Tulsa Trip

The last 13 days of July were spent on a trip to Tulsa, OK.  We went out there so Erin could show her horse, Chuck, at the American Buckskin Registry Association Worlds Show.  It was quite the trip and adventure. 

In fact, this was the longest road trip I'd ever been on.  We made it to Tulsa in three twelve hour days.  It was quite the haul.  Day 1 was good....we went from home to Billings, MT. 

Day 2 was good until we started getting emergency weather warnings for tornados by the Denver airport.  Of course the warning came in the midst of the time frame for the length of the warning, and with pouring rain, lightening, rainbows, and swift wind.  It was wild.  Everyone just starts pulling off the road and parks under underpasses.  We made it to our destination safe and sound that night which was wonderful, but the weather was stormy through the night.  Day 2 was Billings, MT to Limon, CO.

Rainbow after the first round of the storm in CO.

Where does one "stay" while traveling with a horse?  Well the answer is Equine Motels.  Yes, those really exist, and then the humans camp in their living quarter horse trailers.

Day 3 of traveling was also good, especially, because it ended in Tulsa!  I picked up Kansas and Oklahoma as new states visited, too!  It was in Kansas, though, that the humidity set in.  When we finally pulled into Tulsa, it was mid evening and HOT!  I sweated like never before while we unloaded the trailer, set up in the barn, and set up camp.  It was like the first time I'd sweated enough to feel the cooling benefit of sweat. 

Welcome to OK!

The pre-worlds show started on Tuesday with Erin and Chuck picking up one ribbon.  Wednesday through Friday were the days of the Worlds show that Erin showed on.  She showed about two classes a day.  That doesn't sound like much except that Chuck had to be bathed each morning and ridden each night to prepare for the next day's patterns, which made for long, stressful days of getting everything done and making sure everything was perfect for the level of the show. 

The hustle and bustle of the stall barn during the week.

 

Erin showed Chuck in eight classes at Worlds and brought home six Top Ten placings.  One of those placings was a third in showmanship.  As a pair, they showed their showmanship pattern well together and did a really good job.  We all cried when they announced Erin and Chuck had gotten third.

Showmanship pattern.

Tenth place in Youth Trail.

 

Waiting for results after Youth Western Pleasure.

We of course got teary with all her placings.  Some of you may not know this, but going to the Worlds show has been Erin's dream for at least three years...maybe even four years.  She originally was working toward this dream with HotRod.  She wanted to go in summer 2011 but it was decided she and HotRod needed to work a little longer together before going.  She was set to prepare for and go during summer 2012, however, HotRod passed away.  That left her without a horse to take that year.  Luckily, though, she got Chuck in March 2012.  Chuck came to Erin as a horse who had been to and placed at this same World's show as a yearling and two year old in 2010 and 2011.  When Erin got Chuck in March 2012, there was not enough time to prepare for Worlds 2012 and be successful.  That meant Erin's dream got postponed by a year once again.  But it came true this year and they were incredibly successful when one considers all the work, time, lessons, and ups and downs she's faced while reaching her dream!

One of the cool parts of the trip for me was getting to meet the woman who owned and took Chuck to Worlds before he came home to our house.  Her name is Emily and she was showing her newest yearling at Worlds this year.  I absolutely loved visiting with her and letting her know how happy we are that she had raised Chuck for us because, even though, he isn't HotRod, he sure filled that empty space and has helped complete Erin. 

Us with Emily and her little filly Poker.

 

Another great part of the trip was eating out at Ted's Café.  It's a Mexican restaurant that another family at the show suggested we try.  It was great.  Each person got their own salsa bowl and homemade tortillas before ordering.  For dessert, everyone gets a sopia.  Then to top it off they get you your drink to go when it's time to leave!  If we ever end up in Tulsa again, we will be eating at Ted's.

The craziest part of the stay in Tulsa was the flash flood storm early on in the week.  There had been lightening for hours before, but at 11:30 things just got different.  Then all of the sudden the thunder, wind, and rain amped it up.  It was the wildest thunder shower storm I'd ever experienced.  The trailer shook with each clap of thunder and the rain came down in such dense sheets that I couldn't even see the motor home parked five parking spaces away from us.  Yes, I've experienced storms of the sort before, but none have been as windy or lengthy. 

We packed out on Saturday morning and left early Sunday morning making Sunday Day 1 of traveling home.  The stall barn and grounds had become a ghost town and it was a little eery leaving after all the time we had spent there.  The trip home was easy going.  Kansas was foggy and rainy the whole way.  We made it to Cheyenne, WY that  night and stayed at the Terry Bison Ranch.  It was a fun setting but very touristy with guided horse trail rides, buffalo herds, and camels roaming around. 

Stuffed buffalo at the Terry Ranch.

Stuffed jackalope at the Terry Ranch.

 

On Day 2, we travelled from Cheyenne, WY to Whitehall, MT.  Along this part of the trip we had fun stopping in Sheridan, WY at Tom Balding Bits and Spurs.  We know of Tom and his work because his sister lives out here on the Royal Slope near us.  In fact, for my graduation from high school his sister gave me a rowel keychain customized by Tom with my initials.  Besides key chains, he makes some beautiful bits and spurs.  I mean so pretty that I just wanted to buy them to look at because I would have too hard a time putting one in a horse's mouth!

We made it home at about 1:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday, our Day 3 of travelling home.  It was sure nice to be back in Washington (because after this trip, I LOVE my state even more), see our house and horses, and be on "solid" ground after so much time cruising down the road.