MULE DAYS 1 (May 20)
Off a little later than desired, 0525, Tuesday, May 20th. The result was more traffic from the 91 North to I-10. Once past the I-10 the traffic lightened and the rest of the drive went smoothly. Actually the traffic was quite light all the way to Bishop. We stopped briefly at out motel of choice, Big Pine Motel, to check in and get our keys. Then it was on to Bishop which is only 15 miles North.
The weather had been cool and overcast to start but then turned cold and quite windy. From Lone Pine North one could not see the tops of the Sierras or the White Mountains. There were a few showers, and later a layer of snow was seen on the peaks. We were warmly welcomed but then had to be off to watch our friend Amy compete in about six classes with her mule, Wild Bill. She won two firsts and two seconds, and then ventured out into some new classes for her and her mule. We took a break from being spectators to get a much welcomed hot chocolate. We also toured the souvenir shop and I came away with a new Mule Days jacket to replace the one I have been wearing off and on for the past 20 years! This new one was very nice given the cold weather conditions today.
Dinner tonight was at AMIGOS Restaurant where we always enjoy a great meal. The special today was baby lobster enchiladas. They were delicious. It may have helped that we had not really had anything to eat since about 10:00 when we finished our second sweet pretzel and a cup of coffee.
Time now to relax a bit before a shower and bed. Tomorrow’s weather forecast is a little better than today, but there is still a good chance of rain showers and blustery wind.
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| Pole Bending with Cart |
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| Stadium View |
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| Young Mule |
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| Promise of Days to Come |
MULE DAYS 2 (MAY 22)
Today was another weather day here in Bishop. We had overcast most of the day with occasional breaks of sunshine. The mountains never lost there topping of clouds. In the afternoon we had a couple of good rain showers. Luckily for us, we were near or in the barn area and were able to quickly hunker down under the extended roof or go into our tack room. There was a noticeable drop in the temperature with each passing shower.
Our friend Amy is doing most of the competing this year. She has done very well. Today she came home with two Blue ribbons and a couple of others. Tina competed also today in Western Dressage and finished 8th in the class. She was happy with the results as she has spent very little time on Ima this past Spring. DawnMarie is only showing in halter classes as she has been busy working clients’ animals. She brought a couple of babies to hopefully sell. She has a couple of young mules at home in Santa Rosa that she will be starting next year.
Once again we returned to Amigos for dinner. It really is an excellent Mexican Restaurant with some great variety of taste in their menu. After dinner we returned to Big Pine to our Motel. This early return allowed for some time to review the few pictures that I took with my camera, write in my b/log, and do a little reading before bed.
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| Tina in Competition |
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| Tina and Ima |
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| Tina is Pleased |
