January 2, 2012

January 2, 2012

Today is the day we’ve looked forward for a week...the Rose Parade.  The bus left at 6:30 this morning.  The closer we got to the parade route the worse traffic became.  By the time we got to the place for parking the bus, traffic was so thick you couldn’t stir it with a stick.

When we got off the bus we had to walk about three blocks through crowds of people.  There were long lines to battle, also.  The lines were at the porta-potties, the busiest places at the parade.  We didn’t need the facilities so we went on to our seats in the grandstand.

It was about an hour before the parade got to us.  There was all sorts of entertainment out in the street to keep us happy.  One was a group of bicyclers on all kinds of bicycles including the old ones with large front wheels and tiny back wheels.  I wonder how the riders get up on the seats.  There were also some interesting bicycles built for two.

We also watched a demonstration of precision riding put on by LAPD motorcycle officers.  They were very good.

The parade itself was fun and interesting...lots of floats, bands, and horses.  Even the crews that followed the horses to clean up after them were sometimes entertaining.  They were having a good time doing a less than desirable job.

JR Martinez was the Grand Marshall for the parade and got a huge response from the spectators.  He was as hyped as the crowd was. 

Toward the end of the parade there was a group of 100 palomino horses in honor of the 100th birthday of Roy Rogers.  The last time we were at the Lone Pine Film Festival, I met the granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.  She teaches kindergarten in the LA area.  She was riding a palomino.

Once we were back on the bus, it took us nearly as long to get out of Pasadena as it did to drive on the freeway back to the campground.  

The Oregon Ducks played, and won, in the Rose Bowl.  It was an exciting game, but sometimes it was hard to stay awake and pay attention.  It was a good day, though, to be a Duck fan.