We are Austrians and we live near Vienna, in the "Vienna Woods", but we have a small condo in Vienna which we trade with people from all over the world.

In my younger years (hahaha, long time ago) I was an "Exchange Student" at Aquinas High School in Rochester, NY. Later, after my graduation from Vienna University, I emigrated to Connecticut. With an Austrian school-mate of mine I undertook a 10.000 mi tour through the US, and we happened to come to a rodeo near Glacier National Park, MT. With my wife, Liesl, I toured the Southwest in 2002, came to the Northwest a few years later, and then to Alaska last Spring. Nowhere we found a rodeo. This year we again had almost five weeks of "HomeForExchange" and got to San Francisco, CA, and St. George, UT. Thanks to Internet we found Jordan Valley and the big rodeo. It was immediately my plan to take my wife there so she could see such a spectacle while we were on our way to see most of the National Parks in 9 States.

Weather stayed nice for almost the whole time of our travels, and particularly for the rodeo. We went to St. Bernard's for Mass and met your mayor and his family, we were impressed by the big group of Malheur Sheriffs, and we were amazed seeing the crowds in and around Jordan Valley who came for the event.

Needless to say we enjoyed being amongst them, and we appreciated the hospitality shown to us by the people. We sat near a lady who had visited our home country, and who kept treating us to very good cookies.

It surely was worthwhile the detour we had to make, and the two nights in a Nampa Motel -- unfortunately we missed one turn on the highway, and lost a half an hour and quite a few miles on our way from Nampa to JV.