How to rope a bear… from the Cowboy Gathering at Trappers Lodge
Dear Editor:
Tracy and I, along the Brennans and other Meekerites were treated Saturday to the fourth edition of Trappers Lake Cowboy Gathering on the Mountain. This event drew people from as far away as Arkansas to listen to Western singers accompanied by their own fine guitars and cowboy poetry. The performers are all working ranchers with a saddle as their place of business. I am a city boy, so I was bit surprised to learn that “cowboy” is a verb, like as “to cowboy.” Cowpunchers come in all varieties, men, or women. Some are born into the life of a cowboy like Caitlyn Taussig who runs a cow and calf operation in Kremmling, Colorado. Others, like her mother Vicki, chose it after visiting from California. Caitlyn has a fine voice and has a talent for singing tragic ballads. She also wrote a sarcastic song on how she was “born to fixin’ fences.” Doug Figgs has been a farrier for 35 years and earned the title Entertainer of the 2023 Year from the IWMA. Daron Little who works on the TA ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, sings western songs, but I think he is really a standup comic from Louisiana in disguise. He boasts that he has been married 31 years in a row. Terry Nash, cowboy poet, travels the whole West telling the tales of the cowboy who roped a bear for fun and wound up losing his horse, saddle, and rope. The jokes were often groaners and everyone poked fun at themselves. Our thanks to the entertainers, Trappers Lake management, servers, chefs, and helpers who made it all possible. The five-course meal was first class. If you did not get a chance to see them due to limited space, there is another, bigger gathering Nov. 1 in Grand Junction.
Sincerely,
Ed & Tracy Peck
Meeker
