In the morning, a young woman from Germany chatted me up if I was looking for a climbing partner – it had never been easier than in this town! We agreed to go bouldering soon. I was happy to extend my stay in Bishop and see new places. However, I had to check out of the hostel and leave my beautiful room as I had a campground reservation at the fairgrounds. Determined to get good coffee first, I spent a few hours at Black Sheep Coffee, the local spot for climbers to meet up. The coffee was mediocre despite coming from a good espresso machine – maybe it‘s the water in the US that ruins even good roasts? I would still come back as it’s a cozy café and the staff is lovely.
Anyway, in the afternoon I set up my tent next to the fairground and noticed that it was actually just a parking lot for RVs. So I paid 80$ for two nights on a dried-out lawn where I had to fear getting run over by big SUVs. Feeling cheated and exhausted, I ate a quick bite and made my way into the County Fair. I would never visit its‘ German/Austrian equivalents but I figured it‘s fun in another country.
There were not a lot of people there when I walked around and discovered weird stuff – an exhibition with too many photos crammed into a small space, next to artificial flowers and hand woven blankets. Alltogether it was so ugly that I had to laugh – small-city charm under neon lights?
I missed a filled cookie & strawberry pie contest but the results from previous years were exhibited in glass boxes.
I went to a show of „Decayed Brigade“ instead – a group of monsters, zombies and other horror characters who slid down the floor on kneepads, jumping over obstacles and more zombies. The outfits were really cool!
In the same location, a retired school gym, were small vendor stands of the weirdest selection: a guy selling fishing rods and hooks next to a palm/tarot reading woman next to representatives of the local Republican party next to UV glow masks.
Another feature was a big assortment of toy weapons – I‘ve never seen so many plastic guns for kids in a row.
Next to that stand, another guy sold plates with quotes for people who took pride in being rednecks. As much as I would like to try out shooting again, the obsession with guns in the US is over the top. It reminds me of German sports car owners who protest a speed limit although many people are getting killed every year on the highways.
To get into a better mood, I got an overpriced light beer and a corndog – the corndog was delicious (does anyone out there have a recipe?) – and sat down to listen to country and rock music. The musician I initially wanted to see got sick so a 60ies cover band (mostly CCR tunes which I actually like) replaced him.
Finn Goes West - Hiking & Climbing in the South-Western USA 