When we arrived in Bishop we saw signs of Mule Days to be celebrated over the Memorial Weekend. I had to smile as I remembered arriving in Mountain View and seeing ads for Bean Fest and Outhouse Racing. We sometimes find ourselves in place for interesting events. Mule Days is described as a world class equestrian event promoting the legacy, heritage and talents of the mule. The five day event features classes, competitions, exhibitions and finally a parade. Thousands of people come into town and mules rule the day. I was surprised to find several competitions that I would not associate with mules, such as dressage and rodeo. Turns out that mules are not just pack animals, although they rule that role. Enjoy the parade.
The parade takes place along a one mile stretch of Main Street. This street is part of Highway 395, usually a busy thoroughfare for truckers and travelers. Lots of warning signs are up early alerting that this part of the highway will be closed for about 3 hours.
The parade sometimes moved slowly. As a result, the participants had to 'weave' back and forth along the route. We often got a direct 'look' at the mules. I ended up loving them.
Horses of all kinds and donkeys are also represented. This group represents the Forest Service, a big part of life around here.
This was a favorite group for me. These kids smiled, tried to play together, and looked like their uniform was any plaid shirt and jeans. Loved them!
I believe this represented the 20 Mule Team made famous by Borax. Such a team would have transported very heavy loads over over mountainous roads.
This mule is a Hall of Fame awardee. To gain such status they have to accumulate a high number of points across various categories. I don't remember the list but I was impressed as it was rattled off by a bystander next to me. As I recall, being stubborn was not on the list.
This was a common item in the parade as different packing companies advertised their services and gave us an idea of how the might look on the trail.
Bishop City Council members.
Cute 'princess' waving.
I was glad to see helmets instead of hats on these kids.
Another mule with Hall of Fame status.
More Forest Service.
A classic mule mug!
Ahh!
I don't know what kind of horse this is but they are huge!! They were much liked by the crowd.
Mules deserve fine saddles just like horses.
There was a small group of Clydesdales.
This kid played his banjo the whole parade. Notice his hat!
That was all. A street sweeper followed behind and people dispersed or hung around for the craft show that was in a park just behind where were were seated. Fun morning!