Colorado became the 38th state to join the United States on August 1, 1876. The capital city is Denver. The highest point is Mt. Elbert at 14,433 feet.

Kicking the DustRimrock Rodeo, Fruita, Colorado Road Trip 2013 - Day 8 - June 18 - Colorado (Previous road trip 2013 posts: Indiana Dunes, De Immigrant, Amana Colonies, Des Moines, Madison County Roads, Bridges of Madison County, White Pole Road, Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, Golden Spike Tower & Union Pacific's Bailey Rail Yard, Loveland Pass, The Resting Day at Powderhorn, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Cimarron, Colorado National Monument)

I've mentioned the 2-4-1 combo idea in my post about the Colorado National Monument, and it really can work like a charm. no matter which entrance to the Monument you choose. In our case, we drove by the site on Route 340 in Fruita, CO. The Rimrock Drive veers of shortly after and you're in for some fantastic views of nature's creations. More on that in the above referenced post though.

Eye to EyeRimrock Rodeo, Fruita, Colorado While up in the Monument, my 24-85mm was on for most of the day and I suspected that would not be a good choice to get some nice close ups at the rodeo. So I gambled on the 80-400mm and left most of the gear behind so that I would not have to worry about it. I was not sure what to expect. Would most of the action be far or rather close? Would I be stuck not fitting the riders and bulls in a frame if they do get too close?

As the kids opened the event riding sheep I had a good opportunity to practice. And I was glad I went for the long lens as everything was happening on the far right of the arena. At that point there was plenty of light and getting sharp stop action photos was not an issue, which changed as the event progressed, as one would expect. It was amazing to see the little daredevils take on the challenge! Some made it only a few feet, others ran half way across.

Since we did spend all day outside away from civilization, we developed a really well done hunger. The good news was that the rodeo was ready for that too with a good variety of food trucks on both sides of the arena.

Bull HoleRimrock Rodeo, Fruita, Colorado Then the pros took the stage on the bulls and action was fast and intense. I definitely took advantage of the continuous focus and auto advance modes on the camera, combined with some old-fashioned anticipation. As I've watched one competitor after another, two things happened that worked for me. First, after capturing some decent shots I was more and more free to experiment and not worry about the basics any more. It's always good to get some establishing photos to work from. And second, as I've refreshed my memory of the rodeo rules and watched a few riders try their skills and luck I knew more about what to expect and where and could click the shutter closer to the peak of the action. I started waiting for the bulls or the riders doing something special. I wanted to get more than just documentary photos. I really wanted the intense action to come through.

Head in, Heels to GoRimrock Rodeo, Fruita, Colorado The moment in the second photo (above on the right) was barely a fraction of a second before it was gone but it felt like a slow motion when it happened. The rider went down and seemed to have exchanged a heart to heart, eye to eye, message with the bull before springing back up and heading for cover while the handlers took care of the raging bull. That was not always so easy either. At one point, a bull had a completely different idea than to go back into the corral and wait for the next rider. He circled the arena and just as he was coming close to the bleachers on the opposite side decided to jump the fence. Despite all of the practice I had gotten thus far I did not expect that and completely missed out on the action, if not the most exciting part of the evening then definitely the most unexpected. As a couple of cowboys went after the bull that disappeared over the horizon in the meantime the fence needed fixing. Clearly, the bull did not need all that much height and used his weight to get over. Makes you wonder, why bother jumping? The repair took a bit and I liked how it was happening next tot he custom builder wanted sign. The bull was captured, nobody got hurt, and that was it for the bull for the night. Apparently, once they get a taste of freedom it's better to let them cool off.

Round the BarrelRimrock Rodeo, Fruita, Colorado There were a few other disciplines to enjoy as day turned into night, team roping and barrel racing being two of them. Things got more and more challenging photographically as daylight disappeared. The venue had enough light for the participants to compete and for the spectators to enjoy, but not enough for stop action shots. That helped me experiment though. I tried to see how far I could push my camera on the ISO front. I also allowed the shutter to be long enough to try some panning. I had some good experience with panning in the past but did not do too well here. The long lens was less forgiving and I was not using any camera or lens support, it was all completely handheld.

I opened with a question about my doubts about the lens choice for a rodeo. In the end it worked really well, short of a few scenes that developed right in front of me. For example for barrel racing one of the barrels was right in front of me and the 80mm was too much. A fast 50mm f/1.8 would have been perfect for that. Instead, I had to capture the action at the more distant barrels. However, most action was within the 80 - 200mm range of reach.

And look, it's their 20th anniversary this year! Have fun on your summer travels and keep an eye out for a change of scenery.

Sources:

Colorado on 50states.com, Rimrock Rodeo, Fruita RimRock Rodeo Royalty

Equipment Used:

Nikon D600, Nikon 80 - 400mm Nikkor Lens (now replaced with the AF-S version), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack,  Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually o hand to keep the smart phone going), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2.

Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!