the first Hunger Games book on Audible.  After we finished the first book, we decided to watch one of the Hunger Games movies on Netflix (on our iPad).  The road home seemed to take forever (mostly due to our exhaustion and the dreary Winter weather) but we made it home safe and sound!

We had such an amazing, spontaneous trip full of fun memories!  And - Ace qualified for the Denver Stock Show and Rodeo, so all-in-all our mission was accomplished!  Don't let Ace know this, but I'm glad he missed the books this time.....but this time ONLY!

Ace and Mexico will be headed back up to Denver shortly and I'll be cheering them along from home....Here's to safe travels and good runs!

Let 'er Buck - Pendleton, OR

We left the Urbach Ranch at about 6:30am on Monday morning to head to Pendleton, OR.  Ace entered the Pendleton Roundup Memorial Golf Tournament, so we had to be at the country club fairly early.  Cody didn't enter the tournament, but a few other calf ropers were entered with Ace.  We met Cody Dan Jordan and Jesse Clark at Burger King and hopped in with them while Cody took the rig to the fairgrounds to get set up.  The guys had a great morning playing golf and I had fun tagging along.

Tuesday morning after the guys ran their first calves, we went to have lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant.  After lunch we headed back to the arena to watch the rest of the slack events.  During steer wrestling we got out a few dollar bills and played a friendly game of "over or under" and made bets on the times of the runs.  My lack of rodeo background and knowledge of horse body composition and names of the competitors left me empty handed and out of the game pretty quick.

After slack was over we headed to a local park to play some basketball and called it an early night.

Wednesday morning the guys ran their second calves.  After slack we came back to the trailer and the guys played Madden on the PlayStation while I cooked them some lunch.  We went to the afternoon perf and hung out in the Let 'er Buck room til it closed down.

We had heard so many stories about this wildly famous room and had to test it out for ourselves.  

On Thursday Ace and I ran a few errands and went to the Wild Horse casino to use up some chips that we were given.  Blackjack didn't go our way this time, so we didn't hang around the casino for too long.  We drove back into town and walked through all the booths in downtown Pendleton and stopped by Alexander's Chocolate Classics for sipping chocolate.  A lady in Walla Walla, WA told me that I had to try it out once we got to Pendleton.  The picture doesn't do it justice but underneath the mountain of whipped cream is the richest chocolate I've ever tasted. 

On Friday morning we loaded up and headed towards St. George, UT.  We drove all day and called it a night once we made it to Pleasant Grove.  Saturday morning, we started our last leg of the trip.  We made it to St. George at about 3pm and parked the trailer at the arena.  We got the horses situated and then went to a nearby park so the guys could play some basketball before the perf.

Mexico and Ace started a great run, but the calf was facing the wrong direction for Ace to flank her.  Mexico sure worked good in the field to help get her turned around.

Click HERE to watch Ace in St. George

We didn't have any luck in Pendleton or St. George.  This week we are up in Albuquerque, NM and then we are Texas bound! 

Puyallup, WA and Lewiston, ID...Winding Down Our Summer Run

On Tuesday morning, we woke up and had breakfast at The Maple Counter Cafe.  Yelp had great reviews, so we decided it was worth a try.  We were all very impressed with the food and the atmosphere of downtown Walla Walla, WA.

After breakfast we went to Jiffy Lube to get the oil changed in the truck.  While there, Ace was reading some jokes aloud and we met an elderly lady who shared a joke with us.  Her joke may have been super inappropriate, but it was hilarious and had everyone in the lobby in laughter (even the guy in the black shirt)! 

When we got back to the trailer, the guys turned the horses out and I laid out on top the hay pod to try to get a little sun tan.  A little later we went to Walla Walla YMCA to play some basketball and get some exercise.  We shot around, played knockout, and then played a few pickup games with some kids.  Our knockout game quickly escalated to the three point line and I think the boys were a little surprised when I beat them a few times.  It brought me back to my high school days when we would play three-point and half court knockout!

On Wednesday morning we loaded up and headed towards Puyallup, WA.  We stopped in Pasco at the Urbach Ranch and the guys got in a practice session.  I think Connor Rexin was super excited to run some calves with Ace and Cody right after school!  We stayed the night there and went to Magill's for breakfast on Thursday.  

Thursday after breakfast we hit the road to Puyallup.  We made it to the fairgrounds at about 3:30pm and made the horses a pen in a grassy area.  We initially wanted to try to make it to the Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers game, but we didn't quite get an early enough start to the day.  So, we watched the first half at a local Italian restaurant and came back to the trailer for the second half. 

Friday morning we woke up and went to breakfast at Auntee B's.  The state fair was kicking off and the parade was just starting up.  Needless to say, traffic was horrible and it took us forever to get to our breakfast destination.  When we got back to the fairgrounds, the guys went to watch the afternoon perf.

I stayed behind and cooked them some chicken pasta for when they got back.  We hung around the trailer for a few hours and waited for the evening perf.  Ace's friend, Lance, was able to make it down to Puyallup to watch the guys in the perf and Cody had some family in town for the fair.

Mexico didn't quite give them the start they needed but he worked so much better in the field than he has been lately. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run from Puyallup

After the rodeo, we were walking towards the trailer to put the horses up and Ace had to stop to get scones along the way.

(Katie Urbach, they were pretty good!)

After they put the horses up, the guys came back to the fair and we had a late dinner with everyone before they left for home.

While walking back towards the trailer, we walked through a few of the show barns.  We passed these cute little piglets nursing on their momma and I couldn't help but take a picture!

On Saturday morning we woke up and loaded the trailer to hit the road to Lewiston, Idaho.  

Mexico was a little slow out of the box but quickly gained his momentum and worked great in the field.  Ace was the quickest run from the perf and placed seventh.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run from Lewiston

The guys are up next on Tuesday in Pendleton, OR so after the perf we decided to drive to Pasco, WA and stay the night at the Urbach Ranch.  

On Sunday morning Ace woke up and was so excited for football.... 

So excited that we had to order our breakfast from Magill's to go, so he wouldn't miss any football on the Red Zone.  But, I must thank him in drafting my players for my fantasy league and for helping me keep up with it!

Walla Walla, WA with a Few Other Rodeos (and states) In the Middle

On Monday afternoon we left Coeur D'Alene and headed towards Walla Walla, WA.  Along the way, we stopped by the Urbach Ranch to run some calves.  We made it to Walla Walla a little after midnight and were lucky enough to find a plug for the trailer!

Tuesday morning slack started at 7am.  We set our alarms for 6:30am, so we didn't leave too much time for all three of us to get ready in our small trailer bathroom, in an orderly fashion.  So, the guys had to squeeze in together to put their contacts in! 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Walla Walla

The guys went to watch the slack while I stayed in the trailer.  I think I developed a stye under my eyelid and woke up on Tuesday with a pretty swollen right eye.  I couldn't put contacts in and had to wear glasses to see.  My eyes are super sensitive to light and this just made it even worse for me.  Being in the sunlight to watch the rest of slack just seemed like torture! 

After slack was over, we went to have a late lunch at The Stone Hut. 

We headed to a golf course after lunch, to have some time out of the trailer.  Ace loves to golf and Cody is like me, a beginner going on pro.  Here's an action shot of Cody's first hole.  The ball went right around the hole and it was a close shot, but didn't quite go in - resulting in the last picture in the frame! "Oh, shucks!"

Luckily, I grabbed a hat before we left the trailer for the afternoon. It really took some stress off my eye.  The golf game was over when the sun completely disappeared for the night. We headed back to the trailer and stopped at Walgreens to grab some ranch dressing.  While there, I decided to see the pharmacist and see if there were any OTC drops that could help. She told me no, and that it'll resolve itself but to keep an 'eye' on it - no pun intended! 

We got back to the trailer and got our mini grill lit and ready for dinner. We picked up some chicken at Costco in Coeur D'Alene and grilled our chicken dinner. 

Ace decided to put the grill on the tailgate instead of putting together our table. I guess he didn't think about how hot it would get.... 

Well, now we have a perfect circle to grill on the tailgate! (Always have to search for a positive in ANY situation!)

On Wednesday morning we woke up, grabbed some McDonald's breakfast and headed to a roping jackpot at West Star arena in Ellensburg, WA. After the roping, we grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner. It was pretty amazing and was by far the healthiest meal we've had all summer! 

On Thursday morning, the guys were up in the 7am slack in Ellensburg.  Mexico and Ace had a good start, but Mexico didn't quite do his job in the field. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's first run in Ellensburg

After the slack, we went to have a late breakfast at the Palace Cafe.  The West Star roping gave the guys coupons, so we had to get their $10 off! After breakfast we loaded the horses and went to Jake Pratt's house to hang out for a few hours before the guys ran a few calves.  We took a quick nap and then Ace put on the Aggie football game. Cody and I were still trying to nap but of course Ace was "whooping" and hollering, so he made it pretty difficult! After the guys ran calves, we went up to Jake's parent's house. They had cooked dinner for everyone and invited us all up to join them. 

On Friday morning, Ace and Cody ran their second calf at Ellensburg.  Mexico was good out of the box but didn't stop his best or work hard enough in the field. There was still quite a bit of slack in the rope when Ace got to the calf.  The calf's horn got stuck on the string in Ace's mouth and jerked it out of his mouth.  This isn't quite how I taught him how to floss, but I'm glad it didn't jerk any teeth out!

Click HERE to watch Ace's second run in Ellensburg

After slack we headed towards Plains, Montana where the guys were up in the evening perf.  We got to Plains about 6pm and relaxed before the perf.  We watched the UTSA football game and this time it was me cheering loud for my alma mater! The perf was another "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night" and the winner of the perf gets a bonus if he wears pink.  Both Ace and Cody had on their pink shirts and were ready to rope.  

Ace and Mexico had a great run.  Mexico worked much better than he has the past few runs and Ace tied her to be winning second.  Unfortunately, the calf got up, so we left with empty hands. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Plains

We talked to another rodeo couple, She'rae Duncan and Josh Torres, about their travel plans for Filer, ID.  We all have to be there Saturday night and it is about 9 hours from Plains, MT.  We decided to just head that direction, so we got on the road and headed to Dillon, MT and made it there about 3am.  

Dillon is about half way and left us with a much shorter drive on Saturday. 

Since we made it to Dillon pretty late, we slept a little later on Saturday.  Ace cooked breakfast and we got on the road about noon. We made it to Filer, ate at the hospitality tent, and got ready for the perf.  Ace and Mexico had a good run and split fifth in the rodeo. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Filer

After the perf, we had to get on the road back to Dillon, MT because the guys were up in the slack on Sunday morning.  Ace started the driving shift and Cody finished.  We made it to Dillon around 2:30am and luckily saved stalls for the horses when we left that morning, so it made for a quick setup when we got back to the fairgrounds.  The guys had reruns after steer wrestling and team roping, so they had a little time to pass.  I ran into town to fill the truck with gas and to the feed store to get grain and wood shavings for the trailer.  I got back just in time to video Ace and Cody.

Ace's calf ducked off to the left and resulted in a no time. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Dillon

After the slack, we had to hustle back to Walla Walla, WA because the guys were up in the perf on Sunday evening.  We didn't even have time to stop for lunch.  We were all hungry, so I hopped in the trailer and cooked pizzas in the oven while we drove.  The stretch of road was super curvy and not the best one to be in the trailer while driving and trying to cook!  Ace and Mexico had a good run and split 6th in the average. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Walla Walla 

On Monday morning, we slept in pretty late since we have been on a crazy traveling schedule the past few days.  We went to have breakfast at Bacon & Eggs and ran a few errands.  The boys aren't up anywhere until Friday, so we have a few days to unwind.  We shall start by a round of golf and by golf I mean, I'll get a pedicure while the guys play! ;)

Kennewick, Bremerton, Seattle, and Coeur D'Alene

Tuesday afternoon Ace and Cody went to play golf while I stayed at the trailer and got ready for the Champions Challenge. Their game took a little longer and they missed calf roping, so we decided to go grab dinner.  When they got back our rig was blocked in and couldn't leave for dinner so we figured we would have fair food.  This was our first time all summer eating at a fair, even though we are at one most days of most weeks. 

Doesn't quite look delicious, but the BBQ Beef sandwich was pretty good for fair food and the fried zucchini wasn't too shabby either! 

After dinner we drove a few miles down the road and stayed at the Urbach Ranch.  We got plugged in, filled with water, and got the horses situated.  Wednesday morning we woke up pretty early and fed our two horses, as well as all the other horses on the ranch.  We had breakfast at an awesome local cafe, Magill's, and then played some basketball before the afternoon slack.

Calf roping was up near the beginning, so we were only able to watch about half the runs.  After the slack, Roger Nonella and Dane Kissack joined us and played two-on-two with Ace and Cody.  After the game we went to have a late lunch at Azteca.  

We dropped Dane and Roger back at the fairgrounds and came back to the Urbach's for the night.  Ace was teaching Connor some tips and then I had a lesson in goat tying in preparation for a Birthday Bash we were invited to (sorry Raz!!).  Thanks again, Slone and Kendreth for teaching me!

Click HERE to see my newly acquired rodeo skills

On Thursday morning we had breakfast at Magill's and then went back to the Urbach's.  We loaded the trailer and headed to Bremerton, WA. We got to the fairgrounds around 7:30pm and the guys went to watch the perf while I got ready for dinner.  It was about 9:30pm by the time we took off, so not too many places were still open for dinner.  We found a small bar and grill and had dinner and played a few games of pool.

On Friday morning, the guys went to watch the slack.  Afterwards, we got ready for an afternoon in Seattle.  We stopped along the roadside and checked out Dyes Inlet. The water was a gorgeous turquoise blue/green.  I love Texas and love being a native Texan, but the ocean along the west coast is gorgeous!

Anyone who knows Ace knows that he is always pondering something.  This picture just reaffirms that for me! 

We parked Whitey Ford around the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and walked onto the ferry heading to Seattle.

In south Texas, the only ferry I'd been on was to Port Aransas.  The ferry we boarded was the largest one I'd ever seen.  There were two decks on the bottom for vehicles and a top deck for passengers.  The top deck was equipped with tables, lounge chairs, bathrooms, and even a cafeteria!  It took about an hour in travel time to Seattle and we were amazed at all the beautiful houses on islands and the shoreline!  The Seattle horizon view from the ferry was gorgeous! 

When we made it to Seattle our first goal was to walk towards Pike Place Market to witness all the hype about throwing fish. 

We walked past another fish market and the guy asked where we were from. When I said "Texas" he grabbed a fish and told me to walk towards him. This resulted in a sushi kiss and lots of laughter! 

Our next goal was to see the Seattle Space Needle.  Along the way, we passed the original Starbucks and were floored at how long the line was!  One of Ace's favorite brews from Starbucks is Pike's Place and now we know how it got the name: from originating on Pike street (at least that's our hypothesis)!

Another goal we had for our day trip was to eat some amazingly fresh seafood.  We had a fancy lunch at Etta's.  We had Salmon, steamed Dungess crab, clam chowder, crab cakes, and fried fish.

After our lunch, we continued our hike towards the Space Needle. We explored the grounds but didn't have time to check out the observation deck.

As we were about to head back we noticed a street magician performing a magic show so we caught his show for a few minutes.

We had walked quite a few blocks down from where we started our excursion and needed to hustle back to the ferry, so we caught the monorail.  

We had an awesome few hours exploring Seattle and can't wait to go back one day! 

When we got back to Bremerton, the boys quickly got ready for the perf.  Ace had a great run but antipcated the calf to run out of the chute a lot harder than she did.  He tied her in 8.6 seconds, however his anticipation resulted in a broken barrier.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Bremerton

After the perf we headed back towards Kennewick.  We pulled into the Urbach ranch about 3am and got settled for the night.  The boys had to tie calves at 10am and then were up in the slack at 1pm.  After the slack we just hung around the arena until the perf that night.

After the perf we headed towards Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. We had a singing bee contest the whole drive, consisting of shuffling music on Pandora with a mix of all sorts of stations to make it fair. 

On Sunday morning the guys were up in the slack.  Ace ran the same calf as he did in Moses Lake.  There, she stuck her head in his shirt and popped off all his buttons.  Yesterday he had her down fast and started his tie when she sucked her legs out from under him.  Needless to say, I hope we don't draw her anymore this summer.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Coeur d'Alene

After the slack, Chase Tryan and Ryan Thibodeaux joined us for lunch at Cafe Rio.  After lunch we ran to the mall to get Cody some new basketball shoes and then we went to the fun center to play a few games of bowling.

When we got back to the arena, we all wanted to play some basketball and located a court nearby.  KC Miller joined us and we got in quite a few games of 21, playing three-on-three.  After our games, we went back to the arena and watched the demolition derby.  I'd never seen one and Ace hasn't has since he was little, so it was pretty neat to watch.

We all got showered up and went to dinner at Capone's Pub, a local restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  Pictured next to the menu as garlic Parmesan fries, an item featured on the particular episode aired. 

On Monday morning, we woke up and went to another restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives:  Jimmy's Down the Street.  The picture below doesn't quite do the pancakes justice - they were MUCH bigger than they appear.  The cinnamon rolls were huge, also! 

After breakfast we ran into Costco to get a few items to cook for dinner the next few days and then went back to the arena to get the trailer loaded up to hit the road.  We are on our way to Walla Walla, WA, where the guys are up on Tuesday morning.

In Washington, In Idaho, In Oregon and Away We Go....

Our next destination was Washington, the farthest state I've ever been away from home.  Each time we approach a new state or area, Ace always asks me what I envision the landscape to look like.  When we first entered the state, it was pretty barren and looked like a desert.  On the other side of the mountains, we entered into a very green area.  There were times that we were at a very high altitude, that we were driving in the clouds.

A few years ago, Ace's truck broke down while in Lynden, WA.  A local family lended him a truck to borrow for a nearby rodeo.  He has stayed connected with them and I got to meet Ace's friend, Lance Witman, on Wednesday when we made it to Lynden. We set up pens by the trailer and hung out for a little while before the perf.  Lance and I sat down by the fence and watched the rodeo and Ace and Cody joined us after their runs.  Ace made a good run despite the muddy conditions and was able to place last hole.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Lynden 

On Thursday morning, Lance met us at the arena and we walked to breakfast at a local cafe.  Lance insisted on buying us some handpicked berries for the road, so he bought us a crate of fresh blueberries and strawberries.  

After breakfast we hit the road towards Moses Lake, WA. While we were in Caldwell, Idaho I met Shea Fisher (Calf Roper, Tyson Durfey's, wife) and had a spectating companion for the rodeo. 

Ace had the calf roped to be pretty quick.  However, the calf's little horn got stuck in between the buttons on his shirt.  So, it took him a little longer to get her tied and ripped every button off his shirt in the process!! Thank goodness dry cleaners sew buttons back on shirts, because we have had many "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" nights this summer!

Click HERE to watch Ace's run in Moses Lake

After the perf we drove about an hour and set up camp at a nearby arena.  We spent most of the next day driving towards Gooding, Idaho for the evening perf. Thank goodness Ace had another pink shirt, because we had another "Tough Enough To Wear Pink Night."

Mexico didn't work his best on this run and Ace lost his footing when he approached the calf's head.  

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Gooding

After the perf at Gooding, the guys were up in the slack in Burley, Idaho.  Burley was about 45 minutes away and we were rushing to make it there in time.  Ace and Mexico had a good run and placed third in the rodeo. 

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Burley

After the slack we had dinner at Denny's at about 12am and made it to Jerome, ID at about 2:30am.  On Saturday morning, the guys were up in roping. Shea and I sat together and chatted and filmed our guys. 

Saturday afternoon after the roping Roger Nonella and his horse, Tucker, hopped into our rig for the short go at Caldwell, Idaho.  Cody and Roger joined us for the Reno short round, so we had our fingers crossed for another successful round.  Roger won the short go round and placed third in the average, Cody finished fifth in the average, and Ace finished eighth.  Whether it was thousands or hundreds, each of them had a payday.

Click HERE to watch Ace's run at Caldwell

We headed back to Jerome after the perf.  We hadn't gotten much sleep the past two days, so we slept in a little on Sunday.  Ace, Cody, and I had a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant before another roping on Sunday afternoon.  After the roping, I ran to Walmart and got some steaks and veggies to grill for dinner.  We grilled and played a friendly game of 'Catch Phrase'. 

On Monday, Dane Kissack and his horse joined our rig for the drive back to Washington.  Along the way, we stopped in Nampa, ID to get some new tires for the trailer.  Dane was way too excited about changing tires! 

We grabbed some Panda Express and got back on the road.  Along the way, we entertained ourselves with a few card games and of course the guys had to listen to Monday Night Football.

We stopped along the way at a small basketball court and played around the world and 21.  We stayed the night at another roper's place, where Dane's rig was parked.  We grilled burgers and called it an early night. 

On Tuesday morning, we got an early start to the day.  As usual, Ace is always the first to rise.  He decided to be silly and wake Cody up in a not-so-nice manner by throwing ice on him.  When that didn't work, he put a frozen package of meat on his back. Boys will be boys, at any age!  We grabbed a quick breakfast and hit the road towards Kennewick, WA.  

When we arrived, the first stop was a laundromat to catch up on laundry.  I stayed and took care of the washing and drying while the guys took the trailer to the fairgrounds and got the horses situated.  They cleaned the trailer out and then played some basketball, while I was at the laundromat.  Ace came to pick me up and we got back to the fairgrounds.  It's so nice having a clean trailer! 

Many people have been asking for pictures of our humble abode, so here it is! 

We have a bed and a couch that folds down into a bed for our guests along the rodeo road. There are two stove tops and a microwave that doubles as a convection oven.  Our small bathroom space is equipt with a shower, toilet, and sink. The trailer has tons of storage space, which is super handy.  In the back, we have four stalls for horse travel. 

When we got back to the trailer, we put up all of our laundry and the guys started to play a video game that they've been battling at for a few days now...it's really quite silly and amusing!

The guys have the week off, so we are going to have a few days to pretend like tourists in Washington before they're up on Friday night!  

*******BREAKING NEWS*******

Stratton Cole Leske is officially here!! Born on 8/19, weighing in at 7lbs 11oz and measuring 19in.  Congrats to Kailey, Martin, and ALL family members!! We wish we were home, but are sending our love from Washington.  We can't wait to come home and meet you!!!!