Much candy was tossed by the paraders, and Jordan and Aaron racked up quite a haul (pictured here back at the house, after they had sorted and counted it all).
We were pleased to cheer for Flathead County's democrats.
At the fair, we saw a domestic yak, which is raised for its fur.
Jordan, Aaron, and Deena all tried archery. It's harder than it looks. The instructors were kids who took it all very seriously.
Deena and Jordan and I bought wristbands for the carnival, but we could only stomach three rides (and frankly that was one too many). I'll remember that for next time. No pictures, just vivid memories of my queasy stomach and aching neck.
The grand finale of the fair (and indeed the trip) was the rodeo. I've seen rodeos before, but I never pictured myself attending one with my very urban aunts. We all had a blast. The rodeo clown did his schtick, supposedly claiming to be able to inflate a chicken to preposterous size, but instead turning it into a dog.
The bucking broncos are fairly frightening, especially when they almost stomp on the cowboy. Dale had fun getting action shots.
This rodeo featured an event I've never seen before, the Indian Relay Race, which was incredibly exhilarating/impressive/chaotic. The first set of riders gallops pell-mell once around the track; then each rider jumps off the first horse and onto a fresh one (that's the relay), while their team's handlers catch the first horse. This is totally nuts because you have something like fifteen horses in the same area, with riders jumping off one and climbing off another and handlers trying to control the other horses. And it's all bareback. One team failed to catch a horse after the rider jumped off it, and the horse just kept running like hell the whole way around the track again with no rider on it. Sheesh.
This is a barrel-racer. I wonder why barrel-racers are all women. Tradition, I suppose.
And finally the bulls. They are just scary to me. They attack people. But in the end the rodeo clown triumphs.
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