Winnemucca's 21st Annual Ranch Hand Rodeo

OK, it's been a while, so we should catch up on things. Let's throw out a town.
Winnemucca, Nevada. Where is that, and why would you ever go? Well, For the Annual Ranch Hand Rodeo Weekend.

That's right. This small town just off I-80 (somewhere between Lovelock and Elko) and one that you could so easily pass by on your way to "some place else," comes alive during Rodeo Weekend. Time flies, but we do remember back to the first weekend in March when the

21st Annual Ranch Hand Rodeo brought Cowboys, Cowgirls, Stock Horses, Stock Dogs and so much more together for great competition and a good time. The weekend kicked off with the stock dog challenge. Always a highlight for us. There is no finer team to watch then a horse, rider and dog working together to move cattle. It is amazing what little it takes for a dog to bring a herd through some challenging obstacles. It is focus, dedication and drive combined with speed, smarts and ability that make these dogs truly "All Grit...No Quit." The events are timed and competitors make it look much easier than it is. (My dog "Huck"doesn't have a chance!)
The Ranch Hand Rodeo brought some 30 teams together to compete in about five different events. The Stock Horse challenge, bull sale and ranch horse sale rounded out the weekend.

Winnemucca is about a 41/2 hour drive from home. Just about 20 miles east of Reno you really get to know what "out in the middle of no-where" feels like. But, after a while (and if you look close) the high desert sage country takes on a beauty and peacefulness all its own. This year we took the time to meet up with friends (some from back home that we hardly ever see!) and dare I say....Good Food. I know it's getting to be a thing here with the traveling and the food, but there are just two must eat places and two key reasons we visit Winnemucca on a regular basis...The Martin Hotel (a must-for dinner) and The Griddle (the best-for breakfast). You could say we raced into town just in time for the Stock Dog challenge and well, we did make it in time to see the finals, but in the end...it was really about dinner at The Martin!
The Martin Hotel
The Martin Hotel has the finest Basque food, served family style, at long tables seated next to strangers, that quickly become friends. As the wine flows and the food follows, I can honestly say there seems to be no happier, louder or friendlier place to be. Great fun! We did have to wrestle just a little with the rodeo team from Idaho for more salad and soup, but by the time the bread pudding desert showed up, it was peaceful.
I'll save breakfast at The Griddle for another time.

Safari Cowgirl

We came up with this idea for a new line of products called Safari Cowgirl. Now, you may say, "What does a safari and a cowgirl have to do with each other?" It's a fair question, so I'll try to explain. We all have that next great adventure ahead of us and with our new Safari Cowgirl products we hope to inspire you to embark on your next great leap of faith. It may be a trip, a new activity with your horse, a new relationship...Whatever it is for you, we hope that you will be encouraged to Dream Wild, Live Brave and Branch Out, because after all...Life is a Safari!

Visit us online at http://www.acowgirlspromise.com/ to view our new Safari Cowgirl line of shirts, hats & water bottles and other items that we hope will inspire you to go for it!

Good Food...Great Sayings

Good Food

As you know, eating (good food) is one of the highlights for us on the road. While it's tough to beat mile high blueberry pie in Santa Fe, it would be a shame not to mention outstanding southwest style enchiladas in Tulare! Who knew?

Our friend and a fine artist, Cali Roberson (pictured at her booth) http://www.artbycali.com, joined us in Tulare, CA for the National Stock Horse Association Classic. After some hit-n-miss dinners, we enjoyed a good Italian meal and an even better bottle of wine (yep, cowgirls drink wine...sometimes!). The name of the wine? "Aqua Pumpkin". That's one to remember!

Great Sayings

While there is really no link between them, there is something about good food and a great saying that makes a day (or maybe just an hour) feel right. So, as we go down the road, we remember some of the inpirational sayings that keep us getting back in the saddle each day. Much like a good poem or story told around a camp fire, a great saying can bring a smile, a laugh or that added bit of "grit" to keep you going.

Here are just a few:

The impossible is often the untried.

I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

Whoever you are. Whatever your dream. You have to be strong in your head and strong in your heart. Be strong. There's no quitting in the person who wants it bad enough.

Pomona Bound

We are heading down to Pomona in a week or so for the Equine Affaire. Hope you can come see us in Bldg. 7, booth 768 & 769. We will be premiering our new line: Safari Cowgirl (more on that in future blogs). As we look forward to a busy 2010, we are remembering all the great trips we took in 2009, specifically, all the great food we ate on all those trips! We went to New Mexico on a buying trip last summer and had the most amazing blueberry pie in Santa Fe. Oh, that pie! Piled high with blueberries and a fabulous crust - I'm tearing up just thinking about it! Then there was the guacamole, prepared table side, also in Santa Fe - luscious! And up in Jackson, Wyoming we had a great breakfast at Jedidiah's House of Sourdough. Sourdough pancakes, wow! In Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, Ca we had some great meals, can't wait to go back this spring. Check out our calendar on the website and come visit us at our booth if you are going to any of the great events we are attending.

From Old Trucks to a New Year

From old trucks to a new year, the cowgirl's are back in the saddle and excited about 2010! By the way...that old truck is soon-to-be a classic. You know, a cowgirl should have a classic old truck. Or, maybe we just have old trucks and we believe their classic! Nevertheless, A Cowgirl's Promise had a good start in 2009 thanks to all those who stopped in the booth or found us online! We finished the year in December with the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering. It was a terrific event and we plan to make it back next year. The end of the year also brought nearly a foot of snow to the foothills. It was beautiful.

So what's next in 2010? Our year kicks off with new products, new events and a whole lot more tales to tell.

Until next time, someone once said: "Success is a journey, not a destination."

A cowgirl once said: "The journey to success is just one wild ride after the other!"

Check out our calendar for upcoming events at acowgirlspromise.com

Old Trucks

We love old trucks, except when they act their age. Julie has this great old truck that we had loaded up with stuff for our booth. It was September and we were headed out to Rancho Murrieta to set up for a 12 day cutting show. So, we started to pull out of the driveway and noticed that there was liquid pouring out beneath the dash down to the floorboard. Unfortunately, I had put my cell phone on the floor of the truck and learned a lesson about cell phones: they don't like antifreeze, which is what the liquid was that was pouring down around my feet. We had a great show anyway, met lots of nice people, and had box seats to some great cutting, which made up for the fact it was one of the hottest weeks of the year.

Great Cowgirl Travels-The Shoe Tree

Blogging is new for us and this, being our second entry (of many more to come); we had to share a story about a tree like no other we've seen.

Since we started A Cowgirl's Promise, we've had the opportunity to travel to some great places. Most recently, we went to Kanab, Utah for the Western Legends Roundup. It was beautiful country and a fun event. Our trip took us on, what we've always heard was, the "loneliest highway in America". Well, it was! Highway 50 through Nevada is a two-lane road through country that seems endless. We drove for miles and didn't pass another car. That was actually nice. Beyond the brush and tumbleweeds, we saw some beautiful horses, a lone coyote, a spectacular golden eagle and

The Shoe Tree.

Yes. There it was....a giant tree filled with hundreds of shoes! Who knew?? It looked like moss falling down off the branches. Shoes of all sizes, all shapes and all colors. Tied together by their laces and swung as high as one could throw. It was a bit of a mess really. But, we'd never seen anything like it.

Not sure whose idea it was or how long it's been there, but someone out in the middle of no where had a sense of humor and an old pair of shoes!