South Dakota :: Sunflowers & Cemeteries

Monday, August 22nd - - The Joslin Rendezvous was at an end, everyone departed to return to their respective homes or on to their next destination. Though I was going to go further west, I first had to go east to take Babs back to the airport at Sioux Falls. There were several stops along the way as Babs had Chastain ancestors buried in cemeteries near the towns of Winner and Bonesteel.

This field of sunflowers was on State Road 44 southeast of White River.

And this field was further east, it seemed to go on for ever.

Babs is standing beside the gravesite of one of her relatives in Winner Cemetery. It was a very nice and well-maintained cemetery. In fact, we were both very impressed with the town of Winner itself.

The burial site of her Chastain ancestors in Bonesteel Cemetery. Some are inside the fence and some are outside... it's a long story! I'll just say that Babs has some very interesting ancestors!

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Chaos and Confusion

Sunday, August 21st - - The final event of the day was something called a Wild Horse Race. There were seven or eight teams, which made for a wild melee. The premise was to release the horses from the gate with a long rope about their necks. The teams then had to saddle the wild horse and one rider had to mount it and ride it across the arena and back to the gate.

Sounds simple enough but the execution was nearly impossible. From the git-go the horses were in command - as soon as the gates opened they were dragging men on the ground at the end of their ropes, running every which way. Some were able to get the saddles on right away but as soon as a rider mounted he was thrown off. Some never got their horse saddled. There were a few riders who got on but they didn't stay on very long. Unlike Marlboro Man's Team, no one was able to ride their horse across the arena although one fellow did manage to ride along the perimeter for some distance before being tossed off!

Near the end, the Wild Horses ran around riderless for a few minutes, with riders and teammates chasing them, then the announcer said it was all over. I think we were all a bit relieved, participants and audience members alike!

There were some injuries, hopefully none were serious, but the EMT's were out on the field attending to the fallen riders as we left the arena.

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Bull Riding

Sunday, August 21st - - The “main” event, the one that we waited nearly four hours to see, was the Bull Riding. There was only one rider that was able to go the full time but it was an exciting event, definitely worth waiting around for....

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Mutton Busting and Barrell Racing

Sunday, August 21st - - One of the events for kids (ages 4-7) was called Mutton Busting, which was basically setting a kid on the back of sheep and letting them run. It was quite funny. Some of them barely got out of the gate before falling off but the one below managed to hold on for quite a while and was a real crowd-pleaser.

The Barrel Racing event allowed the women to show off their riding ability as well as the speed and agility of their beautiful horses.

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Steer Wrestling

Sunday, August 21st - - Some had better luck than others...

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Bronc Riding

Sunday, August 21st - - After attending a community church service (very interesting mix of speakers), a pot luck dinner (good food), and driving along nearly every street in town looking for the “birthing house” where Ruth, Jim and George were born (we didn't have an address but did have a picture of the house, which was eventually located), we went to the Rodeo.

For many of the Joslin Clan, this was their first Rodeo. I had been to several but never to a “full-blown real” rodeo. It was a lot of fun but lasted much longer than any of us thought it would – more than four hours! And because it was so long and so much was going on, there will be several posts covering the activities, and probably two posts a day for the next few days – with LOTS of photos! For me, part of the fun was in trying to capture some decent images that showed the action and the excitement.

These next four pictures are of the same horse and rider. The horse went down but the rider stayed with him... incredible ability and athleticism on the part of both the rider and the horse!

Amazing!

It's a Parade!

Saturday, August 20th - - There were numerous activities in Mellette County, South Dakota this week for their Centennial Celebration and annual Pioneer Days but today was the “big parade” in White River, the county seat, population 580 or thereabouts.

The Parade began with the American Legion Color Guard and the Community Band (on the float behind them) playing the National Anthem.

Of course, Horses were a big part of the parade. A little “artistic license” taken here with selective focus and sepia toning...

This four-horse team was quite impressive.

The “Centennial Christmas Tree” was decorated with sunflowers, amongst other things. The fields of Sunflowers in the area were so pretty and colorful.

Of course, there was some clowning around.

This gal was having way too much fun! I tried hard to get a full face photo of her but she was just moving around too quickly.

Quite the colorful character!

The parade was enjoyed by all. The threat of rain in the morning did not dampen spirits - the voice over the loudspeaker announced that we were part of the largest crowd ever in White River!