Our team recently traveled to Pendleton, Oregon to participate in the 100th anniversary of the Pendleton Round-Up. This is the first of three posts that will be chronicling our wild wild Western adventures.

Last weekend, Team O.C. ventured out to the scenic Pacific Northwest after receiving an unmissable invitation from our good friends at Pendleton Woolen Mills, the 150-year-old family-owned business that invented the flannel shirt and purveys the iconic all-American Native American designed wool blanket. We were really pumped, given that we've been working with the inspiring team at Pendleton for the last few seasons designing Pendleton meets Opening Ceremony, one of our most exciting collaborations to date. The city slickers at O.C. were more than thrilled and a little bit unsure of what to expect from the Pendleton Round Up, a 100-year tradition of pure, unadulterated Americana that has been supported by the local Woolen Mills since 1910.

After trains, taxis, a 6-hour flight, and a beautifully scenic 4-hour drive along the Columbia River, we finally arrived in Pendleton, Oregon, the site of the Round Up.  Our first morning, we were up bright and early for a Cowboy Breakfast, a necessary tradition of eggs, flapjacks, and sausage on a tin plate.  Fueled up and ready to go, we headed down the street about 10 blocks to the site of the rodeo. 

We entered the gates and passed by the tempting smells of all-American treats such as corndogs (the best we've experienced - honestly), B.B.Q. ribs, heaping plates of French fries (lovingly referred to as the "French fry cube"), and lots and lots of beer.  Sitting in the bleachers, we took in the Western spectacle, which included classic Saddle Bronc riding, in which cowboys are judged both on the style of their ride and the difficulty of the bucking horse's fight, and less expected, more novel events like Wild Cow Milking, in which cowboys chase down their quarry and present the milk to the judges (yes, really!).

In the end, we couldn't wait for the most exciting, and dangerous main event: Bull Riding, in which cowboys attempt to hold onto a massive bucking bull for longer than 8 seconds (most fell off and were almost trampled in 1 or 2 seconds flat).  American Indians participate in both the main rodeo events, and also special saddle-less "bareback" relay races. Check out our pictures for a visual peak into the wild world of the Round Up.



FILED UNDER: pendleton round-up 2010 , pendleton , pendleton meets opening ceremony , jesse hudnutt , carol lim , humberto leon