I've mentioned how my job during the whole 10-day event is to help manage media. I am assigned primarily to a videography team that is doing a sort-of documentary on CFD (Cheyenne Frontier Days). He has to get in to all the nooks and crannies of every part of the event, which means I get to also.
Yesterday morning was the first big parade - which happens to go right in front of my house. As I walked back from the grocery store there were pioneer women, mountain men, cowboys and girls, old-time sheriffs, and all sorts of other characters shuffling past my place to get in position for the parade.
After a scattered morning trying to run down some photo release forms, I finally caught up with the crew at the historic Depot down town for the arrival of the Denver Post train.
The DP train ran from 1908 to 1970 bringing people up to Cheyenne for the "Daddy of 'em All." The round-trip ride includes food, drinks, and a day at the rodeo.
It was neat to see the hundreds of people streaming out of the yellow cars to be greeted by a band playing and the museum director telling each person, "Welcome to Cheyenne!"
After that it was up to Frontier Park for the rodeo. Our team was right down on the arena fence by the chutes, which made for some exciting rodeo, and some cool pictures.
One bronc buster got busted himself when his horse jumped straight up in the air, flipped on its side, and landed square on the cowboy. He was carried off on a stretcher.
I was down there all day, marking times for cool shots the cameraman wanted to remember and find easily.
Afterwards, it was back to the CFD Public Relations House for a beer (ok, two), and a snack because I hadn't eaten most of the day.
Tomorrow we do it all over again, but I have yet to find out my assignment.
Some pictures from the day:
The Denver Post train rolling in...
A barrel racer rounding one of three barrels she must fly around...
Our proximity to the chutes. The guy with the hat on the right is our cameraman...
Just some cowboys...
A horse in a chute giving me the evil eye...
Cowboys riding past "the pit" where still photographers can go to get those awesome action shots. Once you're in the pit, though, there's no coming out until the end of the rodeo. Don't drink too much coffee before going in!
This picture kind of cracked me up:
Those are cool pictures, makes me want to move right back now! Man oh man I miss this! When I showed the boys the first pictures of the cattle drive, Owen said "I'm a Wyoming Cowboy" cause he knows he was born there, but then he said he was going to be a cowboy when he grows up. That'd be cool.
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