After a long drive through the hot and merciless Idaho dessert we finally arrived at the town Shoshone, where the rodeo was about to take place. The driver commanded us to change into our real rodeo outfit before leaving the bus. When stepping outside, the dessert dust and the sound of wild cowboy horses hit our head: We new that we had come to a true American dirty rodeo placed in a true western cowboy town. Click ‘Continue reading’ to read and see more pictures.
Back in the days Shoshone was the wildest town in the west. By 1883 reportedly 10-15 arrests were being made daily. Offenders were placed in a hole in the ground. The bars were guards with Winchester rifles, who were ordered to shoot at any head sticking above the rim of the hole. Since that Shoshone has changed a lot, but the day of our visit, the wild western cowboy spirit was truly alive.
Watching a traditional western rodeo was quite an experience. The show included catching bulls from the back of a horse with a lasso, crowning the queen and princes among the local cowgirls, and staying on the back of a wild horse. As the night progressed the different competitions became more and more dangerous and spectacular. When the sun set the grand final, where the most skilled and courageous cowboys were risking their life on the back of a angry and wild bull, took place.
After the rodeo we, ourselves, took part of the wild western life. At the local and only saloon in town we had beers and whiskey and played traditional saloon games with the local cowboys.
9 GIRLS ON A BUS 
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