Texas Gov. Rick Perry

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Mike Huckabee

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Senator Jim DeMint (R – SC)

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Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour

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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal

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Barack Obama Impersonator Reggie Brown

For many reasons, it was a great experience. It was inspiring to see sometimes squirrelly teenagers band together to accomplish something difficult and way outside their comfort zone. Over the course of the two and a half days, I’m not sure I heard a single complaint about the difficulty of the task, nor did I see any evidence of the cliquishness that can be such a cruel part of adolescent life. It was likewise inspirational to witness the sacrifice and selflessness of the adult volunteers who made this massively complex event come off so smoothly.

Here are a few of the photos from that event:

An adult leader waits for the action to begin

One of the teenagers channeling a pioneer.

The trek gets underway.

A re-enactment of an event during which the women and children had to fend for themselves for a period of time.

The effect of pulling a heavy handcart at 7,000 feet of altitude.

Getting an early start.

After a particularly difficult climb, the handcart groups were serenaded by this harmonica player.

The trail boss greets some stranded pilgrims along the way.

Brothers.

The evening square dance was fun, but a dust-fest.

A pine illuminated by a not very pioneer-like spotlight.

Elevation of 7,000 feet. More than 100 miles from the city. No moon. Lots of stars.

Actors playing Jesus and Mary at the Garden Tomb, part of a devotional the last evening of the trek.

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The  crowd was largely sympathetic with Sen. McCain’s point of view about Nancy Pelosi.

Jan Brewer, who replaced Janet Napolitano as Governor when Napolitano became Secretary of Homeland Security, won her first election easily, in part because of her championing of SB 1070.

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While my fellow photographers were swarming early in the evening, by the final speeches they were long gone.

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Jeff Flake was elected to his sixth term as the United States Representative from Arizona’s 6th congressional district…

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…while Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, was elected to his first term as the U.S. Congressman from Arizona’s 3rd congressional district.

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Tiffany Quayle, Ben’s wife of six months, didn’t win anything, but she’s pretty, so she makes the cut.

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Finally, Kimberly Yee was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in District 10, becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to the Arizona State Legislature.

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I had a short conversation with the parents of a former rodeo contestant who retired after having his face kicked in by a bull.  They told me that their son, who had competed in a number of sports, used to say that there was no rush comparable to an eight second ride on the back of a bull.  I believe that.  These animals are HUGE – 2,000 pounds of twisting, slashing fury – and they have absolutely no regard for the safety of the cowboys on their backs.  As one of the cowboys said, at least the horses have some sense of rapport with humans.  The bulls would just as soon kill you.

Here, a bull spins out of the chute:

It’s hard to predict what he’s going to do, but sometimes he’s just going to go vertical:

And sometimes he’s going to throw you off like you’re a rag doll… and then he’s going to try to trample you:

It is not, however, all about the bulls. There are also equally wild rides on horses, both with and without saddles. Here is a cowboy coming out of the chute:

Sometimes the rides are almost balletic:

And sometimes it’s just hanging on for dear life:

There are calf-roping events:

And an event where a cowboy jumps off the back of a perfectly good horse and tries to wrestle a steer to the ground:

Sometimes it works… and sometimes it comes up a draw:

Women compete in two events – calf-roping and the barrel race:

And behind it all is a value system grounded in church and nation – the devotion to country is palpable: