Scout’s Cowboy Action Shooting Travels

[Dapper Dave]

I understand,  sir,  it just would be nice for a setup like that locally. 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

27 minutes ago, Dapper Dave said:

I understand,  sir,  it just would be nice for a setup like that locally. 

 

Have you shot at Cowtown in Peoria?

[Dapper Dave]

No, I haven't. The only matches I've shot have been at Rio Salado. 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I've shot at Rio Salado.  Nice range and nice people.  I've shot at Cowtown and Ben Avery too.  There is plenty of CAS in the Valley besides Rio Salado.  Cowtown has permanent props and targets.  I'd try to shoot at Casa Grande too if I lived where you live.

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Just got done with Peace in the Valley the ND/SD state championships held in North Dakota.  Had the pleasure of meeting and shooting with retired Architect @watab kid and want to make sure he and soon to be retired Architect @T-Square get to converse with each other. Here is a photo of us at the match today.  T-Square  posted a photo of us at Georgia State earlier in this thread.

Edited June 15, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[T-Square]

Awesome !  and thanks for including me on this connection of great Architects !!

I really didn't need a reason to go shoot in ND/SD, but now I need to get there next year !

Look forward to meeting you @watab kid

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

12 minutes ago, T-Square said:

Awesome !  and thanks for including me on this connection of great Architects !!

I really didn't need a reason to go shoot in ND/SD, but now I need to get there next year !

Look forward to meeting you @watab kid

Hey T-Square

Are you going to shoot the Montana State Champions next Month?  
 

BTW Watab Kid lives in Minnesota 

Scout

Edited June 16, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[watab kid]

2 hours ago, T-Square said:

Awesome !  and thanks for including me on this connection of great Architects !!

I really didn't need a reason to go shoot in ND/SD, but now I need to get there next year !

Look forward to meeting you @watab kid

i look forward to meeting you , T-square , be sure to request to be on the same posse when you sign up , CS and i were on the same one this year and had a great time in spite of the weather , IMHO we had one of the best posse's ive ever had the fortune to be a part of , not that there were any that were ever bad , this one was exceptional , all great people , 

 

hopefully we will get a little nicer weather when you come , CS and i did discuss you a bit , he indicated we all had things in common , im looking forward to sharing experiences , 

 

that photo sorta shows the weather but both of us were smiling on the great time we had in spite of our worn out end of the day look and the dreary sky , oh and the temps were chilly but we all had fun , 

BTW CS , ive PM'd some of the conversation we missed because of the weather , ill continue as we exchange , im interested in your military collection and will add to what ive told you there , , 

Edited June 16, 2025 by watab kid

[T-Square]

@watab kid - looking forward to our new friendship

@Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L not going to make the Montana State match this year.  My son, who lives in Bozeman, is coming home (of all the weekends !!!) for a wedding of a college friend.

We've been so busy, with our new MAGA administration, optimism  is abound, and we're working hard and fast to squirrel that $$$ away for 2026 !!  But I am taking the time to go to Fire & Brimstone in August !

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Got back home from my North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska trip yesterday Sunday June 22nd and drove 4,685 miles through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska plus toured Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial and Deadwood (in SD), Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Medora (in ND), Fort Robinson (where Crazy Horse was killed in captivity) and the Museum of Fur Trade (in NE).  Two days to Eastern SD, one day at the match, one day to Western SD, two days at afore mentioned sites, one day to Eastern ND, 3 days at ND/SD state match, one day to Western ND and 1-1/2 days at afore mentioned sites, one day to Northwest NE, one day at afore mentioned sites, one day to Eastern NE, one day at match and then one day to get back home in TX.  Eastern SD, ND and NE are in Central Time Zone and Western SD, ND and NE are in Mountain Time Zone.  So I crossed back and forth between time zones 4 times.  The last day home was the longest travel day, I left my motel in Eastern NE at 7:30 am and got home in TX at 7:30 pm (12 hour trip with the stops).  For those wondering about Iowa and Missouri a great N/S route is I-29 which runs through both those states just East of NE.

 

Today I've washed clothes, put away firearms, polished brass (and I'm not through yet), paid bills, downloaded all my photos (and there are a lot).  Tomorrow I will be polishing brass and making reservations for my next trip to WA, OR and MT which I leave next week on Wednesday July 2nd.  I have already shot in Montana but their state match is the weekend after the annual I am shooting in OR so I decided to shoot it while I am up there.  Later this week I have to do more loading for these upcoming matches and sometime get around to posting photos and info from this trip.  You will just have to wait until then to see photos and info on the places I have mentioned that I went to.  That is all for now, hopefully the rest of the update by this coming weekend. 

Scout 

 

Edited June 24, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cemetery]

@Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L looking forward to reading about your travels and exploits in the PNW, that is one area i hope to travel to for some matches one day.

[watab kid]

travel safe my friend , hope you visit here again , we have some historic sites worth a visit - just sayin , 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Well I did not get it posted this weekend but I worked on the sequence and photos yesterday afternoon and this morning.  I leave tomorrow morning so must get done today.  Please bear with me as this will take a while and there are LOTS of photos and more that I will not be posting.

 

Let's start with my match in South Dakota with the Cottonwood Cowboy Association located near Clark in eastern SD.  They start at noon because some folks have to drive a long way to get there.  The weather was nice but it was WINDY blowing in from the north towards the shooting bays.  I had to move my stampede string to the front under my chin to keep my hat on.  Some of the shooters just left their's in the car.  Almost needed to lean into the wind.  Here are some photos of the range, that is on private property next to the owner's house (a cowboy shooter).

 

We shot six stages for the match

 

Then we shot a bonus seventh stage for fun

 

This guy was hanging out inside stage 5

 

Here is a Posse photo of those that shot the match

 

I had a great time and a bunch of these fine folks were also going to be at the ND/SD State Match the following weekend.  That completes my SD match and it becomes my 33rd different state to shoot Cowboy Action.  Now to travel to western SD stopping at Rapid City as my base for sightseeing. 

Edited July 1, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Dogmeat Dad, SASS #48563L]

Thank you for continuing to post your travels here!  I love reading about the different clubs, and their matches, and about the surrounding battlefields and parks you visit.

 

Holli and I just returned from the VA State BP Championship, Smoke on the Mattaponi, in West Point, VA.  When we headed out of town, we went south through Yorktown and drove right past the Revolutionary War Museum in Yorktown, VA, and I immediately thought of you.  I had no idea it was even there until I saw it.  Next year, I think I will add a visit to that museum to the schedule! 

 

Keep safe on the road and hopefully we can catch up again at the VA State Championship!

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

This was a SD travel stop on the way west 

 

First day was morning up to late lunch at Mount Rushmore and then a 30 minute drive to Crazy Horse Memorial up to an early dinner then back to Mount Rushmore of the evening lighting ceremony.  LONG day be very enjoyable.  Let's start with Mount Rushmore.

 

I did the audio tour which consisted of renting a device that I could punch in numbers and listen to descriptions along the way.  If you ever go DO THIS!!!  The lady also recommended I follow it in order because the first part is fairly level and the last part has MANY steps that I would be going down.  Later I did see folks who who went the other way haveing a hard time going UP all those steps.

 

List of all the people who worked on the project construction which took from 1927 to 1941

 

Time line for the project

 

 

Now as I start the walking tour

Texas Flag

Me

 

The visitor center below at the upper part of the amphitheatre

 

As it looked prior to the start of the project

 

Working on the project

 

They did have a small theater with showing a video on the construction of Mount Rushmore

 

Construction

 

Now back outside an on with the walking tour along the Presidential Trail

 

Here is the start of those stairs going down (you really do not want to come up those - but some people did)

 

Looking back at the visitor center and amphitheatre

 

More stairs down

 

Looking back up the stairs from the bottom near the Scultor's Studio

 

Sculptor's Studio, back up from here

 

This was his 3rd and final studio during the project

 

The construction process

 

Just a short distance up some stairs is the location of his 2nd studio and the view from there

 

Back at the gift shop where I had to get a mug for my collection

 

Then a late lunch 

 

Note the light fixtures

 

Outside eating area

 

I then went over to the Crazy Horse Memorial for the afternoon but came back here for the evening lighting ceremony.

 

They played a video to start

 

Then the Lighting of the Mountain

 

At the end they had all Military Veterans and Active Duty come down on stage for the closing

 

 

Then got several volunteers to help with the flag lowing - Very Awsome Ceremony!!

 

Edited July 1, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Now for Crazy Horse Memorial which was a 30 minute drive from Mount Rushmore.

 

I did the bus trip that took us closer to the site

 

Inside they have two theaters where they show a video of the history of the project, I started there after the bus. Inside there are many displays of American Indian Artifacts,  many photos not posted.

 

Then on to a program outside within the complex, this one done by a Mother and Daughter team

 

The restaurant where I later had dinner before heading back to Mount Rushmore.

 

More exhibits in the buildings beyond

 

 

The Envisioned Campus

 

The exisitng Vistor Center

 

Father with Son's dancing program

 

How it all started

 

Battle of Little Big Horn participants

 

 

Oh and I had to get a mug from the gift shop

 

Early dinner before heading back to Mount Rushmore

Edited July 1, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Eyesa Horg]

Absolutely awesome Scout. Thanks again for sharing your travels. 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

The following day I spent in Deadwood SD which was about an hours drive west on I-90 which took me past Sturgis.  Parked and started at the Welcome Center.

 

Then walked to the 76 Museum and Events Arena

 

Sign on the way

 

 

Main Level

 

 

Gun Collection

 

Lower Level

 

Events Arena

 

Walked back to the Welcome Center and then walked across the street into town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I walked over to one of the establishments on main street for a program about Wild Bill and his murder

 

After telling about Wild Bill he got 4 people from the audiance to participate

 

Then went and had a late lunch across the street at one of the many places serving food.  From there walked back to my car at the vistor center and drove to the mine for a tour.

 

Then drove back into town and up on top the hill to the cemetery

 

The two main graves that get the most attention are Wild Bill and Calamity Jane

 

 

 

Trees now cover most of the town from view at this location on the edge of the cemetery

 

Then left town and just outside town made my last stop at Tatanka "Story of the Bison"

 

Inside

 

Outside

 

These figures depicting a Bison Hunt are Awsome

 

This ends my trip to Deadwood so I went back to Rapid City and the following day drove north into ND and then east to shoot the ND/SD state championship.

Edited July 1, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Next was the North Dakota/South Dakota State Championships "Peace in the Valley" hosted by the Sheyenne Valley Peackeepers near Enderlin ND.

 

Long Range

 

The range

 

Warm up and side match day

 

Stages and loading/unloading tables

 

Opening Ceremony

 

Posse 7 on day one of the main match before we started, our first stage was 10

 

Already posted this photo of Watab Kid and I on day two.

 

Dinner Saturday night, everyone cooked their own steak

 

Then got everthing else insde before sitting down to eat

 

Awards on Sunday after lunch

 

I managed to place first in Senior Classic Cowboy and 2nd overall within the Classics.

 

Here is a photo of all the Classic's that shot the match, 3 Classic Cowboys (back row) and 3 Senior Classic Cowboys (front row)

 

They have a beautiful facility and put on a wonderful event.  I had a Great time and this is now my 34th different state to shoot Cowboy Action.  The following day I traveled west again to do some sightseeing in ND this time.

 

Think I will take a break to eat dinner before getting back to posting tonight. 

 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

On Monday after the match I headed west towards Madora ND and stopped on the way at the ND Lewis and Clark Interprative Center north of Bismark about 2-1/2 hours from where I was staying for the match.

 

About a 20 minute drive from the Interpretive Center is the replica of Fort Mandan and its visitor center

 

Inside

 

Outside where I took the guided tour

 

Back at the Center inside the expedition in chronological oder

 

Years later another expedition led by Prince Maximilian followed the same route of Lewis and Clark

 

 

The Sheldon Gallery

 

The Bergeson Gallery

 

Now on to Madora for a dinner and show this same evening.

Edited July 2, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Yul Lose]

An epic adventure and first class documentation, thank you Scout.

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Monday night I had a reservation for The Teddy Roosevelt Show and Buffet Dinner in Madora ND that I walked to from my Motel.

 

Tuesday I spent all day doing things in Madora which was a short walk from my motel. 

 

The Town 

 

Signs around town

 

The ND Cowboy Museum

 

Rodeo in ND

 

And of course some western firearms

 

 

Up stairs ND Cowboy Hall of Fame

 

Bronzes Everywhere

 

After eating lunch I went to the "T.R. - The Strenuous Life" show in the Old Town Theater done by a different person than Saturday night.

 

About an hour later I did a walking guided tour tiltled "Footsteps into Medora's Past" and it was led by the same person who did the TR show I had just seen.  Turns out I was the only one who purchased tickets for that time slot so I got a one on one tour and conversation with him for about an hour.  Pretty Cool, he is retired Air Force living in Colorado and doing this for a summer get away job to have fun.

 

That evening I attended the Medora Musical and before also did the "Behind he Scenes Tour" both were amazing.  Up on the same hilltop where the musical is located is the location where the new Theadore Roosevelt Presidential Library is under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2026.  Here are a couple links to their website 

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

The Design — Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

And here are a couple photos of the costruction site from the parking lot for the Musical.

 

 

Food venue that shares the same parking lot

 

At the elevator for the behind the scenes tour one hour before the show starts - Anniversary Year

Most will arrive via the escalator once the doors open to start filling the seats

The sound control board

Backstage

Backstage

Our tour guide in the shorts

He took this photo for me

The buildings are on rails and move as part of the production

The main dressing rooms are below the stage accessed by stairs at both ends although the buildings do have changing rooms used during the show - we got to briefly meet some of the main performers

There are horses as part of the show

 

With the tour done we went to our assigned seats for the show and I picked up a program

View from my seat

The band

The Opening

The Musical Begins

At one point in the show they invite all the kids in the audiance to come down on stage

The show continues

Darkness is setting in

The Closing

 

All the performers came up through the crowd before we were release to leave and had a greeting line as we made our way to the escalator to go up to the parking lot.  The show was Fantastic!!!

 

Got back to my room late and did not stop and eat dinner that night.  The next day Wednesday after breakfast I headed south into western Nebraska for my next stop and some more sightseeing.

 

Edited July 2, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Boy this is taking longer than I thought it would.  It's already 11 PM and I have not packed or loaded the car yet. 

 

Stopped in a little town called Chadron NE.  Thursday visited the Museum of the Fur Trade which is about 15 min east of town.

 

Outside behind the building is the location of the original Trading Post that has been recreated

 

Well I am stopping my posting here as I have to pack and load the car to leave in the morning for my next trip to Washington, Oregon and Montana.  The rest of my Nebraska trip will have to wait until I get back home in about 3 weeks.  So you will just have to have a little more patience.   

Edited July 2, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[watab kid]

you missed some greatt sites - one in Iowa and into Minnesota that was a major e player in the Indian wars and the badlands , both worth seeing but another trip would be fun some day maybe ? i hope you keep posting to this its been an adventure , my wife and i mirrored your deadwood and rushmore excursion as our niece was performing in thee custer theater productions last year , so much to see and do and what a great area to camp in , 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Well just wanted to let you know I made it back home this evening July 23rd from my trip to Washington, Oregon and Montana.  Drove 5,410 miles through 10 states and was gone 3 weeks and 1 day.  Three days to get to Washington, three days in Washington, one day to get Oregon, five days in Oregon, one day to get to Montana, six days in Montana and then three days to get back home.  Will work on finishing my Nebraska trip posting before posting about this trip. 

 

Will be home approximately three weeks before I leave again to travel to Jerome ID to shoot the Northwest Regional Championship.  That should give me enough time to complete the travel updates before leaving again. 

[watab kid]

glad you ,made it safely home , travel safe on this next excursion , im headed to wisconsin in about a month to shoot and southern il =linois to fish in two months , but ill follow your travels here 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

OK back to my Nebraska trip and the Museum of the Fur Trade where I left off. 

 

But first I got these two items in the mail for participating in the 2025 Manificent 7 Southeast Open where I competed in 3 of the 7 state matches (NC, AL, GA).  The pin is a particpation pin and the Heartless Speed Lever for SKB shotguns was the door prize I won and it was donated to the M7 event by Scarlett.

 

Here is the layout of the Museum again for reference

 

I started with a great video that covered the history of the Fur Trade in North America and then went outside and have already posted photos of those exhibits.  They had an audio tour that I was able to access with my iPhone and leitened to it via ear buds while I toured outised and inside.  Much better than trying to read all the information signs.  Inside there is the Main exhibit hall, the Voyages exhibit hall, the Textile and Beadwork exhibit hall and the Firearms collection hall. 

 

These are some photos of the main hall. Not going to post all the photos I took of this hall.

 

Here are some photos from the voyagers hall.  Not going to post all the photos I took of this hall.

 

Here are some photos from the Textile and Beadwork hall.  Not going to post all the photos I took of this hall.

 

Here are some photos from the firearms collection hall.  Not going to post all the photos I took of this hall.

 

That concludes the Museum of the Fur Trade in the morning.  From here I went back to Chadron for lunch.

 

 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Well I was part way through my story on Fort Robinson and it is now gone and I will have to start over.  

So I am stopping for lunch and will start again. 

[Will Kane]

Hey, Scout! Thanks for sharing all the great photos with us! Your photos of Mount Rushmore are outstanding.

As I was scrolling down the thread, I started thinking back to when many of us were kids and how the grown-ups back then would have spent a small fortune on Kodachrome slides on travels like these. A slide presentation (with narration) of this magnitude would have to have been serialized over several get-togethers. 😊

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Ok let's try this again.  After lunch in Charon I went to Fort Robinson which was about 30 minutes west of town.  It is also a state park with lots of camping spots and many trails.

 

This is the building that houses the offices to get your camping spots.  It is an barrecks building from 1909.

 

Went to the information booth first and got my printed maps and information literature which is when I found that they had tours but only in the mornings, so I should have come here first and done the Fur Trade museum in the afternoon.  So I started at the Museum which was originally the Post HQ in 1905.  

 

They had a video that went over a brief hiostory of the Fort which started as a Camp before becoming a Fort.  Oringinal history exhibits are on the first floor and on the second one side covers the Indian War time period and the other side covers up to when it was a POW camp during WW2.  This is a time line of the Camp/Fort from 1868 to 1972.

 

 

This is the original location of the Camp and where the first buildings were constructed.

 

This is a recreation of the Barracks

 

 

So as not to loose this again I will save it now and continue.

Edited July 30, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

 

This is the location of the new Fort and buildings

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

 

1900 to 1948

 

Photos of those same destinctive hills in the background taken from my car as I was leaving the site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This concluded my tours in Northwest Nebraska before heading East to shoot with the Cowboy club within the Eastern Nebraska Gun Club.

Edited July 29, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

Took me a day to drive from Northwest NE to East NE crossing the time zone one more time.  The monthly match was Saturday held by the Eastern Nebraska Shootist at the Eastern Nebraska Gun Club located south of Louisville.

 

Once you get to the main gate is takes a while to get back to the club.

 

This is a layout of the club

 

Although the cowboy club once had a larger group shooting with them and used 3 of the action pistol bays they now only use bay number 5 at the far left side of this layout and have one posse.  As I understand it the main club is now run by the long range rifle and action black gun groups as they bring in a lot more money than the cowboys.

 

They set up steel in one bay and shot 6 different stages - after the first 3 one each of the pistol and rifle targets were removed and the left table and 2 shotgun targets were not used for the last 3 stages.  The shotgun targets moved when shot but reset themselves so nobody had to go down range to reset them.  The small farther away white target was a bonus target on one of the last 3 stages.

 

This is a photo of the shooters this day.  Two had to come a long way and got there as were just finishing the first stage.  Due to the projected hot temperature they started the match 30 minutes earlier than normal.  They also relaxed the dress due to the heat so I did not wear my chaps.  Was not really hot for me. 

 

The match director corresponded with me mutiple times and once asked me what caliber I shot in my rifles and pistols so I told him 38-40.  When I got there and was getting my stuff out of the car and they were setting up one of the members came over and asked to see one of my rounds so I gave him one and he took it off the his truck and then brought it back.  I had no idea why and then I found out before we started they presented my with this loading block.

 

He wanted to check and make sure the round fit in the holes he had made in the loading block.  I did not use the block at the match becuase I had a routine BUT have used it at every match since then.  This was a very nice gift that I am proud to use and show off.  After the match I went to lunch with most of the group at a local Mexican resturant in town.  Had a Great Time shooting and visiting with all of them!  This was my 8th new state this year and my 35th overall to shoot Cowboy Action.  Sunday was a long day traveling back home as mentioned earlier it was 12 hours including stops 7:30 am to 7:30 pm and was very windy the whole trip requiring both hands on the steering wheel.

 

This concludes my ND, SD and NE write up and tomorrow I will start on the WA, OR and MT trip write up.  Thanks for reading about my travels and looking at the photos.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

I left on my next trip on Wednesday July 2nd and after 3 days of driving 9-10 hour days I arrived in Yakima WA for the match the next day Saturday the 5th.  It was the monthly match held by the Yakima Blackrock Bunch at the Sun Valley Shooting Park just east of Moxee WA which is just east of Yakima. 

 

During this 3 days of driving I crossed from Central Time to Mountain Time to Pacific Time.  When I passed the sign showing Pacific Time it started to rain and did so for the next two hours, 30 minutes of which was Heavy Rain through a mountain pass with windy roads.  Luckily there were two cars in front of me so I slowed down and followed their tail lights and the road stripes which were barely visible, think we were doing maybe 40 miles per hour or less.  That part was not fun. 

 

 

This is the range layout

 

These are the views looking north from the Cowboy Bay

 

Like the Nebraska club they have to set up and take down their targets for each match.  However they get to set up the day before the match, where Nebraska had to set up the morning of the match.  This is the one bay they use and shoot stages using different senarios and sets of targets.

 

Here are photos showing the different sets of targets set for use in the match.

 

They had two different sets of shotgun targets and you got to choose which set to shoot on each stage.  The 4 lolly pop targets on the left moved but reset after they were hit.  The other targets were the peices of garden hose set on stands, I had not seen that before.  I first just shot the regular targets but later tried the hose targets and they were easy to knock off the stands or actually knock over the stands they were on.  Of course a person had to go forward and reset the hoses once they were shot and they already had a bunch of extra hose cut and ready to use when they were too shot up to use again.

 

Couple photos during the match.

 

This is a photo of those that shot the match this day.  I was told that 4-5 who normally shoot did not make it that day.

 

After the match I changed into my travel clothes because after lunch I was going to drive to SeaTac to spend the night and shoot a match on Sunday with the Renten United Cowboy Action Shooters (RUCAS).  I joined most of the shooters for lunch at a local place in Moxee where they normally go after each monthly match.  Had a Great Time shooting with them and enjoying the visit during lunch.  I guess the 3 days of hard driving took more out of me than I tought because I had 10 misses in the 5 stage match BUT placed 4th out of 15 shooter.  Left after lunch and went back to Yakima and got on Intersate 82 headed toward Insterstate 90 to travel to SeaTac.

 

Well sometimes life gets in the way of well layed plans.  I was about 10 miles north of Yakima on a 3 lane wide highway and the speed had just turned to 70 when I changing lanes and saw something long and skinny in the road but it was too close to miss and I ran over it.  Immediately got the the shoulder of the road put on my flashers and got out and looked at my front right tire and it was fine.  However when I looked at my right rear tire it was FLAT.  I had just purchased these 4 new Michelin tires for my car right before my trip to ND, SD and NE so I would not have any tire issues.  I got back in my car and as the cars were passing me doing 70 plus I called Lady T who was the match director and lived in Yakima.  She and her husband Sunset Carson came to my rescue and parked behind me with their pickup truck and helped me get my guns out of the trunk and into their truck.  We then emptied my trunk so I could get out my reduced size spare and proceeded to change the tire.  These are photos Lady T took during that ordeal.  They both helped with the tire.

 

Lady T had already located a Discount Tire Store in Yakima for me as that is where I buy my tires and have a road hazard warranty on them.  When I called them they said they did not have the tire I wanted in stock but had some other brand with the same listed milage but could order me the same tire I had and get it by Monday.  So off we went with flashers going driving 50 miles and hour with them leading and me following but we had to go 11 more miles north before we could turn around and go back south to Yakima.  We made it to the Discount Tire Store about 30 minutes before they closed for the day.  Previously Lady T had stated they could have let me stay in their 5th wheel camper instead of using the motel.  So when we got to the tire store I asked her and Sunset if I could stay with them until the tire came in.  It was already too late to get another brand and also still drive to Seatac, so shooting with the RUCAS folks was gone. 

 

It turned out that what I ran over was a trailer hitch bar that came off a pickup truck and it had a ball attached to it.  This punched a hole in the side wall of my tire.

 

They agreed to accomodate me, however when the tire store ordered the tire it turned out it would most likely not arrive until Tuesday morning.  So I stayed with Lady T and Sunset Carson Saturday night through Tuesday until the tire was delivered to the store.  I had planned to go to Walla Walla after RUCAS to see the Museum for the old fort BUT the tire arrived too late on Tuesday so I missed that and drove directly to Baker City OR which was my next stop.

 

This was my overnight accomodation and their house for 3 nights. 

 

I can not state how gracious they were for helping me with the tire and letting me stay with them and their 3 wonderful dogs from Saturday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon.  This is a photo of us taken at the Geiser Gand hotel in Baker City OR at a dinner during the multi day shoot there.

 

So Washington was my 9th new state this year and my 36th overall to shoot Cowboy Action.

Edited July 30, 2025 by Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L

[Eyesa Horg]

Cowboys to the rescue! How cool is that?!? 😎