Laninga's Travel Blog

This week we are in Westcliffe, Colorado.  It is located in the valley below the Sangre de Cristo mountains, so it has great open plains and grazing land.  Westcliffe, and it’s sister city Silver Cliff, prospered in the 1800’s due to silver mines.  Now it is more of a small town, typical of Western cities.

As luck would have it, this weekend was the 70th Annual Rodeo Days.   Seemed like a good thing to see, and it was.  One thing for sure, you have to respect the athleticism (and pain tolerance) of the cowboys!

Kids sheep riding. Start ’em young!

Calf roping

Team calf roping

Hang on cowboy!

Rounding a barrel

On to the next barrel

Speeding back to the finish line

Shows how dangerous bull riding can be

The bull is getting a nose full of dirt

Well, he tried….

This cowboy is totally twisted on the bull

A rather un-elegant dismount

Being a clown is a dangerous job

I bet he’s going to be sore tomorrow