Giddy Up!

Growing up on the Canadian prairies, it’s safe to say that here in Saskatchewan we’re a little bit (OK a lot!) country! Farming is a main industry and if you didn’t grow up on a farm yourself, you had cousins that did and were exposed to – and appreciated – the country from a very young age. In my case, it was my cousins who lived on the farms, but it was my parents who worked in the industry. You see, growing up my parents owned a business called The Hitching Post and yep, you guessed it, we sold everything from cowboy boots and hats to saddles and horse halters. I grew up in that store, napping on horse blankets in the back and selling cowboy hats when I was thirteen.

So, looking at vacationing in Texas certainly has appeal. It’s what I know! Or is it? It turns out, Texas has 7 geographical regions with widely varying landscapes including beaches, forests, and canyons (which makes sense since it’s so vast!) and in fact, there’s over 600 miles of coastline and beaches! So, it turns out a vacation to Texas could include all the western hospitality and grit that we’ve come to know and love about the state, as well as beaches and coastline activities. You can do as little (beach relaxing, horseback riding, anyone?) or as much (hiking, kayaking and rock climbing, my friends?) as you like. I’m kind of in love with it now, it’s like the state was made for us on the prairies (readers can visit Texas Tourism for all the information you need about planning your ideal Texas vacation, download a Free Texas Travel Guide here and sign up for their E-Newsletter to help!)

When it comes down to it, the Lone Star State will always reflect cowboys (hello!) and western style to me, and just looking at these images brings back my childhood on the farm with my family, attending rodeos in my hometown, and of course, those cowboys…wait, where was I?

Oh yes, the photos! I’ve got a Texas-sized contest to share with you today that I know you’re going to be really excited about! Myself and 9 other bloggers have been asked to share our favourite photos that best reflect our ideal Texas vacation. And these four photos you see here are what Texas truly represents to me. My childhood, my prairie roots, and yes…yes, it’s all about the cowboys for this girl from Saskatchewan!

By voting (daily!) for my photos as your favourite among the bunch that best represent your ideal vacation in Texas, you will be entered to win – are you ready for it? – $1000 cash! I KNOW!! What would you do with $1000? The blogger with the most votes wins a trip for 2 to Texas. Pretty amazing right? Have fun voting, friends – Giddy Up!

Contest ends March 24, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Canadian residents only (excluding Quebec). See contest rules and regulations below.

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Texas Tourism, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect Texas Tourism.