My Weekend in Omak - Part 2

Read Part 1 - Friday August 10

Saturday August 11

We all got up by about 7 or 7:30… I have to get a new watch one of these days… and Stacy headed off right away to find herself some coffee. When Mike was ready he and I went walking around until we found Stacey, then we walked down town and ate breakfast at McGoo’s. After walking back to the rodeo grounds and where we are camped, Stacey went back to sleep for awhile and Mike & I went for a walk to the “vender’s row” near the rodeo grounds and to the Indian Encampment, but no one was open yet, so back to the motor home and the lawn chairs outside. I grabbed my books to do some homework for the class I’m taking, but never had a chance to read more than 5 or 10 words.

This afternoon we all walked around some more, then drove out to the casino. We had lunch there and played the slot machines for awhile until we blew the little money we had allotted for that, went through some pull tabs (Mike won $50, Stacey $1 and me $0.50) then drove back to Wal Mart for Stacey and I to do some shopping. I bought 2 packages of Tillumook cheddar cheese, 2 pounds each. I really love this cheese and it cost me $7.98 each… at home cheddar cheese is $9 - 10 for 907 grams (1 pound). I also got a few other things, like a box of Cheddar Cheese Triscuit crackers, we can get regular Triscuits at home, but I’ve never heard of this flavour before, and it’s great. We also did a bit of shopping in the local Dollar Store, then back to the motor home.

We weren’t here long, just long enough for Stacey and I to each change our clothes and pour cold water from a bottle over each others heads to get our hair all wet in luau of an actual shower or hair wash, and off we went. Once we had our tickets for tonight’s rodeo we walked around the Indian Encampment for a bit then went to the rodeo. It was great as always. They had a entertainer that was just incredible. First, this man has one arm… he was hit by lightning when he was young and was actually dead for a short while, but was resuscitated just in time. He rides his horse around with no bridle, steering it with his legs I suspect, as he cracks a whip with his one arm. There is a flat deck truck in the arena with a big stockliner trailer on behind it, and the front of the trailer has a ramp from several feet above the ground to the top of the trailer. As the guy is galloping around the area he jumps his horse onto the flat deck, then up onto the ramp and up they go to the top of the trailer. At this point, after a bit of “showing off” up there, he puts a bridle on the horse, a beautiful paint, and rides back down the ramp. About this time they turn 2 big buffalo into the area too, and the announcer tells us interesting stuff about the buffalo and it’s history with the native tribes of North America. Meanwhile the guy is galloping around on his horse and it looks like he’s somewhat herding the 2 buffalo. One of the buffalo runs past the truck while the other jumps up onto the flat deck then off the other side and keeps on running. The horse and rider jump up and down too, barely touching the deck of the truck. After some more of this kind of thing, one buff jumps up onto the deck of the truck then up the ramp it goes, closely followed by the second buff then the horse and rider. With all 3 of them on top of the trailer, the show was over. The buffalo got down and left the arena as the truck drove out with horse and rider still on top of the trailer.

When finally the rodeo came to an end it was time for the World Famous Suicide Race. Everything is dark, it’s after 10pm, when suddenly the hill lights up, thanks to big floodlights. There is a Native “Song of Honour” with drumming and singing, then they come. Tonight it was 14 Natives on their horses. They ride at top speed along a flat then “fly” over the brink of a very steep hill, down to the bottom into the Okanogan River, across the river, up onto the dike and into the rodeo arena, still at top speed. Tonight #15 won, he also won last night and Thursday night and they have one more go at it tomorrow afternoon.