Home of the Plywood Bull

Tonight we are in Rock Springs, WY, a town name that always evokes a funny image. What is a rock spring? How do rocks spring? Do rocks have springs? I could continue, but I'm sure you get the idea.  Whatever it is, there does not seem to be a lot of water around. Rock Springs is in the dry  part of WY. The terrain is rolling and this time of year, there's not a lot of green unlike where we live a few hours drive north.

The big event seems to be the upcoming rodeo. The local merchants are showing their support for the rodeo with painted/decorated statues of bulls. These are placed around the town and near the big mall. Some cities have fancy fiberglass statues that are decorated by local artists and groups. I'm sure you have seen painted bison or cows or wolves. I've even included some pictures of decorated long horned sheep (from Oman, no less).  Here in Rock Springs the statues are plywood cut-outs of bulls. Very different. 

In Oman, the fiberglass statue was the local long horned sheep.

The plywood bulls do have a simple charm that the fiberglass statues can never achieve.