YEEHAW!

Thank goodness Becky is organized. She'd looked up things to do on a budget in the Orlando area, since our main objective while on holiday was to spend as little as possible. There happened to be a Rodeo going on while we were visiting, which we decided was a must-do, and not just because it was cheap, but because Ryan was the only one who'd ever been to one; we thought it was about time we had the experience too. 

The Silver Spurs Rodeo. We packed up and headed on over to The Silver Spurs arena, since obviously that's where it would all be happening. Upon arriving at the Arena we were pretty surprised to find that, with the exception of a couple of trailers, we were the only people there. Signs at the Box Office confirmed that the arena was closed, leaving us baffled. If the Silver Spurs Rodeo wasn't happening at the Silver Spurs Arena, where was it going on? 

A phone call later and we learned that we were in the wrong town altogether. A friendly southern accent informed us that we needed to head to Kenansville, a ghost town 'just south of 'Yeehaw Junction'. Yes, really. It turned out that Yeehaw Junction was quite the drive so we got to take in some of the beautiful Florida scenery...and, after almost running over a giant turkey, some of the wildlife too. The nice thing about our late arrival? The lovely folk of Kenansville didn't even charge us.

Ryan introduced us to a Florida specialty: boiled peanuts. We made fun of him, but only until we tried them. They were so tasty.

Max and Becky enjoying boiled peanuts

I wasn't expecting the Rodeo to be so intense. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I know I wasn't expecting to see at least three teenage boys almost trampled by a bull on the rampage. Thankfully, they managed to get out of the way just in time, but not before our hearts were in our mouths. While all of that drama was unfolding Charlotte and Max were having a great time getting wet and muddy on the bleachers...and we looked sufficiently touristy in our sandals. Next time I'll know cowboy boots are mandatory!