TUCSON RODEO - FINAL DAY

Snow in Tucson! Well, not exactly, but the picture of the nearby mountains shows a considerable amount of white stuff, down to around the 3,000 foot level. Last nights storm brought much colder temperatures, and enough precipitation to cast the mountains with a white blanket.
Wait a minute. I thought this was the desert, and nothing but warm sunshine comes down from the sky. Normally, that's the case, but Tucson is more high desert, at about 2,500 feet above sea level. The summer temperatures are a little more moderate than our blistering heat in Lake Havasu, and it's possible, like last night, for real winter weather to at least temporarily remind all of the snowbirds what they're missing back home.

There was enough rain to make muddy messes in parts of the Tucson Rodeo grounds, as depicted in this shot from the grandstands. The sun did begin to peak through the clouds, and except for one rain and hail shower, the rest of our last day of the Tucson Rodeo, was OK weather wise, just colder than normal.

Yep, that's small hail on our counter.

To wrap up this years experience with the Tucson Rodeo, at least in regard to business, I would have to say it was a success. We sold out of much of the product we had, and without all of the NFR merchandise at fire sale prices, the profit margins had to be much higher. In the big picture, this is a small event for MainGate, and from year to year, we never know for sure if they will want to continue. From our perspective, we hope that they will, not only for personal reasons, but because they are buying a lot of good will from within the rodeo community. The Tucson Rodeo is one of the larger rodeos, and it is attended by movers and shakers from other rodeos. Each year we speak with rodeo organizers who want us to bring this impressive mobile showroom to their rodeos. This year, I spoke with several people who believe that Tucson has the right idea, in that they have a partner (MainGate) that merchandises the Tucson brand, rather than bringing in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Ass'n (PRCA) brand. Unfortunately for a lot of these other rodeos, they are too small for it to make any sense for MainGate to want to become a partner.

This morning, we'll hitch up the wagons as they used to say in the old west, and mosey on down the trail toward the ranch in Lake Havasu. We'll be home for about a week, then it's off to Yuma, for the Gypsy Gathering RV Rally starting Mar 7th, then back home for our 3rd annual Alaska in Arizona BBQ on March 12th. The next few weeks are going to be busy.

The last picture is of Jim Maxie from MainGate, and Bud from the Tucson Rodeo Committee.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 8

A desert sunrise, yesterday at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds

These next two pictures are of Sandy, a member of the Quadrille de los Mujeres, a ladies precision drill team. She and her friend in the background, who's name I didn't get, came by the trailer before the rodeo performance began. Patty had a chance to talk with Sandy, and I mentioned that if she stopped on her horse, I would get a picture to post on the blog. Sure enough, they stopped on their way into the arena, and I also got a picture of Sandy riding in the warm up area behind our trailer.

In the 6 years that we have been here at the Tucson Rodeo, these gals have entertained the crowds each year, and even though we have only caught a glimpse of their performances, they are truly spectacular. Thanks Sandy, for stopping to pose on your horse.

This last shot is a cowboy and his son. Trevor Brazille is without a doubt, the superstar of Pro Rodeo. He is the reigning all around, world champion. His career earnings are in the 2 million dollar range, and he is the best of the best. Just like any sport, pro rodeo has it's die hard fans, and this guy is well know to all that follow the rodeo action. I got this shot at the gate behind our trailer, while Trevor rides towards the arena with his son. Earlier in the day, we watched this little guy walking behind his mom, twirling a rope over his head, and expertly catching one of mom's feet when he threw the rope. As the saying goes - "Like father, like son".

Today is our final day of work here at the Tucson Rodeo, and unfortunately, the rain started last night. As of right now, it has stopped, and with any luck, it will hold off for the rest of the day. The other bad news, is that the temperatures have dropped, with the high today around 50, and the low tonight in the high 20's. We'll see how many die hards brave the inclement weather, for this last day of rodeo action.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 7

Believe it or not, out of the almost 2,000 pictures I've taken since starting the blog 2 years ago, I think this is the first time I've turned the camera around on ourselves. A longer arm might help, but in the absence of a 3rd party, this self portrait turned out OK.

We're getting near the end of the 9 day Tucson Rodeo, and as much as we both enjoy working this event, I'm ready for it to be over. During the years, we've become acquainted with so many people here at the rodeo, that we almost feel like part of the family. When we learned a few months ago, that MainGate had decided to continue the relationship with Tucson, despite the lack of National Finals Rodeo (NFR) merchandise, it not only pleased us, but also the management of the Tucson Rodeo. Apparently, they have tried in the past to do their own official merchandise, but it isn't something they want to do. The company that won the NFR contract, has one or more mobile merchandise trailers that travel to various rodeos around the country. The branding of that merchandise is almost exclusively the P.R.C.A. (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) brand, and very little of the specific rodeo where they are selling. I couldn't agree more with the folks here at the Tucson Rodeo, that the people who attend these rodeos, want the name and year of the rodeo, not the generic PRCA brand on the merchandise. MainGate did a nice job with this years merchandise, expanding the selection in men's, women's, and youth apparel.

I took this photo during yesterday's opening ceremonies while our National Anthem was playing. Almost without exception, everyone stops, removes their hats, and pays respect to our great nation.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that the good weather continues, but the forecast is for increased wind, and much colder starting tonight, with some rain tomorrow. Sales have been pretty good, but cold, windy, rainy weather will most certainly have an adverse affect.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 6

Part of the ladies drill team, leaving the arena after the opening ceremonies for day 6 of the Tucson Rodeo.

Weather wise, it was an almost perfect day for a parade. I shot the below picture of the Parade Marshall's warming up their horses in front of our motor home. The 9am start of the parade caused lots of early activity at the rodeo grounds, well before the sun came up. By 11am, the parade was over, and many of the thousands lining the parade route, filtered into the rodeo grounds. It was the biggest crowd yet, and our best day of selling the official licensed merchandise. We topped last years sales on parade day, and we're hoping that trend continues.

Without the leftover National Finals Rodeo merchandise at bargain prices, we wondered how sales would go this year. So far, we're very close to last years cumulative total, but the profit margins should be higher without all of the NFR merchandise at sale prices.

We have 3 more rodeo days, then we'll high tail it out of here back to Lake Havasu on Monday morning. On Tuesday the boat goes in the water for a month at the Lake Havasu Marina, and later in the week, we'll be heading down to Yuma for the Gypsy Gathering RV Rally. We're looking forward to our busy schedule during the next couple of weeks, particularly the visit from our friend Nancy, who recently retired from her job with Merced County.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 5

The only activity scheduled for day 5 of the Tucson Rodeo was some barrel racing competition yesterday morning. The ladies started turning and burning around the barrels at 10am, and by a little after 11am, they had finished. We stayed open until just about everyone had left the rodeo grounds, and were back at the motor home before noon. It was almost like a day off, and we had some grocery shopping to do. One of Patty's friends tipped her on a hobby store that had quite an inventory of model trains and accessories, so we checked that out before stopping at the market.

Back at the rodeo grounds, we walked over to where the staff had pulled out all of the wagons and carriages, getting them ready for this morning's parade. The museum on the premises, has one of the largest collections of old buggies and wagons in the U.S., and they are all used each year in the parade. Groups of people were starting to decorate the wagons, and it was interesting to check out all of the different shapes, sizes & styles that were made back when the horse was the original horsepower.

This buggy, will carry some of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford's staff during the parade today. I would be willing to bet that it will get quite a bit of attention. It's heartening to hear the incredible progress Gabby is making in her recovery, and such a shame that so many lives were adversely affected by one deranged individual.

These pictures are just a few of the many wagons that will be in the parade today. From where our merchandise trailer is located, we're not very far from the parade route, but we cannot see the actual parade itself. The weather forecast for today through Saturday looks pretty good, then on Sunday, the last day of the rodeo, we might catch a little rain, with much cooler temperatures.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 4

Most of the rodeo competitions such as calf roping, and saddle bronc riding, are direct descendants of actual ranch activities, necessary for the very survival of the family business. Today's rodeo cowboys, at least the professionals who follow the circuit, are more athletic competitors than they are ranch workers. When you sit and watch a person riding a galloping horse, roping a calf, dismounting & tying the calf, all within a matter of a few seconds, you can't help but have an appreciation of the heritage, and skill of the cowboy performing that task.

Yesterday was day 4 of the Tucson Rodeo, and day 2 of the slack competition. As I mentioned previously, in a large rodeo like this, the slack days are necessary for the purpose of eliminating some of the competitors. The crowds are small, and our business is very slow, but if you like to people watch, then we have the perfect vantage point.

I focused the camera on some of the smaller folks, passing by in front of our trailer. This youngster above, was dressed to the hilt in western apparel. He had the hat, western shirt, big belt buckle, a six shooter, boots and spurs. The western, or ranch culture is something that Patty and I have had an opportunity to catch a glimpse of, at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, and here at the Tucson Rodeo. Sure, we've all seen the old western movies, in fact, when I was a 6 or 7 year old, I might have been dressed exactly like the young lad above. One of my early TV heroes was Roy Rogers, along with several other TV & movie cowboys. I'll never forget when my Grandma Alice took me to the Fresno Fair, and I met Duncan Rinaldo, who played the Cisco Kid in an early TV western series.

I don't think there's any part of our society that respects the good old fashioned work ethic any more than these folks, that have to take care of their livestock, and all that goes with running a successful ranch or farm. The rodeos around the country, give us a snapshot into the lives of the people who live this lifestyle. I often think that if everyone in our country had a little more of the western culture in their veins, we wouldn't have such a large segment of society that feels they are entitled to everything, without the work that goes along with it. For us, who have worked retail in our own business, in Alaska, and at racing events around the country, there are no better customers to deal with, than these folks here at the Tucson Rodeo.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 3

While riding the scooter from the motor home to the merchandise trailer, I spotted this trailer in the parking lot. What are the chances of another chance within such close proximity? It appears that Chance works in the front, or in our case, the back of a name. I didn't hear, but I hope that Mr. Kelton had a chance to win some prize money yesterday.

From inside the merchandise trailer, we have a pretty good vantage point of all the action. We can't see inside the arena, but as I mentioned earlier, the horse path goes right by where we are parked. These images are but a small snapshot of what we see on a daily basis, here at the Tucson Rodeo.

I did get over to the arena to watch a little bit of the steer wrestling competition. This photo shows a steer in the lead, as the two fellows on horseback try to catch up. When you watch these guys bailing off a horse at 20-30 mph, trying to wrestle the steer to the ground, you can't help but think, not only are they fearless, but they're also pretty darn good athletes.

Today is the middle day of what is referred to as the three "slack days". I don't know exactly how all of the competition in the different categories works, but the primary purpose of these 3 slack days, is to narrow down the competition. There are hundreds of competitors who can't all be in the actual rodeo performances, so these days are kind of like the preliminaries in other sports.

We don't do a lot of business on these days, but yesterday, we almost doubled what we did on Monday of last year. The general public doesn't routinely attend in large numbers during slack days, but the gates are open, and the bulk of spectators are school children. This rodeo, and the parade (this Thurs.), is a pretty big deal here in Tucson. The schools are closed this Thurs. and Fri., with the parade billed as the largest non-motorized parade in the United States. The wind has calmed down, and the weather forecast looks pretty good for the rest of the week.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 2

Part of the opening ceremonies each day, after the National Anthem, is the performance of the ladies drill team pictured above. Yesterday was breast cancer awareness day, thus the pink shirts.

The wind blew yesterday, but not quite as bad as the day before. What really changed was the temperature. A cold weather system moved into the area, that, combined with the wind, really cooled things down. Another plus was the increased sales of sweatshirts, so cold weather isn't necessarily a bad thing. I wandered over to the grandstands during the saddle bronc event, and took a few pictures of the action, along with a few shots back towards the trailer.

The Tucson Rodeo Stadium seats just under 10,000 people, and as you can see, it's not even half full. As successful as this rodeo is, it would be even better if the folks would come out, and fill all of the seats. We have watched bits and pieces of the rodeo over the years, and it is very entertaining, particularly the marque events like the ladies barrel racing, and the bull riding. The action below is one of the saddle bronc riders.

















When the junior rodeo action starts at 12:30, our sales start to slow down, and when the pro rodeo starts at 2pm, we don't sell much of anything for the next couple of hours. The days action is usually done around 4-4:30, and then we often sell stuff as fast as we can for an hour or so. Yesterday, just as the last bull was being ridden, it started to rain. Not a lot, but enough to cause people to quickly head for their vehicles. As a result, our after rodeo rush, was reduced to a crawl. Some people took shelter under our big trailer doors, and waited for the rain to slow down, but sales suffered. What is often several thousand $ in sales, was reduced to several hundred $, mostly due to the rain. There's always a silver lining with everything, and the one thing the rain did, was reduce the dust, even though it was at the end of the day.












This last picture is one of the new scanners that we're learning to use. After a couple days of sales, I think we're pretty much there with mastering this new technology. One of the neat things this new device does, is it allows us to look up just about any item, and quickly make the sale, even if a bar code is missing. It's also connected to the web, and sends real time information back to Indianapolis. Even though I was a bit skeptical about having to learn a new system, I can now see that this device is light years ahead of the last scanner we used for years.

The next 3 days are called slack days, and even though there is rodeo competition, the public pretty much stays away until this Thursday. That's when the Pro competition resumes, and is also the day of the big parade.

TUCSON RODEO - DAY 1

Patty is busy with the duster, tackling the ever present residue of an outdoor rodeo.

The Tucson Rodeo is the first big rodeo of the season, that takes place in an outdoor arena. The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) is the sanctioning body for the rodeo circuit, and the rodeo season starts in Texas, just before the Tucson Rodeo. The Houston, and San Antonio Rodeos are two of the top 10 in the country, but they take place at indoor arenas. We are told that many of the top contestants look forward to coming to Tucson, because of the large space to compete. The picture below was taken from inside our trailer, where we watch the contestants come and go throughout most of the day. It's an almost constant parade of horses, cowboys and cowgirls, as the path to the arena is right next to our trailer.

This little cowgirl of the future, paused for a picture in front of our trailer.

Yesterday was the first day of competition at the 86th annual Tucson Rodeo. We'll be here through next Sunday when the final performance concludes on the 27th. Except for a lot of wind, our first day went well, with sales slightly less than the first day last year. I think we've rounded the learning curve with the new scanners, but as with any new technology, there's always a period of adjustment. This morning, I'll use the applique machine for the first time, and increase our inventory of Tucson Rodeo merchandise. I watched Jim use the machine when he was here, so hopefully, there won't be any problems. Have I mentioned that stepping out of my comfort zone is getting harder and harder, as I get older. When I was younger, I couldn't wait to learn new stuff, but now, my thought process is a little different. My thinking now is more like if something works, don't mess with it. I think the only person who has a cell phone older than mine is Lori East. Many have urged me to get one of the new smart phones, but my reply is always the same - my phone works fine, and as old as it is, it's still smarter than I am!

The weather forecast is for less wind today, and that's a good thing, because all of these horses stir up a lot of dust. The main problem yesterday, was that the wind was blowing from the southwest, and that was almost directly into our trailer. Today, it should be easier to keep our counter clean.

SET UP DAY

This big trailer will be our workplace for the next 9 days of the 86th annual Tucson Rodeo. I took this photo yesterday morning before we got inside to do the initial inventory, and started setting everything up.

We're glad that MainGate decided to continue partnering with the Tucson Rodeo, despite the fact that they no longer have the contract for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas. In the past, the Tucson Rodeo has been an outlet for much of the left over NFR merchandise, at really good prices for the consumer. For the first time, this big trailer is filled almost exclusively with Tucson Rodeo merchandise, so it will be kind of a test year to see how well we do without the price reduced stuff from the NFR.

We started work a little after 8am with Jim Maxie, our MainGate coordinator. By about 1pm, we had the starting inventory done, the new scanners figured out (hopefully), instructions on the applique machine, and everything put away and organized. After Jim parked the tractor, we had a late lunch at a local restaurant, then dropped him off at the airport. He'll fly back to Tucson on Sunday the 27th, help us get shut down, then drive the rig back to Indianapolis.

This morning the rodeo officially kicks off with the action starting at about 1pm. The crowds start rolling in at 11am, but we open the trailer between 8-9, catching some of the early business.
The weather forecast is calling for a chance of some showers today, and tomorrow. Last year we got a couple days of heavy rain, which made a muddy mess of the arena, and in the area where we park the motor home. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the water stays elsewhere this year.

TUCSON RODEO 2/19 -2/27

We pulled away from the house yesterday around 8:30 am, stopped at the high school to hook up the jeep, then headed south and east toward Tucson, AZ. It's a little over 300 miles from Lake Havasu to Tucson, and we usually make the trip in about 6 hours, with one fuel stop. That fuel stop was at $3.47 a gallon, the most we've paid in several years. With a 130 gallon tank, if we're close to the empty side, it's starting to get expensive to fill up the motor home. This might be a good summer to stay parked at the Grand Canyon, working at the south rim. We still don't know for sure about my bus driving job, but Patty has been offered a job at the grocery store/gift shop. Hopefully, we'll know for sure in a couple of weeks, if that's where we'll be for the summer.

This is where the motor home will be parked for the next 10 days, at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds in Tucson, AZ. I think this is our 6th year working the Tucson Rodeo, but it was touch and go whether it was going to happen this year.

In the past, the majority of the merchandise we have sold in Tucson, has been left over from the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, which takes place in early December. Since the company we contract with (MainGate), doesn't do the NFR any more, we speculated that without that merchandise, MainGate wouldn't want to continue with the Tucson Rodeo. We got the word while we were working the NFR, that MainGate was going to take a trailer to Tucson, and it would be filled with just Tucson Rodeo merchandise. We were a little surprised, but glad, because we enjoy working this rodeo. Over the years, we've gotten to know many of the workers, and volunteers who dedicate their time to the "La Fiesta de los Vaqueros", one of the oldest & largest rodeos in the country. We kind of feel like part of the family, when we return to the rodeo grounds each year.

I hope to capture some of the action on film as the rodeo progresses, but as in the past, we're kind of limited, in that we're mostly confined to our merchandise trailer. It's always kind of exciting when we make our first sale to someone on horseback.

A QUICK VISIT

Sadly, a little over a week ago, we got a phone call from Marc, informing us that Chandra's mom Eloise had passed, and that they would soon be headed for CA. It was just a few short months ago that Chandra unexpectedly lost her dad, and now, she has to deal with the loss of her mom.
To say that this has been a tough period of time would be an understatement.

Yesterday afternoon, Marc, Chandra, and Laila arrived for a brief stopover on their way to CA. Even though the drive from Tucson to Monterey can be made in one very long day, we're always glad when they stop here, and break up the trip into two days. After dinner, we had a chance to visit for awhile, then turned the house over to the kids, before retiring to our other house on wheels for the night.

Marc and Laila putting on funny faces for Grandpa.

They will be leaving this morning to complete the drive to Monterey, and we'll be leaving tomorrow for our 2 weeks in Tucson to work the Rodeo. It's a bit ironic that they have just left Tucson, as we prepare to travel there.

CHP MEMORIES

In early April of 1970, I was working the graveyard shift, and a little after midnight, my partner and I were booking a drunk driver into the L.A. Sheriff's substation in the city of Industry. We were a few hours into our work night, and things were pretty routine up to that point. Before we were finished with the booking process, information started coming from the Deputies, that our department was involved in a shootout. Naturally, we waited anxiously for more details, and before we returned to the patrol car, we learned that 4 of our fellow officers had been shot, but no specifics as to injuries.

When we were back in the car, we picked up bits and pieces off the radio, as to what had happened. The Newhall CHP Office was on a different frequency, and back in those days, we didn't have the ability to tune into other frequencies. As a result, we only learned more details when the dispatcher on our frequency would give us updates. Later, in the morning, our dispatcher made the announcement that all 4 officers were dead, and one of the perpetrators was in custody. A massive manhunt was in progress for the second shooter.

I remember an almost unreal feeling that this wasn't really happening. I was only a few miles away from where this tragedy had occurred, but it felt like it was playing out in a different universe. I don't have any memory of what we did for the rest of the shift, but when we got off work at about 6am, the first thing I did when I got home was to turn on the TV. That's when I watched the L.A. County Sheriff, and our department at a house where the second suspect had barricaded himself inside. When the Sheriff's department eventually entered the house, they found the suspect dead with a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Officers Gore and Frago (ages 23) were in the first car that pulled over Bobby Davis and Jack Twinning. Both had been released from prison within the last year. Even though this was a high risk stop, as a report had indicated that Davis & Twinning had brandished a firearm, the first two officers were taken by surprise. When Officers Pence & Alleyn (ages 24) arrived, both Gore and Frago were already shot. The second shootout ended with Pence & Alleyn being mortally wounded, and only a slight wound to Twinning. It turned out that the two suspects had twice as many weapons as did the 4 Officers. Before other backup units arrived, Davis and Twinning escaped the area on foot. Davis was captured when he tried to steal another vehicle, and Twinning killed himself inside the house he invaded. Davis was convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. A few years later, the Supreme Court overturned all death penalty cases, and in 2009, at 69 years old, Davis committed suicide while in prison.

All four officers had less than 2 years on the job, and were only a year or two older than I. When the investigation was completed, the CHP implemented many changes, not only in enforcement tactics, but several policies and procedures were revamped. In those first months that I was on the job, we used to use 38 caliber wadcutter ammunition at the range. Many of us carried 357 magnum revolvers with magnum ammo. The difference between shooting wadcutters and magnum ammo is like night and day. Three of the four officers shot several rounds of 357 magnum rounds, and never hit the two suspects. The theory was that they didn't practice with magnum ammo, therefore weren't proficient when they had to use it. It wasn't long before we started shooting 38 caliber super hollow point ammunition at the range, and that was the only authorized ammo in either our 38 or 357 revolvers. In early 1970, we weren't allowed to carry speed loaders, and had to rely on reloading each round individually. Officer Pence while already wounded, was attempting to reload his revolver, and as he loaded the 6th round, he was shot point blank in the head by Twinning. Soon after the incident, speed loaders were authorized, and might have saved Pence. There were other changes in enforcement tactics that I won't get into, but suffice it to say, the Academy had a major shakeup in it's curriculum. We began to practice high risk/felony car stops at every monthly training day. Another thing that went away was the paper seal on the shotgun. Prior to the Newhall tragedy, we had to write a memo anytime we removed the shotgun from the electrolock, and broke the paper seal.

The Newhall Massacre was at that time, the deadliest day in CA law enforcement history. Including my academy months, I had only been employed by the CHP, slightly more than a year, and I had already attended funerals and memorial services where 5 CHP Officers had been killed.

A DAY ON THE LAKE

We were up bright and early, ready to enjoy a day on the lake with our boat, and some friends that we were going to pick up later in the day. After gassing up the boat, and picking up a few snacks, we launched the boat at Windsor Beach ramp. We first headed into the London Bridge Channel where the annual remote control boat races were in progress. In the past, we have watched these amazingly fast, little boats zoom around a closed course, with lots of spills, and thrills. We watched for a few minutes, but weren't very close to the action, so we headed across the lake to Havasu Landing, where we cruised into the marina for a closer look. The marina is advertising monthly boat slip rentals for $109, and we're considering it for the month of April. We already have a slip reserved at the Lake Havasu Marina for the month of March, but in April, their summer rates kick in, and the monthly fee jumps up to $480 a month. The big draw back to renting a slip across the lake, is we would have to take the Casino shuttle boat to and from the marina. Not sure if the convenience of having the boat in the water, outweighs the negative of extra time, and having to rely on the Casino ferry boat. It would be an approx. hour and a half drive each way, if we drove over to Havasu Landing, on the CA side of the lake, and I know we're not doing that!

From Havasu Landing, we cruised down the lake about 15 miles to Cat Tail Cove State Park, where we had agreed to pick up our friends Tom and Barbara Westerfield. Tom & Barbara have their motor home parked at the State Park, and just recently became full time RV'ers. Tom was elected President of our Golden Spike RV Chapter last month, and we're hoping that we can participate in a May, Boulder City rally that Tom & Barbara are planning. We spent a little over 3 hours on the water, visiting, and checking out the sightseeing highlights. We cruised under the London Bridge, in between the little boat races, and stopped out in the lake for a light lunch of snacks. When we dropped Tom & Barbara off, back at Cat Tail Cove, it was about 3:30, so we headed back north to the launch ramp.



The picture to the right is our boat parked on the beach at Cat Tail Cove. As the afternoon rolled on, we got some high clouds, but the temps were in the 70's. We were comfortable when stopped, but Patty wore her sweatshirt, and I put on a light jacket when we were cruising on the lake.





The bottom picture is of the remote control boat races, looking south from under the London Bridge.



It was another super day, spent with Tom & Barbara, enjoying the boat, the lake, and the great winter desert weather.

WINTERFEST & A GOOD ENDING

The annual Winterfest weekend started yesterday morning, so we ventured to the downtown area to check it out. The main street through downtown (McCulloch Blvd.) is closed for two days, and hundreds of mostly arts and crafts vendors set up their wares for display, and sale. This picture was taken at the upper end of McCulloch after we walked down to the other end and back. We rarely buy anything, but it was an enjoyable 2 hours, looking at all of the STUFF from hundreds of displays.

We had made arrangements to meet our friends, Len & Ellie Meachum, who had just gotten their motor home back from a lengthy repair job, and were parked at the Emerald Cove RV Resort in Parker. When we arrived, one of their two cats (Ruffles) was sitting on top of the drivers chair, watching his favorite TV Show, Animal Planet - Cats 101. We've never had a dog or cat who watched TV, but Ruffles actually does. He pays particular attention when the cats on the TV make any kind of noise.

Len & Ellie have been displaced from their motor home for several weeks due to cracked frame rails at the rear of the coach. When it was first discovered, the initial diagnosis was that it couldn't be fixed. Fortunately, their friend Ron, owner of D&R Family RV in Glendale, AZ, tackled the job and successfully made the repair. He had to remove everything from the basement, including the holding tanks, to get at the cracked frame. After bolting 4 steel plates over the cracks on the inside and outside of the frame rails, he put it all back together just a couple of days ago, and a once desperate situation had a happy ending. We always enjoy spending time with our buddies who are getting close to once again taking off on their jobs with the Indy Racing League, which has their first race in Saint Petersburg, FL in a few weeks. They also work at a few of the N.H.R.A. drag races during the year.

The weather forecast for light winds today is all we needed as a excuse to launch the boat this morning. We're picking up our friends Tom & Barbara Westerfield, who have their motor home parked at Cat Tail Cove State Park. Should be a good day for a boat ride!

CHP MEMORIES

While I was still on probation (1st year on the job), and working the swing shift, something happened that was very much out of the ordinary. When this work day in late February, 1970 was almost completed, or so I thought, I was in the office finishing the days paperwork, and getting ready to go home. It was around 11pm, when the shift SGT came into the briefing room and told us that we might be working some overtime. Initially the details were sketchy, but it wasn't long before we learned that the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Department had invoked a mutual aid request, due to riots near the University of California at Santa Barbara.

When a police department asks for help, it usually involves adjacent cities, and perhaps the local sheriffs department. When a county sheriff asks for help, depending on the seriousness of the issue, it sometimes involved our department. In my entire career, that only happened a handful of times, but on this particular evening, it was happening for the first time. We were told that the U.C. students were rioting in the Isla Vista community next to the U.C. Campus, and that several buildings were burning. The local police had been overwhelmed, forced out of the area, and the fire department was unable to contain the fires.

Around midnight, about 12-15 of us loaded 3-4 in a car, and it became a code 3 drive to Santa Barbara. Normally, the drive would have taken about 2 hours, but because traffic was light, and we were driving very fast, it didn't take very long for us to arrive in the staging area just outside of Isla Vista, which is north of the City of Santa Barbara. I remember thinking that there were a lot of us there, including officers from surrounding departments. Instead of driving our patrol cars into the troubled area, we loaded into several buses, and started the short drive toward the burning community. It wasn't long before I was surprised at the sound of objects hitting both sides of the bus we were in. The rioters were throwing objects at the buses, and several of the windows in our bus were broken. My defense mechanisms kicked up a few notches as we passed by the burning Bank of America building, still being pelted by rocks, and other projectiles. When we started getting off the buses, we were probably 2-300 strong, and by this time, it was 2-3 in the morning. Our show of strength allowed the fire department to come back in and put out the fires. Evidently, our numbers were enough to cause the crowds to dissipate, or very possibly, the late hour had something to do with it, but the rest of the morning was relatively quiet.

We ended up going to Santa Barbara two more times, but experienced nothing like we did that first night. In fact, other than public demonstrations, the violence, and destruction of property was pretty much limited to February 25th, 1970