Spank Martiny Memorial Broncs and Bulls - Challis, Idaho

Two weeks ago, I returned to where this journey began — back to the rodeo I'd first gone to a year ago simply for the enjoyment of it, before any of this started. The drive from Idaho Falls to Challis gave me plenty of time to reflect on how far things have come since then. It's been quite a ride, and I'm excited about what lies ahead. I'll be honest: I'm not entirely sure where these Field Notes will go yet.

I arrived earlier in the day and spent some time wandering around Challis, a little too late for the festivities before the rodeo. It reminded me of one of my favorite things about small towns and the countryside — life feels slower out here, and it's worth taking the time to enjoy things as they come, since the rest of the time it all seems to move too fast. I checked out the fishing in town, and to my amusement, found a couple of kids taunting a blue heron with a fish they'd caught.

Of all the rodeos I went to last year, the Spank Martiny Memorial was one of my favorites. It was the first one I ever attended, and I'd been talking it up — to friends and in my own head — enough that I worried I'd built it into something it wasn't. I was glad to find I hadn't. Growing up in Eastern Idaho, surrounded by all of this, I'd somehow never been to a rodeo before that night, so this time I came back knowing a little more about what I was watching.

The evening was one to remember — the action, the people I got to meet, the images I came away with. I'm really happy with how it all turned out. The afterparty was something too: the food and the music were excellent, and the sunset made a fine close to a great day.