cattle drive

I like living in Paso Robles. This place is a nice place to live. Nothing much happens here. The parks and library and pools are nice. The Rec Department is very well organized and has something for everyone. The streets are well-maintained. There isn't much traffic, crime, or other general yuckiness. In fact, the billboard outside of town pronounces Paso to be "Darn Near Paradise". One of the things that makes Paso really nice is all of the beautiful vineyards surrounding the area. We like to think of ourselves as a little Napa Valley. But just when you think Paso Robles is starting to get a little sophisticated the fair rolls into town to remind you that it's still a cow town deep down!

Today marks the beginning of the fair, and to kick things off there is a cattle drive to the fairgrounds. Last year the kids and I got caught in the middle of it as we unknowingly drove up the wrong street. We pulled over to watch the cowboys keep the cows contained. Although there were more riders than cows, there were still a few cows that got away to chew up the landscaping along the side of the road. The kids and I sat securely behind the doors of our Korean-made car, confident that a longhorn could not possibly penetrate our vehicle! Well, this year I decided to be prepared and drove over to church early so that we could watch from the safety of God's parking lot. As you can see there were more riders than cows again, in fact it was difficult to even see the cows! It was a very uneventful parade of horse-drawn covered wagons, cowboys and cows. Until this guy drove through...

And then they went and saved the best for last...
(sorry, picture won't upload)
The awesome thing for a 6 year old boy is to watch horse poop swept up off the street.... but it's even better when it gets smeared across the road by mistake!