Sure, Daly City is home to the Grand National Rodeo Horse & Livestock Show. But to get a real flavor of how Northern California is authentic rodeo country, it's worthwhile to get out of town for a day. A good option is the Red Bluff Round-Up, held every spring in the capital of Tehama County, a three-hour drive north on Interstate 5. Red Bluff is a legitimate cow town year-round, with jacked-up pickups and plate-sized belt buckles as common as nose rings and fixies are in San Francisco. The event features wild horse races, mule races, and a chili cook-off, all in advance of the serious saddle-bronc riding, Brahman bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and team roping. The event may enjoy slightly less prestige than October's Grand National, but a visit to the Red Bluff Round-Up is a great way to learn that, outside the blue-state island of San Francisco, California is mostly a state of cow towns.