Romance with Big Birds and Dates on a Date
 If you ever win any game show money with this bit of trivia, I ask for a humble share: These big birds cannot fly, but can run up to 40 mph. | |
Uh-huh.
We went to the ostrich races.
Thought I'd tell you about today it in case you're looking for this kind of romance in your life. Happens every year at the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio, California. You can catch it this year between February 12th and 21st.
Rufus and I didn't plan to go to the races. We stole away to Palm Springs for our sweethearts getaway. Once we got there, we saw a commercial for the nearby festival that promised ostrich racing, and were so tickled, we decided to include the Date Festival on our weekend date.
We already had an uncontrolled case of manic laughter at the time. We'd just come back from exploring. We learned there was such a thing as riding big birds the same day we'd passed Big Morongo Canyon Road:
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 Wait, I didn't tell you that this exploitative picture of my sweetie was taken while we were celebrating our love and respect for each other for Valentine's Day? Oh. Click here if you want to read the story. |
We didn't know it in advance, but this part of California is the shields date capitol of the world. Date palms grow all over the place. Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival offers all kinds of good eats while you're watching the races. There's carnival rides, blue-ribbon artwork, and a petting zoo too. We didn't spend much time at the fair, but we're glad to have satisfied our curiosity about this oddball bird. We bought some dates to snack on for the rest of our date, and went on to enjoy the beautiful area surrounding Palm Springs.
This is so funny - I know about The Date Festival, too! Palm Springs is such a fun town for a vacation - like stepping back in time, isn't it? I've never been to the Date Festival, but I've had more date shakes than I could handle in Palm Springs (it's great for a family vacation, too, by the way). They put dates in and on everything, don't they?
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We had a great time there! It is a little like going back in time -- I kept getting a Flintstone's vibe there, although I don't think it goes back to the stone ages or anything.
Yes, we had date shakes -- one was enough for me. I like them best just by themselves, but for my taste they're a little too sweet. Fun for the novelty of it though. Thanks for stopping by!
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Must. See. Ostrich. Races.
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That's pretty much what we said.
Some jockeys ride them bare back. They also do a couple of races with guys dressed as Roman warriors in ostrich-pulled chariots.
Yep...
Must. See. Ostrich. Races.
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I've been meaning to get by here since this post (you prolific blogger, you!
SUUUUUURe you didn't plan to go! Great story!
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It's not outside of the realm of possibility that we'd make a trip just to see something like this, but it's somehow better that we just happened upon it. Spontaneity is romantic, no? Thanks for your comment.
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One of my personal goals is to one day ride an ostrich. Don't ask me why,but basically, I have a haunting memory from my Swiss Family Robinson film viewing days.
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Ha! Did you know already that Ostrich Jockey was a viable career option? Good luck -- I have faith you'll be able to check that square on your list someday. Thanks for your comment!
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