Best of the 2017 Ski-Hi Stampede Parades, Part 4.2: Best of the Rest of the Cars, Horses, Floats, and Stuff

All right, here’s the rest of it:

These are the bemused-looking horses in cowboy hats I mentioned last time.

There’s a rodeo in town, in case ya missed it.

I’m not sure I get this.

Parks and Wildlife really put on the dog with this float.

Okay, so more like a cat. Still, impressive.

Most people toss candy to the kids. These guys were giving away fishing poles!

As advertised, the front loader with horns and a cowboy hat.

The greenest and orangest cement mixer you ever did clap eyes on.

It wouldn’t be a parade without an antique fire truck.

Aside from this being an enormous and gorgeously appointed tractor-trailer pulling an insanely long flatbed featuring a live band and a small farm display in back, what strikes me about this series of photos is how the clouds in back look like a painted backdrop.

A boy breaks into a run as a bright yellow muscle car rolls by in the background and Old Glory snaps in the wind. It’s all here, people.

A good-looking crowd in front of the Information Center.

I stood there thinking, “Good grief, what is that thing? Aside from being huge and red.” The vehicle pulling the contraption was neat all by itself.

Given the “Spudnik” logo down the side, I presume this has something to do with harvesting potatoes. The complexity of this thing was staggering. So was the spiffy paint job and the cleanliness of the whole thing.

It’s not over until the emergency vehicles bring up the rear.

This would be for serious emergencies.

Not one, but two full-size spare tires. Bring on the apocalypse, we’re ready for Freddy!

The Ski-Hi Stampede and its accompanying parades were one month ago as of this posting. I already feel like I’m looking at last year. I’m glad I got this out at last. Next time, maybe I’ll be able to catch the actual rodeo.

All photography Copyright © 2017 by Lawrence Roy Aiken