Omak Stampede!
This is Jon. The day after Adelyn's birthday celebration we headed to Omak to take in the world famous Omak Stampede and Suicide Race. Omak has been on my bucket list of rodeos to see and I can check it off, although I'm pretty sure it won't be a "one-and-done" trip. Very fun.
Me and my girls...
A few years ago the rodeo underwent some major capital improvements to increase the fan-friendliness of the rodeo. The old stands were torn out and a new covered arena on both sides that wraps around the arena floor were put in. Great views, intimate setting. Yeah, I said it. Rodeo coverage is what I do and I said intimate.
It was about 145 degrees outside. I really liked it, but of course I was wearing my hat and sunglasses with SPF 500 on my skin. The girls thought differently and chilled out in the shade for a bit.
Delaney loves to wear my hat. I love to see her in my hat.
Don't worry about Adelyn's tounge. She had just finished her grape snow cone.
Ellensburg native Kass Kayser. He caught and flanked his calf well, but the tie came loose for a no-time which means he went home empty handed. Makes for a long trip home.
Jacob O'Mara scored 83 points on Big Bend Rodeo's McNasty. The win earned him $3,734 for his effort.
Most rodeos have a unique quality, some are unique on multiple levels. Perhaps the most unique part of Omak is the Suicide Race. As you can tell from the photo, horses are ridden bareback by their Indian riders, come down a very, very steep hill into the Okanogan River and finish the race in the arena. It's a PETA nightmare and a fan favorite.
On the way home, we went through the Coulee Corridor, which is where the Columbia River used to flow before an ice dam broke and diverted the Columbia River to its present course. This is coming down the hill from Dry Falls into the Sun Lakes area. Picture doesn't do it justice.
Trying to keep up with Derrick Begay. Begay, along with team roping partner Cesar de la Cruz, won the team roping in Omak, pocketing $3,710 in the process for winning the first go and the two-head average. Any way, we left the arena at the same time and drove tandem together until we parted ways about 90 minutes later in Soap Lake. I don't know if it was due to the adrenaline of a big win, the fact that he needed to be in Caldwell, Idaho, quickly (about 10 hours from Omak) or the fact that he had a radar detector (hopefully) that tracked police, but we were driving "quickly" shall we say. Made it for a fun drive.
Me and my girls...
A few years ago the rodeo underwent some major capital improvements to increase the fan-friendliness of the rodeo. The old stands were torn out and a new covered arena on both sides that wraps around the arena floor were put in. Great views, intimate setting. Yeah, I said it. Rodeo coverage is what I do and I said intimate.
It was about 145 degrees outside. I really liked it, but of course I was wearing my hat and sunglasses with SPF 500 on my skin. The girls thought differently and chilled out in the shade for a bit.
Delaney loves to wear my hat. I love to see her in my hat.
Don't worry about Adelyn's tounge. She had just finished her grape snow cone.
Ellensburg native Kass Kayser. He caught and flanked his calf well, but the tie came loose for a no-time which means he went home empty handed. Makes for a long trip home.
Jacob O'Mara scored 83 points on Big Bend Rodeo's McNasty. The win earned him $3,734 for his effort.
Most rodeos have a unique quality, some are unique on multiple levels. Perhaps the most unique part of Omak is the Suicide Race. As you can tell from the photo, horses are ridden bareback by their Indian riders, come down a very, very steep hill into the Okanogan River and finish the race in the arena. It's a PETA nightmare and a fan favorite.
On the way home, we went through the Coulee Corridor, which is where the Columbia River used to flow before an ice dam broke and diverted the Columbia River to its present course. This is coming down the hill from Dry Falls into the Sun Lakes area. Picture doesn't do it justice.
Trying to keep up with Derrick Begay. Begay, along with team roping partner Cesar de la Cruz, won the team roping in Omak, pocketing $3,710 in the process for winning the first go and the two-head average. Any way, we left the arena at the same time and drove tandem together until we parted ways about 90 minutes later in Soap Lake. I don't know if it was due to the adrenaline of a big win, the fact that he needed to be in Caldwell, Idaho, quickly (about 10 hours from Omak) or the fact that he had a radar detector (hopefully) that tracked police, but we were driving "quickly" shall we say. Made it for a fun drive.
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