Having diced with death on the route into the RV park which culminated in me missing the final turn necessitating a u turn on a busy road rather than risk getting lost we finally parked up & could start to breathe again.

The camp site was lovely save for the fact that the shower blocks & toilets were out of action due to storm damage pushing the stress levels way back up. Not only because the prospect of a cool shower would have been nice after a long drive but we were there for 3 days & it was boiling hot. Contingency packing is my thing so I was very glad to be able to stock the fridge with jumbo sized bamboo body wipes for the duration! To Uber or to Lyft that was the question as the availability & competitive pricing meant that it was worth checking both. Musing on the God fearing reputation of the Texans it should have come as no surprise that a copy of the Bible was on the passenger seat . However it did raise the question on whether it was in God or the driver we trusted the most to get us to the Fort Worth Stockyards in one piece.

Fort Worth is a city that now ranks as the 5th largest city in Texas & 13th in the whole USA. It can trace its roots back to 1849 where it started as an army outpost that later developed into a trading post for longhorn cattle.

The undercover shopping lured us in first as it was very hot & the shops provided a place to stay cool & we spent time looking at all manner of hats, buckles & curious items.

Attracted to the sound of music we enjoyed the live band playing country music followed by the ‘gunfight’ re enactment. The shopping mall doubles as a train station & we jumped at the chance to board for a ride ‘there & back again to see how far it was’ so we could catch a glimpse of the surrounding city.

Once back we joined others in the street to watch the longhorns being driven through carefully guided by the horseback riders. An ice cream & sit down before deciding on what to do next led us to consider the evenings entertainments. Wandering around & checking out places we grossly mis calculated how long it would take to get something to eat which meant that we ended up only having a drink before heading to the Stockyards for the Rodeo.

It made my day when asked if I had been before to declare ‘No this ain’t my first rodeo!’ I had previously attended a local event in Boulder Montana & so had an idea of what it was involved. Whilst I love the inclusive family feel to the event the question of potential animal cruelty lingered. As we watched we feasted on cheesy nachos & whilst admiring the skills of the cowboys & girls as they demonstrated the techniques required. I still remain a little conflicted on the animal welfare side of things as whilst the horseman ship displayed by the riders is superb & probably vital if managing herds of cattle. I am a little less sure of the reasons why hanging on to the back of a bull for grim death is a necessary thing nowadays. I realise the animals & the cowboys can earn fame & fortune as a result of the competitions to see who stays on the longest. It’s sort of thrilling in a way so I can sort of understand why it is entertaining to watch. However the straps & paraphernalia required to make the animals buck still seems cruel to me.

Still all good things come to a close so after the thrills & spills of the Rodeo it was time to head back to the van & get a good nights sleep ahead of a day filled largely with different sort of Cowboys.