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PBS - National Parks

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
A great GREAT Program on TV
The National Parks of the United Stated

I am lucky to have Lived So Much Yet Seen So Little
Ohio to California - Pre War 39
California to Ohio by "Zephyr" 1944 - with mother - Dad in Army
Ohio to California 1946 by car - over One Lane "Toga Pass" (with turn outs for passing - up & down traffic - Backing-up to get past lumber trucks - Shear Cliffs - Hiding on the floor of the back-set) down into Yosemite (arrived at night in the valley)
Camp Curry that night - recall dad saying as he looked at massive clouds over head - Must Be Going To Rain
In the AM discovered "Massive Clouds" to be the Valley Cliffs
Toured Alaska USAF 58 to 60, before it was a state in 59
Worked Part Time as a Hunting Guide/Packer Alaska 58/60
Co-Judged the Horse Show @ Alaska's First State Fair 59
Roped Wild Horses and Borrows in the late 50's Arizona, early 60's Saline Valley & China Lake (when it was legal)
Rode my horse through "Black Hawk Canyon" Arizona "57"
Instrumental in working with CHP, producing a ride (50 to 60 horsemen+ a Covered Wagon + Radio KEEN inside, down High-way 101 from San Jose to SJB Rodeo. US 101 South Bound traffic directed around us - US 101 was 3 lane - CHP made it 2 lane around Horses
A New Old Friend rode his horse from the East Coast to San Francisco - after quite a fight - CHP Closed down the Golden Gate Bridge and US 101 so Justin-Little-Bit could finish his Horse Ride into SF
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
OldDog/NewTricks said:
A great GREAT Program on TV
The National Parks of the United Stated

I am lucky to have Lived So Much Yet Seen So Little
Ohio to California - Pre War 39
California to Ohio by "Zephyr" 1944 - with mother - Dad in Army
Ohio to California 1946 by car - over One Lane "Toga Pass" (with turn outs for passing - up & down traffic - Backing-up to get past lumber trucks - Shear Cliffs - Hiding on the floor of the back-set) down into Yosemite (arrived at night in the valley)
Camp Curry that night - recall dad saying as he looked at massive clouds over head - Must Be Going To Rain
In the AM discovered "Massive Clouds" to be the Valley Cliffs
Toured Alaska USAF 58 to 60, before it was a state in 59
Worked Part Time as a Hunting Guide/Packer Alaska 58/60
Co-Judged the Horse Show @ Alaska's First State Fair 59
Roped Wild Horses and Borrows in the late 50's Arizona, early 60's Saline Valley & China Lake (when it was legal)
Rode my horse through "Black Hawk Canyon" Arizona "57"
Instrumental in working with CHP, producing a ride (50 to 60 horsemen+ a Covered Wagon + Radio KEEN inside, down High-way 101 from San Jose to SJB Rodeo. US 101 South Bound traffic directed around us - US 101 was 3 lane - CHP made it 2 lane around Horses
A New Old Friend rode his horse from the East Coast to San Francisco - after quite a fight - CHP Closed down the Golden Gate Bridge and US 101 so Justin-Little-Bit could finish his Horse Ride into SF

Sounds like you have lived a very interesting life, OldDog/NewTricks. You should make some recordings so someone could write up your life story. It would be a best seller, I am sure. Go for it now, while you can still remember all the details. Put my name on the list of those who would buy a copy.
 

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
I don't know how I always managed to slip through the Cracks and come out smelling like a Cowboy.

USAF - In route from Lowry AF Schooling to Yuma AFB - I had 30 days leave time at home - I found out that "Bruce Church Ranches" out of Salinas, Ca. was setting-up a Brangus Show String at the Yuma Ranch for the Yuma Co. Fair.

Bored with Leave - I got hired to help set-up the S.S. and left for Yuma.
At a Fair Roping (on a ranch horse) I was teamed-up with another Half-Fast cowboy. Talking with him it came out that I was AF and how I liked it (NT)
He turned out to be Col. Baldwin - Base Commander at Vincent AFB

I reported in Monday - Tuesday a Staff Car picked me up and the Col. gave me a personal tour of the On-Base Dude String and His Personal Horses.

I guess it should be said that a full complement of men in our section was 18 men - we had more than 30 - our VIP's were more than happy to have Airmen find outside Busy Time...
Besides with my connections I could get extras for my section.

Back to the Dude String - we always were in need of Horses :wink: so we had to go-out-on the Desert Floor and catch Wild Ones around Gila, Arizona. and of course that took Helicopters and a Diesel Horse Van that was also useful for our Base Cowboy Polo Team to do USAF Public Relation around Arizona
 

per

Well-known member
Old Dog, you are one of those guys that I could sit a listen to all day long but never have anything to say afterward because there is so much food for thought. :shock: I would come back tomorrow too. :)
 

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
Re-written Old Story
Owning Up
The Scene:
In 1956 I was 17 years old
The Gilroy Mayer, George Millas, had put me in charge of the Barns at the Gilroy Gymkhana Rodeo Arena – as I recall 0 box stalls all the rest Tie Stalls.

Gymkhana Time
Some Ass-0 insisted he get a box stall – I told him all the stall were taken – He was not happy to say the least.

When the Rodeo started he and 2 of his friends caught me in the barn and Beat-the Hell-out-a me.

Local Old Time Cattlemen saw-to-it that I was cleaned up at Rodeo First Ad.

Later that same day I was a Horseback working turn-back at the Wild Horse Race – here was that same cowboy in one Race Crew and he flipped me off.

I had a rope in hand – ¿what would you?

I caught him around the knees (was trying for his neck) – dally up and drug him 2/3’s of the way around the Track and out the gate on-to the Black Top rode where I cut my rope loose.

Later in the barns the Police questioned my banged-up looks.
It was Cattleman George Stovall or Horseman Charley Maggini who said, “It’s a Rodeo!”

Funny – out of a Grandstand and Arena full of people No One Could Identify the Roper.
 

OldDog/NewTricks

Well-known member
In the 50's it was known around the rodeo circuit that if you could make it to Las Vegas or Reno with 3 or 4 friends in a club - act drunk and get loud when/if you made a pass you could walk-a-way with $300 t0 $500 - more than that and you would loose it all
 
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