Merrill, WI

“…We got a long way to go and a short time to get there…” Well, we made it to Cuba, MO and I loaded up with Seth Reynolds, Sara and Tyler Freeman, Jimmie Paric, and Curtis Seamens. From there on out it was 12 hours in the back of a pickup, laughing, singing, and of all things talking about Disney movies. Who would have thought that would have been a travel topic? It was a blast, and I’ll tell you what if Seth didn’t ride bulls he would be a great race car driver! We made excellent time and only stopped for Starbucks once! The “cheese state” was wonderful, its people were some of the nicest that I’ve ever met and the weather tuned out to be lovely, and soooo much cooler. We only had a little rain which wrapped up before anything got started. Once again a beautiful horse was graciously provided for my use  his name was Jake, and wow was he BIG! Jake is a 16.2 stocky, black and white paint. He was such a joy to ride during the opening ceremonies, I absolutely adored him! Everything was a blast, the crowd turned out to be small but, one of the most enthusiastic that I’ve seen and ever so nice! Everyone was so thankful to have the NFPB there, I can’t count the number of times someone told me thank you for coming such a long way. It was heartwarming. Comic relief for both nights was provided by 21 time Barrelman of the year Shawn “Boom Boom” Thompson and his son Tate “Tater” Thompson. “Hilarious” wouldn’t even begin to describe their nightly antics, which included a flashback with the Village People! (You have to see it to believe it!) For a change of pace, Mutton Bustin for the kids and Bull Poker for anyone brave enough to “try a hand” joined the shows list of festivities each night. While in Wisconsin I learned that cheese curds are a favorite of the NFPB staff, however I think everyone had their fill of them by the end of our trip! After the festivities wrapped up on Friday it was a quick pack up job and, saying good-bye to new and old friends. From there it was another 12 hours in a truck driving straight through the night. For this leg of my trip I rode with our President Clint Jackson and, was fortunate enough to have him answer many of my questions, about the industry and our association. It was an educational trip that I was grateful to have taken. Still never was I so glad to cross the mighty Mississippi River and see that familiar Gateway arch in St. Louis, MO, from that point it was only 45 minutes to my home and family, which I greatly missed. I can’t wait until my next event, but for now its good to back in my home town. As Dorothy always said,”There’s no place like home!”