AUGUST 27, 2022
Only two adventures planned for today. The first, is more my thing than anyone else but they went along for the ride. The Four Amigos went to Hill City for the 10th Annual Hill City Wine, Brew, & BBQ. It was a two day event and today was when you could purchase a ticket ($20) to sample several competitor’s ribs. That started at 11:00 AM. We got there just a little before 11 and they were already sold out. Needless to say I was disappointed.
So we went to the ticket booth and purchased a wrist band so that we could get to the beer tent. They had 24 different selections from most of the local brewers. They had my favorite, Sturgis Brewing Black Hills Blond. But I opted for the Lost Cabin Hefeweizen. It was delicious. I’ll have to go to their taproom for some more tasting. There was live music throughout the event. Was really nice.
There were also a couple of food vendors on site so we didn’t go hungry. Nancy and I shared a plate of pulled pork, brisket, cowboy beans, smoked mac and cheese, and cole slaw. It was absolutely wonderful. We shared a plate as we had purchased tokens for the People’s Choice KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society). There was a lot to sample (each token gets you a sample and we had 10 tokens between us) Then you also had a blue ticket that you would put in the bucket at the pit master where you thought was the best. Nancy and I roamed together and where we could we would get something different. We tried ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and even chicken. It is up to the pit master what they will smoke. Didn’t have a bad taste all day. Ultimately Nancy and I both voted for the pit master that had the brisket. Great flavor, great smoke, tender, and very juicy. We left full.
We went home for a few hours and then we were going to go toward Keystone to the Mount Rushmore Rodeo at Palmer Gulch. This was the last one of the season. The best part, it is free thanks to the VIP Pass. We all cooled off in our air conditioning. Belinda and Kathy opted not to go as the heat of the day beat them down. I was find either way so I left it up to Nancy. So off we headed to the rodeo. We checked the weather and no rain in the forecast and a temperature of upper 60s. We only stayed for the first three quarters of the event as the temperature dropped down into the lower 60s. We were not prepared. Need to get better at that! We did get to see a little of each event being held. It was pretty cool. Mostly local cowboys and cowgirls but some came from Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana. The events were Bareback Bronc Riding, Ladies Barrel Racing, Youth Barrel Racing, Ranch Bronc, Breakaway Roping, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding. I think around midway through the show they had a Kids Boot Race. This is where the children go out into the arena. They take off one shoe and put it into a side by side with a dump bed. The shoes are driven to the middle of the arena and dumped and spread out. Then on the command, the children are supposed to go find there shoe, put it on, and race back to the start line. The winner got a free T-shirt and each contestant got a wooden nickel good for a free scoop of ice cream. Was pretty cool. Both figuratively and literally.
