Tomorrow, the “Daddy of ‘Em All” begins with the first of nine nights of rodeo. Tonight, I went down to the fairgrounds to check things out and test the powers of my shiny new media badge. The place was jam-packed with concertgoers lining up for the Sheryl Crow/Kid Rock show, so it was a challenge to navigate the crowd. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping–so here are just a few of the Western wares available in Wild Horse Gulch:Of course you can buy all kinds of boots…And just about anything Western. Here’s a chuckwagon for sale, just in time for the Frontier Days Chuckwagon Cookoff.

And these goat jaws are a real bargain!The Subaru took some hail damage last week, but this section of the parking lot reminded me that I’m a lot better off than I would have been a hundred years ago. At least my buggy has the horsepower built in!Stay tuned for tomorrow night’s post–if I’m still standing after a day at the rodeo in the record-breaking heat, I should have some adventures and lots of cowboy pictures to share.