67 minute read
by Ellen May with Cathy Rochon
Distance Riding on Al Khamsa horses
Through Annie's Ears — The Great Adventure Episode Six: 2018, the Grand Finale!
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by Ellen May, with Cathy Rochon
Introduction:
This is Episode Six of a story of an amazing feat: A journey that took more than six years from start to finish and covered more than twenty-five thousand miles. Ellen May started with a dream, an indomitable spirit and a curiosity about all the places she’d never seen. Her dream, first conceived somewhere around the summer of 2012, was to ride in all of the lower forty-eight states on the same horse. Her partner for this remarkable journey has been a little red chestnut Al Khamsa Arabian mare whose willingness to go places and do things is no less remarkable than Ellen’s own. “Annie” or more formally Sabiaana (Masada Sabar x Masada Adriaana) was born on Ellen’s farm in 2006 from a breeding recommended by Walter Schimanski. Ellen has done all of Annie’s training herself and they have become a team to be reckoned with. Episode One was in two installments in Vol. 30 No. 1 and No. 2. Episode Two was in Vol. 30 No. 3. Episode Three was in Vol. 30 No. 4. Episode Four was in our first digital issue, Vol. 31 No. 1. Episode Five was in Vol. 31 No. 2. This feature is “mostly” in Ellen’s own words, in diary format, much like Lady Anne Blunt’s travels. We join Ellen and Annie at the beginning of their "2018” ultimate rideabout in the scenic West ………>
2018
June 1, 2018: This ride about will be about 7,000 miles by the time I add a detour over to the dry side of Oregon. Length of time on the road: three and a half months by current estimates, and number of stops, 40 at last count. It is indeed the biggest Ride About of them all. If everything goes well, it will certainly be a grand finale!
On my way to Dallas, I stopped last night to visit my old friend Sue Burnham. Enjoyed some morning kisses from a beautiful little filly. The company of a good friend surrounded by gorgeous horses makes a nice way to start any day
June 2, 2018: Made it to Dallas/Ft. Worth area yesterday. Had a nice lunch and visited with my nephew Taylor and later splashed around with my niece Jade and her kids, my great-niece Kennedy and great-nephew Nate (whose high school graduation is today!) I discovered a must-have pool fashion accessory — an inflatable unicorn ears and horn.
June 9, 2018: Now the next big adventure really begins! After a series of what I will consider good omens (a rainbow yesterday evening, a coincidental departure time of 11:11 this morning and an escort through a tunnel of trees by a hawk flying in front of us for a long way as we drove off), we have started our final Ride About, states #43 through #48 (plus a whole lot more).
We arrived safe and sound at our first stop, Rachel Martin’s ranch in Eastern Kansas. Just watched Justify win the Triple Crown.
KANSAS
June 10, 2018: First ride for this tour around the cattle ranch with Addie and Rachel. Green green green rolling fields... and cows, lots of cows: like 1,600-2,000 cows. At one point, a large herd came stampeding straight for us! While I have confidence in Annie’s level-headedness and my riding skills, I was relieved when they turned and went another direction.
June 11, 2018: Annie obliged Tyler and Rachel’s youngest with a gentle ride yesterday. Juley, age 5, is a ‘powerful lot of company’, a comment once made about me when I was her age. She decided to camp in a tent in the backyard last night and has a sweet little pony named Daisy. I certainly enjoy our visits to the Martin ranch and their busy loving family, the only place I’ve stopped on three of our five Ride Abouts. But it’s time to move along to our next stop — Nebraska!
NEBRASKA
June 13, 2018: Annie and I made it to the southeast corner of the state yesterday afternoon. We were both overheated so I drove past the horse camp and headed down to the Missouri River to cool off. I had to use every braking trick I know to not have the truck, trailer and all end up in it as the road was quite steep without any warning.
I sponged Annie off and she drank a lot of water. Once we got back to camp and finished setting up, the heat and humidity were still insufferable and the biting bugs were relentless. I soon figured out why as the wind picked up, dark clouds rolled in and the sky turned green. I got Annie loaded back in the trailer right before a major storm blew in. According to the feed bucket, we got over 3 inches last night.
Supposedly Indian Cave State Park has some nice riding trails. I say “supposedly” because they were way too slick and muddy to ride today. So we rode along the park roads and around empty campgrounds for an hour or two. This afternoon was again oppressively hot and muggy and there’s no electricity at the horse camp so I can’t use the new a.c. in my trailer. I spent most of the day with a small battery operated fan aimed at my sweaty face.
For those of you who may dream of hitting the open road in search of fun times and trail riding adventures, remember there will be days like this, too.
#43 SOUTH DAKOTA
June 14, 2018: I certainly hope I am getting the minor mishaps out of the way early on this trip (and we successfully dodge all the major ones)! Blew a tire on the trailer south of Sioux City but managed to get pulled over at a rest stop and changed it myself. These are new tires (aaargh) and the blowout tore out the wiring to my new front disk brakes and a running light in the process. Bought another pair of tires as I passed through town and made plans with Debbie Palmer to bring connectors and a crimping tool to the campground in North Dakota in hopes of repairing the wiring.
Newton Hills State Park has a lovely little horse camp and it’s 20+ degrees cooler here than it was in Nebraska, so that’s good. Although it rained lightly last night, I decided to go ahead and ride this morning. I planned what looked like an easy six-mile loop. It started out well enough with a brief visit to see the Big Sioux River before heading up into the hills. The eastern part of the state is lush and green and, as I soon discovered, quite slick and muddy after a rain. Things moved from gorgeous, easy sandy trails to “greasy” (a Northern term for super slippery) and “slick as snot on a doorknob” (a Southern colloquialism) as we climbed higher. It reached a point where it simply was not safe to stay mounted. So I got off and put on Annie’s emergency halter and let out 20 feet of lead so she could get well ahead of me. There where points where we were both literally skiing down long, steep slopes and scrambling to stay upright climbing up, up, up in deep mud.
Somehow we managed to make it out alive and amazingly unharmed, although I thought I might have a heart attack during some of the climbs. There are no photos from those sections of trail. After hosing Annie off and cleaning my filthy boots and tack, I decided an afternoon nap was in order. I slept so hard I must have gotten my arm caught in a funny position and sprained my wrist. It hurts but feels better after icing it and applying Sore No More and vet wrap. Seriously, so I survived this morning but got injured sleeping?! Oh, how I love irony.
#44 NORTH DAKOTA
June 15, 2018: Annie likes it here... Sheyenne Grasslands, North Dakota. Tomorrow we ride.
Note to friends: Please do not try to contact me via Facebook Messenger when I am on the road. I cannot retrieve messages without difficulty and even then, only on rare occasion. In the meantime it drives me nuts wondering what’s up. Texting or calling is the most reliable way to contact me.
Also, because I am often in remote areas or driving from one remote camp to the next, I sometimes go many days without cell or internet reception. I appreciate your concern but don›t worry if I ‘disappear’ for a few days.
June 18, 2018: The southeastern side of the state features 70,000 acres of Sheyenne National Grasslands, an area of lush rolling grass fields, sand hills (which were formed as drifts during the Dust Bowl in the 30s) and shady oak forests. Debbie, her husband Bruce and friend Rob met us at Jorgens Hollow to camp for a
few nights and we shared two very nice rides through this area. We celebrated an ‘event-free’ couple of rides through the Sheyenne Grasslands at the Silver Prairie Saloon in McLeod, ND, population 30. North Dakota, more like I always imagined it. Miles and miles of wide open spaces. Bruce and Debbie were kind enough to put us up for a night at their ranch so I could take a shower and do a load of laundry. Debbie and I took a short ride around the ‘hood. We are headed for Ft. Ransom in a few minutes to enjoy more good riding in ND. I am ready to declare southeastern North Dakota one of trail riding’s undiscovered gems. Debbie set out to show me some of the excellent riding available in her ‘backyard’ and what a fine job she did!
This park offers campsites with water and electric and many miles of beautifully manicured trails up verdant hills, through hardwood forests, over gently rolling bluffs with panoramic vistas and along the scenic Sheyenne River. Even Mother Nature cooperated today with ideal weather; cool and clear with low humidity. I don’t think Annie wants to leave all this luscious grazing but tomorrow we move on towards the Black Hills of South Dakota.
DX Ranch, Eagle Butte, South Dakota
SOUTH DAKOTA (again!)
June 21, 2018: DX Ranch, Eagle Butte, SD. Located where the sky and earth meet in central South Dakota, there is something magical about this place. The address says Eagle Butte, which is the closest town about 60 miles away. They run cattle, teach horsemanship, make strangers feel welcome and occupy the land once the home of their Native American ancestors and a Frenchman who settled there long ago. Truly an amazing experience to stay there. Had a visit amongst their broodmare and foal herd. They have an apprentice staying with them from Saudi Arabia. Upon meeting Annie, he paid her one of the best compliments I’ve heard. He said she made him homesick
Almost into the Black Hills now.
June 22, 2018: Well, that was fun (not)! What started out as a crisp, clear morning here in the Black Hills QUICKLY turned into a vicious storm. The bright blue sky grew some tall white clouds and then transformed within minutes to a dark, ominous black.
Just because she’s a sugar cube and thinks she will melt if she gets wet, I removed Annie from her corral and loaded her in the trailer. Moments later, “all hail broke loose”. She didn’t like the pounding racket on the metal roof at all but it was way better than getting pelted by large hail stones. Boy, am I glad I chose to take the day off from riding and stayed in camp to let us both adjust to the altitude.
June 24, 2018: After giving Annie and myself 48 hours to adjust to the altitude (turns out I’m having an allergic reaction to something in the air around here which is making me feel awful), we went on a short ride out from Hay Creek Ranch. It has continued to rain off and on following the horrendous hail storm and some of the trails were more like riding ankle-deep in a rushing creek.
I’m sitting up in the night drinking chamomile tea and hoping to help my sinuses drain. In the morning, I’ll be moving over to Elk Haven Horse Camp between Mt. Rushmore National Forest and Custer State Park, picking up Leslie and Jeanne at the airport in Rapid City and finding something to relieve this relentless headache. Looking forward to feeling better, seeing my good friends and riding more in the Black Hills.
June 25, 2018: Turns out, Annie likes coffee A LOT, maybe too much in fact. Just what I need — an Arabian jacked up on caffeine. Thanks, Leslie Flavell Reynolds, for letting her try a sip and Jeanne Neumeier for serving her a bowl of it.
June 28, 2018: Keystone, SD. All’s well that ends well, RIGHT? Leslie. Jeanne and I were joined by local horsewoman and new friend, Beth for a couple of hours of trail riding on Monday in the Black Hills. Beth brought some very nice Quarter Horses, picked up Annie and hauled us all over to a trailhead in the Black Elk Wilderness. We started off down one trail but after a number of water crossings which had step-downs and then blind plunges into deep streams flooded by recent rains, we decided to turn back and take an ‘easier trail’.
We followed along the road for a ways to another trailhead and then headed up into the mountains. We rode along for a few hours navigating some challenging water crossings and climbing gradually through some spectacular scenery. As we ascended, the trail became increasingly steep to the point of becoming outright dangerous. Between downed trees, mud, large rocks and dense undergrowth, we began to have our doubts that we were actually on the “easy” loop trail and about to find the road again. We were not far from a summit when Leslie realized she finally had a phone signal and decided to look at a map online.
As she and Beth looked that over, I too looked at our location, made note of the time and decided to call back down to camp to
let the owner know we might be in a bad situation. Fortunately, I had been making a mental note of the trail markers we occasionally passed and the name of the peak we were near. The camp owner became quite concerned saying we for sure could not get out continuing in the direction we were going and said we needed to turn around immediately and head out the way we came in as quickly as possible.
By this time, daylight was failing. We picked our way down the steepest, most difficult terrain I have ridden, each of us doing a damn fine job of riding, making good time and keeping our wits about us in the last remaining hour of daylight. Beth felt just awful for getting us into this jam but anyone who trail rides knows that anyone can get lost, make a wrong turn, miscalculate the distance, etc.
As night fell, it grew a little chilly, especially since my jeans and boots were wet from dismounting to allow Annie to cross some of the tougher boulder-strewn creeks without also having to balance me. Annie boldly took the lead as darkness descended, traveling at a brisk pace, confident in the trail to take to get us back out. She never put a foot out of place or disregarded my directions to walk on ahead of me as I clung to her leadline and tail through areas that were not safe to ride. She seemed to understand our dire situation and my need for her to stand quietly while I remounted or held her in check to wait for the others at critical junctures.
About a mile from the trailhead, my phone suddenly received a call from a search and rescue captain about the time I spotted flashlights headed our way. The camp owner, a member of the local Search and Rescue team himself, knew we could be in big trouble and called the crew out. We rode in, somewhat embarrassed and hugely grateful, deeply exhausted but unharmed. We loaded the horses and said our profuse thank-yous. As we drove off, one of the crew waved and said, “See you later” to which I replied, “No offense, but I hope not”.
There were lots of lessons learned, many of which were more like reminders of things I already knew but to which I had become inattentive. I am so grateful to Annie for probably saving my life, to Jeanne, Leslie and Beth for keeping it together and supporting each other and me through our ordeal, and to the heroes of Custer County Search and Rescue. Turns out, that area is a major location for large mountain lions who feed at night. Last year, someone who had become lost in that same location died from hypothermia on a cold night in August.
While this would not be anything I would have chosen to do, it did serve as a timely wake-up call. Carry a map even when you think you know where you’re going (or are following someone who does), have a flashlight, knife and lighter on you. Watch your time and, if in any doubt, turn around while you have daylight to go back out the way you came in. When you do not know, ask about potential hazards. Stay calm and work as a team when the going gets rough. Trust your horse with your life and make sure your horse can trust you.
Post Script: Annie and I were both pretty sore after 7+ hours and 20+ miles across rough terrain so we’ve taken a few days off to relax and recover at Elk Haven Ranch (love this place). On the way out, Annie lost her front boots. One was broken and we picked it up. The other was lost in the darkness and we were not going to stop to look for it. Losing a couple hoof boots is a small price to pay when in such circumstances.
When we were chatting with the search and rescue personnel, I mentioned this to a nice gal named Khris, a horsewoman herself who was one of the people hiking in carrying emergency medical supplies. I assumed the boot was gone but that was no big deal. Little did I expect her to ride that trail the next day looking for it. She found it and brought it by Elk Haven. I bought her lunch and a beer and found a new friend.
June 29, 2018: Still feeling a little worn and weary from the rough ride Monday, I decided to take a short ride yesterday to a meadow not far from Elk Haven Horse Camp that offered a spectacular distant view of Mt. Rushmore. It was one of those “must have” between-the-ears photos. It was a lovely little ride that got us both loosened up and ready for the next, hopefully less dramatic and dangerous, adventure.
June 30, 2018: Keystone, SD, United States. On Tuesday, we got a good view of Mount Rushmore, went to a wine tasting, visited Crazy Horse museum and monument (and returned that night to watch the bi-annual carving blasts) and had dinner in Custer. It was fun playing tourist and taking a break from riding.
WYOMING July 2, 2018: On Saturday, Jeanne, Leslie and I enjoyed a trail ride up into the Big Horn Mountains outside Buffalo, WY, led by ‘Superman’ cowboy Adam (he did resemble Chris Reeves) and his lovely German wife, Claudia. It rained and drizzled and even hailed on us up in the high country, but it was a magnificent ride nonetheless. After a nice picnic lunch, we decided to continue riding down in the foothills. Devil’s Tower, Wyoming Regrettably, my headache/ dizziness returned so I opted out of the second ride to just hang with Annie and take in the scenery from the ground. Later when Leslie mentioned a narrow trail along a high cliff, I was really glad I stayed put.
I turned Annie out for a little exercise in the rodeo arena next to the campground here in Ten Sleep. We’re heading on to Yellowstone/Tetons today.
July 3, 2018: My hair is on fire, figuratively speaking. Thank goodness for friends who know how to roll, land back on their feet and share a bottle of wine with you in the most trying of circumstances.
You will not believe this story. I still can’t. Almost a year ago, Angie, Leslie, Jeannie and I decided we would spend a special week together at Heart 6 Guest Ranch here in Wyoming. The place had a stellar reputation and is gorgeous so we decided to splurge and book a large cabin together. I sent them a sizable deposit and received a confirmation. We planned on horseback riding, rafting and having a good time and were very much looking forward to it.
About a week ago I received an email from them with a final confirmation suggesting we schedule any activities we might want to do. So we called. At first they couldn’t find our reservation and when they did, they had moved us to a small honeymoon cabin instead of the large cabin we had paid for. (The new owner moved into the cabin we had reserved.) I tried for many days to speak to the owner or manager trying to get something sorted out, without any response.
The other three arrived midday, had gone out to the ranch and said the rooms they had for us were dirty and entirely unsuitable. The owner said we could stay the night and look for another place the next day (its peak season here, of course). By the time I arrived yesterday late afternoon in Jackson Hole and confirmed we were on our way to check in, I was told they had cancelled our reservation and then they refused to give us a refund! The manager even threatened to have us arrested if we showed up on the property. Mind you it was late in the day, and I had just driven across half of Wyoming to get here, or I would have gone out and dared him to do that as I waved my confirmation notices. After sharing some ‘choice words’ with the manager over the phone, and meaning each and every thing I said, the girls helped me get situated at the county fairgrounds with Annie and went to town to find a motel room for the night. They came back out later to the fairgrounds and we hung out in the parking lot drinking wine and not letting the bastards get us down.
After a rough night’s sleep with Annie in the trailer, I woke up this morning and wrote a couple of scathing reviews on TripAdvisor and Google. Then I called the Wyoming Dude Ranch Association and they are definitely taking this matter seriously. They were very apologetic and I trust they will deal with it appropriately. I also went by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce this morning and told them what happened. And I’m just getting started. I will pursue legal recourse if I have to. They definitely pissed off the wrong person!
The other three decided to get a room in Cody, Wyoming, and I found a darling little place about 20 miles away called Rand Creek Ranch which has provided Annie and I an ideal place to kick back, relax, ride and enjoy our stay.
July 4, 2018: Annie and I hauled across the Continental Divide again to get back up and over to Cody, WY yesterday. Breathtaking drive through the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Eager to ride in this area, but there’s a 4th of July Parade and Rodeo in town today.
Cowboys, Indians and lots of celebrating the American Wild West. Went to the famous Cody Championship Rodeo afterwards. Didn’t get any photos of the action (impressive barrel racing and bull riding) as I was too busy admiring all those super-fine cowboy butts.
July 8, 2018: The last big adventure rafting the Shoshone River yesterday What a fun river trip! Although our original plans were altered, we landed on our feet, kept the good times rolling and had a FANTASTIC time in and around Cody, WY.
Today I saw certainly one of the most scenic drives in the entire U.S., with some of the most fun women I know to see it with. The drive up from Cody is nothing short of astounding along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, over Dead Indian Peak to Beartooth Pass and on to Red Lodge. If you are ever in this area, don’t miss this drive! Took a ride with Leslie and Angie Psait, and we climbed up into the mountains behind Rand Creek Ranch in Wapiti, WY. Their most excellent wrangler, Kendall, took us up some spectacular trails to see breathtaking vistas. Annie lost a hind boot somewhere out there in the sage brush so I turned back and hunted for it while they went on into the National Forest. The boot is still up there somewhere enjoying the view.
Annie and I enjoyed a very peaceful 5-night stay at this wonderful ranch near Cody. Nicest hosts you will ever meet with a beautiful place near the east gate to Yellowstone National Park. Leaving this morning for Dubois, WY and some good times saddling and paddling with Biggi Hayes.
July 9, 2018: Driving through Wind River Canyon: I decided to make a loop back around from Cody to Dubois the way I came in to the region last week (a much easier haul than coming through Yellowstone and Tetons National Parks). This time, I had time to stop and soak at the famous hot springs of Thermopolis. I also repeated this stretch of highway which was worth seeing again. I still can’t figure out the optical illusion created by driving downhill for about 20 miles with the river appearing to run uphill next to the road.
Made it to Dubois, WY. Annie likes it here too.
July 12, 2018: On Monday, Annie and I rode in Turpin Meadow with Biggi on her straight Babson gelding, Star. Not far from the Continental Divide, we got caught in an afternoon pop-up thunderstorm. The Tetons were visible in the distance. The fragrance of the flowers there was almost overwhelming.
Near Wapiti, Wyoming.
Two-fer Tuesday, Biggi and I paddled in the morning. We took kayaks up to the third in a series a clear, deep glacial lakes not far from Dubois, WY. This was the smallest of the three (actually named Trail Lake but I called it Baby Lake) — so sweet, still and tranquil. We paddled a short way up the river that feeds it from snow melting in the higher elevations.
I had mentioned to her earlier that I hoped to see some Bighorn Sheep sometime during my travels. After loading up the kayaks, she drove me a short distance up from the lakes and we came upon a herd of ewes and lambs. Ah, life is good.
Tuesday evening, Biggi saddled up Sunshine, her Babson-cross Arabian mare, and we rode from her house to a spectacular wildlife management area nearby. I am running out of adjectives to describe the beauty I am seeing. Annie finally met a chestnut mare who could out-walk her, leaving us to see the view and eat the dust we have so often provided those riding with us.
Crossing back through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks tomorrow over to Grand Prismatic Spring in West Yellowstone, Montana.
I got a message from some friends from Missouri, Tom and MJ McHaffie saying they were in the area. We met for breakfast on my way out of town. It was great to see them again and such a nice surprise!
#45 MONTANA
July 13, 2018: What’s more frightening than running into a Grizzly bear on the trail?? Running into a Grizzly bear CUB!
I checked in at the office yesterday morning of the Diamond P Ranch in West Yellowstone to pay, to check on trail conditions and to let someone know I was headed up the mountain to ride for a while. They reminded me to carry bear spray and said a mother Grizzly and her cubs were seen up there recently.
So with canister firmly on hip, following a short bit of target practice, I saddled up and rode anyway. Annie climbed a gentle series of switchbacks to an upper meadow. We had just ducked back into the heavily wooded forest when about 50 feet ahead, I saw it: a young adolescent cub off in a dark corner. It saw me, I saw it and we both had the same reaction — RUN!
I’m not even sure if Annie alerted to it as I felt no tension or hyper-vigilance from her, but I am grateful that when I suddenly told her to rollback and run, she did! We were back across that meadow moments later and setting into an open trot to gain even more distance from what could likely be one pissed off momma bear.
So that was my first ride in Montana. I’m going on to Idaho tomorrow, a state I’ve longed to see since I was a teenager. I’ll be riding up near Stanley in the Sawtooth Mountains and staying safe at a private ranch in the foothills for five nights. Eventually this trip will have me circling back to see more of Montana up near Flathead Lake. I just had to get this state checked off my list before hitting the final three: Idaho, Oregon and Washington (with a special side-trip to Northern California.)
One of my scariest adventures to date: I had to go to an AT&T store in Idaho Falls trying to get my phone either fixed or replaced without losing my contacts, photos, etc. I am seriously technophobic. Phone was dropped a week or so ago and has been acting strange ever since. Too vital to risk it so am facing one of my biggest fears; young male electronics nerds. Wish me luck!
#46 IDAHO
July 14, 2018: Annie loves it here! We are in Bellevue, Idaho staying at a small private stable at the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains. They had everything all set up for us. I am parked next to her run-in shed (they had this bed already made for her) and she has a safely fenced half-acre grass paddock next to their horses. We have a view of the surrounding hills and it’s very quiet and relaxing here.
Later today, I think we’ll take a leisurely ride around this area and along the nearby river. Tomorrow I’ll haul up towards Stanley for a real mountain ride.
Greenhorn Gulch, Idaho.
July 16, 2018: The folks Annie and I are staying with connected us up with some other trail riders in the area who were headed up Greenhorn Gulch to ride the Imperial Trail yesterday. I was grateful for the good company of Basha and Martha Miller and going out into such a spectacular place with someone who knew the trails. I did have to battle some of my personal anxiety about heights and chose to dismount and walk a particularly narrow and steep section at the top.
Four + hours riding at this altitude in the lower Sawtooth National Forest left us both feeling like today would be a good day to
rest up, attend to some other things and get ready for another epic ride at an even higher range tomorrow.
July 18, 2018: Took an utterly magnificent ride yesterday near Stanley, Idaho from Redfish to the Bench Lakes. Much of the trail was along a ridge with the Sawtooth Mountains on one side and Redfish Lake with the White Cloud Range on the other. Spectacular views in all directions! We climbed our way up to the two pristine little Bench Lakes. I ate lunch on a shady rock while Annie munched on some lush grass at the edge of the water. It was quite a haul over the Galena Pass to get to this area, but so worth it. I even got to see the Salmon River where it starts as a nondescript little stream high in the mountains.
After our ride, I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at the historic Redfish Lodge before braving the pass back to Bellevue. Upon pulling into the tiny parking lot jammed with tourists there to swim and enjoy the marina and lodge, I knew it was going to be tricky to get through it and back out. To complicate matters, someone parked their big Lincoln Navigator boldly in a no parking zone. As I swung wide hoping to miss it, I failed to notice another vehicle parked along the other side, also in a no parking zone. Although I was creeping along, the fender of my trailer caught the quarter panel of the second vehicle. Aaargh! So I borrowed a phone to call the sheriff to file an accident report, called my insurance company and snapped some photos.
After pulling some of the dents out of my trailer fender with my tire iron and with some help from the nice deputy who came, I squeezed through and on out of the parking lot. Not one to be deterred from my plan to have dinner before leaving, I found a parking spot at another lot up the road, gave Annie a bag of hay and a bucket of water and returned to the lodge. It was lovely and I enjoyed a memorable trout dinner putting the fender bender incident out of my mind. As I was getting ready to leave, a gentleman approached, said he had seen the fiasco in the parking lot, paid for my dinner and wished me a good day. How sweet was that!?
Annie scores again! I promised her I would do my best to find nice spots where she is safe, has room to move and some grazing after all the time she spends in the trailer. We are now near Boise, Idaho (actually Meridian) in a cozy, quiet spot. Hoping to ride a little at Eagle Island and visit Candy Odiorne.
It is HOT here and the a.c. in my truck works off and on, mostly off. Once we arrived and Annie was settled in, I decided to crank on the a.c. in my living quarters and take a short nap. I woke up three hours later after dreaming I was in a blizzard. Yep, that a.c. works real good!
July 19, 2018: Happy Birthday, dear Chevy! I’m celebrating a little early, just 75 miles shy of 200,000 miles. For its birthday, it got a new compressor and MY AIR CONDITIONER IS WORKING AGAIN!! Much gratitude to Candy for the referral and assistance and to the capable mechanics at Restoration Rods in Garden City, ID for their quick diagnosis and repair. We›re so cool now!
July 20, 2018: The barn owner Risa hauled us and her pretty little rescued Pinto mare over to Eagle Island yesterday evening for a ride. Although we sprayed ourselves and our horses thoroughly and repeatedly with repellent, we were bombarded with mosquitos. After a short ride, Plan B — which was to load up and go have dinner and a few beers — worked out fine.
Risa shared a sad but sweet story with me about losing a dearly loved Paint mare she had raised from birth and in her grief decided, “Death took something away from me. I’m going to take something away from Death”. Her new mare was en route to slaughter, as an untrained 4-year old, when Risa saved her.
NEVADA
July 22, 2018: Spent last night near Winnemucca, NV and am now headed to Tahoe National Forest to Skillman Horse Camp for three nights. I’m ready for something other than sagebrush and high desert hills! Excited that Linda Steinle and her friend will come ride with us tomorrow and hopefully later in the week.
Don’t worry if I seem to have ‘disappeared’ as I may not have a signal in the woods. Will emerge at Auburn on Wednesday ready to help crew for Stephanie Chase and her wonderful Babson-sired Al Khamsa Arabian horse, DA Serabaars Secret, during the Tevis Cup next Saturday.
July 26, 2018: 10:39 PM. I am getting way behind on posting updates, partly because I’ve been in remote, signal-less areas and partly because I’ve been on the go!
For my last full day in Southwestern Idaho, Candy of Neverdull Ranch planned a great day trip for us to the quaint little town of Murphy which features a fascinating museum rich with artifacts and history of the area and an impressive spur and bit collection. On the way we stopped at a funky little roadside attraction where the ferry used to cross the Snake River that had an extensive handmade birdhouse collection among other things. After the museum we took a scenic drive into a green valley of vineyards and ate at a great little restaurant in an area known as Sunnyslope. What a fun day that was!
Somewhere in the ‘small world’ of things, a friend of Candy’s recognized the DA prefix on the name of the horse I will be helping crew for during Tevis and reminded me this stood for Destiny Arabians and that Sheila Harmon owns his sire and lives in the area.
We were able to meet for lunch before I left for Nevada and points west. That was a nice addition to my brief stay in the Nampa area.
CALIFORNIA
July 27, 2018: 6:51 AM. So after driving across the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana and southern Idaho, I was growing tired of seeing desert and sagebrush. I wanted to see TREES, and I got trees, lots of trees and big trees at our site at Skillman Horse Camp in the Tahoe National Forest and one vista across the road as we headed down the mountain to Auburn. Lovely area, with TREES. Linda and I had a super ride through the trees from Skillman Horse Camp in the Tahoe National Forest. Turns out, she’s as much fun as I thought she would be. Not only have we enjoyed some good times riding and kayaking together, I am keeping Annie and my trailer at her place while I’m busy crewing at Tevis. The place I had arranged in advance turned out to be way down a crazy mountain road and she’s letting me home-base from Auburn instead, but after coming out of the Tahoe National Forest and discovering it was well over 100 degrees down in Auburn, Linda suggested we go kayaking instead of trail riding. We went to the American River before it becomes Folsom Lake. It was crystal clear and so refreshing!
So, now on my way up to the starting line for the Tevis Cup. Honored and excited to be crewing for Stephanie and her amazing DA Serabaars Secret. Will do my best to keep everyone posted as they head out on the most challenging 100-mile endurance ride in the country starting Saturday morning at 5:15. They will have 24 hours to make it to the finish across extremely difficult terrain in sweltering heat and humidity.
July 29, 2018: 10:17 PM. Got a few random ‘Day after Tevis’ photos and a pretty good story. One is Stephanie and DA Serabaars Secret totally ROCKING Cougar Rock. Two Mustangs finished in the Top Ten. A dark chestnut, MM Cody who was ridden by a Junior Rider, received the highly coveted Haggin Cup for Best Condition. Also of note, a 27-year old Arabian successfully completed this year’s ride in 13th place, in a year when only 43% of those who entered finished.
After dropping by the temporary Tevis Store just before the awards banquet this afternoon (which included a nice long chat with the photographer who captures those awesome Cougar Rock pictures), Linda and I went to see an art exhibit at the Auburn City Hall featuring Tevis and horse-related photos, paintings and sculptures. Linda had some of her best ‘between the ears’ photos on display.
Then she tells me she just got a text saying that there’s an estate sale at the home of Wendell Robie’s granddaughter. Wendell basically was the founder of the Western States Trail and Tevis Cup and his granddaughter, Maryanne, also rode endurance quite successfully, winning the Tevis in 1969.
So we hopped in the car and scurried over there. We found some great memorabilia, household items and riding gear including a rare book signed by Wendell himself and some assorted award buckles from various endurance rides.
Perhaps the best part was that Linda, a born-here local girl, and the nice fellow charged with distributing the property were able to connect. He was keenly interested to learn of the Western States Trail museum and other Tevis history-preservation organizations that would be good permanent homes for some of the more valuable and significant items.
July 30, 2018: 12:30 PM. Auburn, CA. Annie made it to the finish line of the Tevis at the end of the Western States Trail in Auburn. It was a grueling 3.6 mile trailer ride from Linda’s house but she arrived sound and in good shape. Her heart and respiratory rates were amazing, like she had been resting for days. In fact, she has so much energy and stamina, I think we will ride to No Hands Bridge and back.
August 1, 2018: 8:41 AM. Left Auburn yesterday and drove up through the Napa Valley. If I wasn’t hauling a horse trailer, I would have loved to stop at some of those vineyards! (I’ll be back.) Anyway stayed last night at this cute little place called Thunderbird Ranch. It’s an event center with a lot of history behind it that allows horse camping. Was met by an old friend from Eureka Springs I had lost contact with and haven’t seen for decades, Marianne Fulton. It was wonderful to reconnect with her (thanks to Facebook). She took me into Healdsburg for a fun evening of food and music on the downtown square. On to Arcata and the Redwoods today!
August 2, 2018: 9:14 AM. Drove north out of Napa Valley, up the coast and through the Redwoods yesterday to Arcata, CA. Along the way, I took a scenic detour through the Avenue of the Giants. Wow! Towering many hundreds of feet, this is some of the remaining 4% of ‘old growth’ forest still in existence today. Greedy humans are such idiots. Logging destroyed in a few decades what had taken many thousands of years for nature to create.
Using both hands on No Hands Bridge!
Cat Koshkin and I loaded up our horses and hauled to a nearby community-managed park, one that was logged leaving a handful of those behemoth trees, lots of smaller regrowth (some of these are now are 3-4 feet in diameter so still BIG trees) with a lush forest floor of ferns and flowers.
Morning mist now, and I am grateful for the moisture, green color everywhere and to Cat and her husband Patrick for their gracious hospitality last night. Later today I will go a little further up the coast to Orick to ride the beach and Cat and her friend Cindy will join me tomorrow to ride in the preserved old growth Redwood forest there.
August 3, 2018: 6:43 AM. Orick Beach, California: Joined by a Frenchman named Yvon, we rode from camp yesterday evening, crossed Redwood Creek and followed it along the levee out to the Pacific Ocean. Fantastic ride!
August 4, 2018: 11:53 AM. Cat sure showed me a good time during my visit to this part of California. Yesterday she and her friend Cindy joined me for a magical ride in the old growth Redwoods near Orick. To be in the presence of these ancient trees, to breath the oxygen-laden air, to look up in disbelief at their enormity, to feel the effects of a ‘forest bath’ (a Japanese phrase that comes close to describing it), is an experience like none other
August 4, 2018: 7:10 PM. Ambassador Annie, at it again: We no sooner got relocated and settled in at Ormans Guest Ranch in Crescent City, CA when Annie drew a crowd of kids. I had some sliced carrots for them to feed her and she gently accepted their offerings. This little girl really wanted to carry her grain and hay, so I let her. I liked her enthusiasm.
August 5, 2018: 5:43 PM. Crescent Beach, California. Annie and I are staying at a cozy campground about 30 miles south of the Oregon line. It has big grass paddocks and shelters for horses with access to beaches and giant Redwoods only a short distance away. Will be in the big trees again tomorrow. Today was a beach day!
August 6, 2018: 5:14 AM. Before riding, I went to lunch (working on correcting my Midwesterner’s seafood deficit) at the Chart Room on the marina. Spotted sea lions basking on a dock and a lovely view of the beach I would be riding. I encountered a herd of elk on the way back to camp.
August 1, 2018: 3:38 PM. Signs. Signs are good. Signs are important. Pay attention to signs!! A simple hop up the road a few miles turned to near-disaster when I missed my turn. I was busy looking for a landmark which I never saw, tried to stop short when I saw the right street and then back up. But I made the wrong decision to drive a little further instead to look for a place to turn around when I saw traffic coming my way. What I DIDN’T see in all of that was THE sign. So as a two lane narrowed to a twisty one lane which then turned to steep gravel with no place to get turned around, I knew I was in trouble.
I spotted a slightly wide spot, pulled over, got Annie out and tied safely to a distant tree, ran down the hill 100 feet or so around the blind curve and placed an orange traffic cone and then began the slow ziggy-zaggy process of maneuvering a tight U-turn with a gooseneck trailer. I waved down the first vehicle I saw coming down and asked about the road further up. They said “It just gets worse from here, much worse”. So I tried for a while with the help of a few very kind strangers who happened upon the scene but wasn’t making much progress.
About that time a woman with tattoos and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth came down the hill. (She reminded me of Large Marge in Peewee’s Big Adventure.) She slowed down, rolled down her window, said she was an licensed OTR trucker and then, masterfully stringing together a single sentence that combined the “fword” in more creative ways than I knew were possible, suggested I drop the trailer, get the truck turned around, then re-hook and jack-knife my way out.
Following her sage and colorful advice actually did work. I reloaded Annie, went back down the mountain to the turn I had missed, and the sign I had missed, back around to the trailhead and enjoyed a magnificent ride in the giant Redwoods.
#47 OREGON
August 7, 2018: 8:31 PM. After a spectacular drive up Highway 101, we arrived at Bullard’s Beach State Park this afternoon and rode out to the Coquille River Lighthouse (above).
August 9, 2018: 6:49 AM. Anne, Dee and I rode Bullard’s Beach yesterday morning. The sand was deep but otherwise it was a super nice ride. I think Annie is finally accepting that the waves aren’t out to get her. Afterwards we drove to the nearby cute little historic port town of Bandon for some fresh seafood and a little tourist fun.
Today, I will be heading inland and up to the Willamette Valley. Anne will join me there this weekend. First order of business is to get my brake rotors turned and an oil change. Those trips up and down the Continental Divide in Wyoming, Donner Pass in California, and the hellish dirt road in and out from Robie Equestrian Park during the Tevis Cup, have rendered my truck brakes in need of some attention.
Brake update: Fried another set of rotors. New ones all around.
August 11, 2018: 3:31 AM. Oregon Wine Country, Willamette Valley West of Eugene. Oh yes!
August 12, 2018: 7:31 AM. Took a really nice ride along the McKenzie River near Eugene with Sarah from the stables where I’ve been staying in Oregon. Today’s my last day at this location
and I’m trying to figure out how to fit in another trail ride and a few more wineries. I’m sure I’ll manage somehow.
August 15, 2018: 6:09 AM. Oregon — The “Dry Side”: I’ve been visiting Terry and Rosemary Doyle near Bend. After crossing over the Cascades at McKenzie Pass, the green trees, rivers and vineyards changed to ancient, twisted junipers, sage and presently, smoke. I am finding that arid climates simply do not agree with me. There are those who find great beauty in the desert. To me it looks like everything is struggling to just survive and not always succeeding.
I rode out from behind their ranch, Doyle Arabians, onto BLM land late yesterday afternoon. Terry, age 85, was going to join me but his riding horse had developed some girth galls from a recent saddle change. I would have enjoyed his company but was relieved in a way since he still competes in Endurance. He recently completed a three-day, 75-mile ride and I was genuinely worried I would not be able to keep up with him!
August 16, 2018: 9:42 AM. Well, that slow leak in my transmission transfer case that was discovered during a routine oil change in Junction City turned into a big leak after I left Bend.
Very fortunately, I was able to limp on in to Dee Van Gilder’s ranch near Wasco, have Annie happily settled in there and then get it in with her mechanic in The Dalles this morning. More good news is, it’s a relatively simple fix.
#48 WASHINGTON August 19, 2018: 6:36 PM. Well, we did it. Annie and I have now officially ridden in all 48 states. This journey has been one of challenges and changes, joys and excitement, and immense beauty — and it’s not over yet. We are about 3,000 miles from home with a few more adventures still ahead as we continue traveling and trail riding on our return. Tomorrow we will head a little further up Highway 101 along the Washington coast to the point where we either end up in Canada or the Pacific Ocean, or turn right and start the long trek back. Our first stop will be at Camp Littleton at Mount Muller in the Olympic National Forest. From there we will head for the mountains east of Seattle and on through Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico before shooting across Texas and Oklahoma back to Arkansas.
I am grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way thus far, whether it was a place for us to stay, a trail riding buddy, some local advice or logistical support, a meal, a shower or a load of laundry — or a new friendship — or all of those things! The personal connections I’ve made have been as important to me as the road trip itself, the sights we’ve seen and the trails we’ve ridden. Thank you to all who have supported us along the way!
August 21, 2018: 1:12 PM. As I suspected, the smoke is too thick in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington to ride much. What light there is has a strange pinkish gray cast to it and visibility is greatly diminished. I had hoped to ride to the top of Mount Muller as I have heard the views are normally nothing short of spectacular. It’s a 1500+ foot climb so there’s NO WAY I would ask Annie to exert herself that much with this crummy air quality. Instead we took a ride through the forest on level ground at the base of the mountain.
August 1, 2018: 9:02 PM. We are up in the eastern corner of the Olympic Peninsula now at a neat little (currently empty) horse camp. Air continues to be quite smoky, enough so that any strenuous effort is not advised.
So instead of a trail ride up to see across the sound to the Canadian city of Victoria, we played on their obstacle course. It required low respiratory exertion and is something we hadn’t done in a while. My obstacle-challenged friends might pick up a few ideas and see some old stand-bys for arena obstacle courses.
Annie likes it here because she has a little pasture. I’m happy because she’s happy. Tomorrow we move on, but I suspect the smoke is there too.
Smoke on Lake Kachess, Washington.
August 23, 2018: 7:46 AM. Dee and her chestnut mare, Treasure, met up with us to camp a couple of nights in the mountains east of Seattle. We’re still taking it easy due to the smoke-filled air but enjoyed a nice level ride out to Lake Kachess. Campground is fine but a bit too close to the highway for any total peace and quiet. Hoping the rumor that air conditions will improve today are true so we can head up into higher elevations. Either way, I’m sure we’ll still have a good time!
August 24, 2018: 8:07 AM. The dense smoke gave way to blue skies and a perfect day for trail riding with Dee yesterday. I finally got a glimpse of the beautiful mountains and northern Washington scenery which had been obscured for days. Truly magnificent!
IDAHO
August 26, 2018: 6:15 AM. Had quite a fine day yesterday starting near Sandpoint, Idaho with a lesson in Cowboy Dressage from Jenni Grimmet. I’m working on trying to be a more balanced, kinder and softer rider for Annie. Afterwards, we took a short trail ride from her Lucky Duck Farm to Muskrat Lake. I was excited to buy a copy of Jenni’s recently released beautiful book, Dressage the Cowboy Way, one I would recommend to anyone seeking to better their riding skills and relationship with their horse.
Then Jenni updated Annie’s health certificate (she’s a large animal vet) with a 30-day destination of HOME, we loaded up and made the scenic albeit smoky drive along Lake Pend Oreille into Montana. The day ended with a nice long soak in Big Medicine Hot Springs. It was great. Soaked in there with a Native America multi-generational family speaking a language I’ve never heard, followed by a yummy dinner on a mountain top with my overnight hosts, Ron and Deb, who are friends of Jenni and Dan’s.
MONTANA
Today we are headed into the Bob Marshall Wilderness for five nights of camping and trail riding. The first three will be with Rebecca Myers and the last two will be on our own. We will be at Owl Creek Pack Station southeast of Flathead Lake. After that, we will start the rapid drop south before winter arrives in the mountains. I suspect I won’t be online for a while. Don’t worry, I have bear spray!
August 1, 2018: 11:15 AM. Plain, Montana (it used to be called Wild Horse Plain): This area is known as Montana’s ‘Banana Belt’ because it experiences milder winters than elsewhere. The wild horses figured that out and would migrate here to winter pastures. I did overhear an old timer at breakfast saying there’s snow up above 7,000 feet already. Yikes!
August 29, 2018: Owl Creek Packers Camp, Flathead National Forest, MT.
Here’s a neat place for a small gathering of trail riding friends. Situated at the trail head which goes up into to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, this camp serves as a staging area for mules and horses packing hunters and explorers up into ‘the Bob’.
It also has a small rustic cabin ($30), one large and one medium sized pipe corral ($20) and plenty of parking areas for LQs (no charge), a few with electric. There’s potable water, fire rings and picnic tables throughout the campground. Cabin has four twin beds (BYO bedding), a stove, small fridge, pots, pans, dishes, etc. and a large wooden table with chairs. It has electricity, water and vault toilets outside, and heat from a wood stove. Bring weed free hay.
September 2, 2018: Challis, ID. Riding up to Holland Falls in the Flathead National Forest of Montana. Rebecca and I rode up, up, up along a lovely trail over Holland Lake towards the pass that is the boundary for the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The last half mile or so before we made it to the waterfall was rather terrifyingly narrow and rocky with steep drop offs — but gorgeous views. I could see where some horses or mules had missed their step and
Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana. Below, Holland Falls.
parts of the already treacherous trail were further eroding off the hillside. (Later I heard from a forest ranger one mule broke its leg on that stretch this summer. You know it’s bad when mules are getting hurt.)
Anyway, we stopped for lunch at the waterfall but my nerves were so jangled I couldn’t eat. I stayed dismounted for the top part of the way down, glad for the exciting experience and splendid scenery but equally glad to be off that mountain! We then took a short ride past Owl Creek camp down to the lake to take pictures and unwind from our adventure. I am grateful for the clear skies yesterday so I could actually see some of Montana’s renowned beauty and for Rebecca’s company these past few days. Next stop, after I get back to ‘civilization’ and can make some phone calls, is the Bitteroot Mountains in southern Montana before heading south along the Salmon River into Idaho.
We are out from ‘The Bob’, or actually it was more of a ‘NearBob Experience’. The Bob Marshall Wilderness, simply referred to as ‘The Bob’ around here, starts at a high and distant pass accessed only by steep and narrow trails that climb up from Owl Creek Packers Camp. I opted to tackle some of the trails up and around Holland Lake from there rather than ride quite that far or quite that wild.
IDAHO
September 3, 2018: Challis, ID. Annie was ready for a day off and I was ready for a day on the water. The outfitter I had tentatively arranged in Challis to float the Salmon River had not returned
from the backcountry so I went into town to have cell service and make some calls to try and figure something out. From what I had gathered the previous day, I was going to have to drive an hour+ back to the town of Salmon or up to Stanley (which is gorgeous but over another high pass and I had just hauled across the Continental Divide the day before).
I happened to stop for breakfast at an inconspicuous diner and noticed a small sign that said “We rent boats”. They catered to fishermen but had a single person ‘cataraft’ available and were willing to shuttle me to put in at Challis Hot Springs and leave my truck at a bridge about 10 miles downriver. [Note to self: Did he just say ‘hot springs’?!] to visit and ride in areas I missed on my 2015 trip. First stop is to see my cousin, Debbie Highsmith and ride with Stephanie, the woman I crewed for at Tevis earlier this trip) near Salt Lake, then on to Moab, Escalante and the Paria River canyon region before heading east towards home.
September 6, 2018: (morning) Poor Annie! We had a minor veterinary emergency yesterday but she’s okay now. I noticed in the morning she seemed to be chewing her feed a little oddly. I went into town and attended to numerous errands such as laundry, groceries, oil change, feed store, etc. When I came back a few hours later she had a profuse amount of drool and thick clear mucus hanging from her mouth. All of her vitals were normal, I couldn’t find anything in her mouth and she was willing to graze. After a while, everything seemed okay. An hour later I checked her and the drooling mucus problem was back. I knew something was definitely amiss.
Very fortunately the vet that Stephanie uses in Park City could see her right away, so I loaded her up and in we went. After sedating her and cranking her mouth open with that equine dental torturelooking device, he reached in with some pliers and extracted a 3/4 inch piece of hay which had somehow impaled itself about halfway into the back of her tongue. While he was in there, he noticed some sharp points on her teeth and filed them down. He said not to ride her that day but that she would be fine to travel and continue our normal activities today.
So Stephanie and I enjoyed a very pleasant food-eating, winedrinking but non-riding evening together. Today, Annie is 100% back to her normal self and we will be heading south to Moab.
UTAH September 2, 2018: (evening, after traveling during the day) Our camping spot for the night at Ken’s Lake, Moab, Utah, is magnificent, just very open and dry. It’s absolutely amazing but the lack of shade for us both and water for Annie is a concern. She seems more anxious than usual so that has me keyed up a little too. We will probably both feel more settled in a while. It was a long
I was a little nervous hitting an unfamiliar river solo but was as- day on the road and the immensity of this place hasn’t sunk in yet. sured it would be an easy float. So with pink hat, sunscreen and September 7, 2018: We took an amazing ride this morning up life jacket on, I shoved off. I quickly determined that this otherwise into those canyons. But upon our return, I decided to relocate a stable watercraft did not steer like a kayak. It did not steer like a few miles up the road to Spanish Trails Arena. The lack of accessible canoe. In fact, it did not steer at all! I finally decided after being at water for Annie made it necessary, plus I wanted a few “amenities” the mercy of the swift current that the only hope I had was to treat it like a homemade raft and paddle low in front on either side in a near futile effort to avoid the occasional low branch and driftwood. Later, someone explained that fishermen paddle facing backwards making the split oars and catamaran design make some kind of sense. Duh.
Anyway, it was a magnificent and mostly peaceful four-hour float through some amazing rock formations. I spotted two bald eagles, ducks, geese and assorted waterfowl and had the river all to myself. Afterwards, I headed back to the hot springs for a nice long soak to end the day. I particularly enjoyed the hot shower before the thermal pools. You know you are past due for a real one, not just a sponge bath, when you are thinking back to recall your last and it was well over a week and a couple of states ago.
September 4, 2018: Had some plans change in my travel itinerary which opened up a few extra days to spend in Utah. Excited Moab, Utah.
myself. Water, precious water, to refill water containers and take showers (Annie got one too). There was even water to irrigate a small green lawn, where Annie munched happily for a while as she dried in the warm sun.
She was not entirely comfortable out there without any other horses anywhere, and NO GRASS. Plus she has this freaky thing about ‘cars at a distance’ and there were some lightly traveled roads crossing the desert. She would go onto alert mode all night when lights randomly passed by, even though they were far away. I’m sure she didn’t rest well. But now we are content and wellhydrated and ready to roll on to Escalante in the morning. Annie is pooped. She’s finally laying down and occasionally going flat out. Even though this area lacks the sheer beauty of the other place (you can still see the mountains and cliffs but there’s buildings, barns, traffic, corrals), it’s a bargain at $20 which includes a large corral, RV spot, water, electric and a great hot shower!
September 8, 2018: I’m never one to miss a photo op or a chance to see someplace spectacular. So I just had to take a drive through Arches National Park this morning, leaving Moab on our way to Escalante. And yes, in the midst of tourist traffic mayhem, I unloaded Annie and snapped a few pictures at the iconic arch. She was totally cool about it. I’m wearing one of my Al Khamsa t-shirts in recognition of the annual convention which I am regrettably missing this weekend. But I’m pretty sure my AK friends will understand. and drive down through Boulder to Escalante. The terrain varies so much in this area, it’s like you are in another part of the world, or on another planet entirely, every few miles.
I had to pull over at the summit and let my truck catch its breath (all gauges were pegging out in the red zone) and thought I was going to hyperventilate driving down what seemed like a wall of the Grand Canyon. There were a few place where it was just the two-lane road on top of a high ‘backbone’ ridge, no rails and sheer drops for thousands of feet off either side. If I had been trail riding, I would have dismounted and walked. And, like when trail riding, I was too preoccupied with staying alive to take photos of that section of the trail.
We settled in at the old racetrack/rodeo grounds in Escalante and were visited by Crockett Dumas. (If you don’t know who he is, look him up!) He pointed us in the right direction for a ride today and will come join us if we’re still out exploring this afternoon.
At Arches National Park, Utah.
September 9, 2018: Yesterday was one for the record books as far as scenic drives and cramming a lot into one day goes. We left Moab and drove through Arches National Park in the morning and then looped back west to Escalante. That drive which starts off rather boring down Hwy 24 across barren desert, gets outrageously beautiful as you go through Capital Reef, and totally insanely spectacular after you turn on Hwy 12 as you cross over a high pass
Excalante River Canyon, Utah.
September 10, 2018: Escalante River Canyon, Utah. What an amazing place! My neck got tired from looking up in awe at the amazing rock walls towering hundreds of feet above us. We somehow missed connecting with Crockett and Terry as they rode into the canyon from their place and I entered from the trail head. We did get together later for a nice dinner and relaxing evening at The Outlaw Ranch.
I drove from the town of Escalante through Bryce Canyon and on around to the southern region of Grand Escalante National Monument earlier today. Snapped a few quick pics from the road near where Annie and I rode three years ago on the western side of Bryce. I was glad to go through there again and am excited to get a chance to explore the Paria area of Utah for the next two days.
I also noted I have reached roughly the same latitude as my home in Arkansas. From here, we zig and zag and have a few more trails to ride, but we will be primarily headed east over the next two weeks. Annie found the only patch of grass in southern Utah, of course.
We’ve got some riding to do from Paria River Ranch, Utah. One can ride off in any direction, across open plains, through colorful rock mesas and deep canyons. The canyons get steeper and deeper and more beautiful around every narrow turn.
September 12, 2018: Got some more photos from a ride yesterday with some fun riding buddies I met at camp, Jena Stewart and
Buckskin Gulch, Utah. Leslie Malone (from Georgia). They allowed me to tag along on a ten-mile ride up and back through Buckskin Gulch up to
the slot canyon near Paria. These photos give you a glimpse of the unique and varied terrain as we rode in and out of the canyon. We even saw some pictographs!
I wanted to ride in a ‘slot canyon’ and got my wish yesterday at the end of Buckskin Gulch near Paria (pronounced Pah-ree-uh) Utah. I have a bunch of photos of the entire awesome ride. Dim light, difficult footing which often alternated between deep mud and rock rubble and an excited horse (and a cheap cell phone camera) doesn’t do the place justice.
The most ‘exciting’ portion was as we got into the slot area, we encountered very deep, thick mud that tried to swallow us up. We worked our way around most of it and a lot of rock rubble but finally had to turn back when it just got to be too dangerous. They were fun gals to ride with on good horses that took it all in stride.
I’m headed on to the Four Corners area of Colorado this morning. Between this trip and a visit three years ago, I’ve spent a month exploring Utah, and feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of this state. If you are looking for a place that offers endless riding through diverse and interesting geography, Utah certainly offers that!
Saddlehorn Pueblo, near Cortez, Colorado.
September 14, 2018: Camping in southwestern Colorado.
September 15, 2018: 8:38 AM. Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, Cortez, Colorado. Protected traditionally by the ‘Sleeping Ute’ mountain (and now Federal regulations), this area is rich with the history and archaeological sites of the Ancestral Puebloan people. Remnants of their cliff dwellings and artifacts abound in this high desert area. Exploring the canyon geology combined with the views and unique ancient Native American cultural heritage made for a fascinating trail ride yesterday.
NEW MEXICO September 16, 2018: Northern New Mexico. Annie and I crossed the Continental Divide yesterday for the last time on this trip. Now it feels like we are officially headed home. We’re staying for a few days at a really nice horse camp called Taos Horse Getaway. Nothing fancy but a magnificent view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and endless miles of trails through Carson National Forest all around us. The best part is that Annie can be out grazing on the sparse but actual grass... and there’s trees! No offense to you desert-lovers but I’ve seen enough sagebrush and cactus to last me a while.
Near Taos, New Mexico.
September 19, 2018: I’ve enjoyed three fabulous days here near Taos. Two were spent riding in the beautiful Carson National Forest with Eron, a neighbor here at Taos Horse Getaway. Turns out we know a handful of people in common from the ‘endurance set’ and like going about the same pace and distance. We looked for a herd of wild horses, actually small roan ponies that live in the forests
My farm is Dhabi Farm at dhabifarm.com
The horses are Dhabi Arabians. My Abayyan stallion, Navelli (Mahkiavelli KA x DKA Nadir), is gorgeous and wants to get some registered foals on the ground. ~ dhabigirl64@gmail.com
and meadows in this area. We didn’t see them but saw plenty of evidence that they were around. We also saw an elk whose latenight whistling and bugling during rutting season has been very upsetting to Annie.
The day in between, I spent soaking and rejuvenating my weary body and soul at Ojo Caliente near here. If you are a spa-hopper like me, this is one of the best! It features a wide assortment of natural springs with differing mineral contents and temperatures, sauna, steam and a mud bath. They’ve managed to retain the peace and tranquility of this ancient place of healing.
I finished off the day yesterday after a long morning ride with a trip into Taos and a walk around the plaza. I then met up with my dear old friend, Sharon, for some food and brews with live Blues music at a local hangout. We went to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge at sunset, although the height was unnerving to me. Annie and I’ll be headed over to her place on the other side of the mountains later today.
September 22, 2018: Yesterday was our last ride for this trip. I chose to go up the mountain overlooking Chacon Valley, NM, from my friend Sharon’s home. [Lead photo.] Annie and I have both been cozily holed up here enjoying the cooler fall weather, green grass, beautiful vistas and the gracious hospitality of one of my dearest old friends. It has been restful, and we really needed some of that.
Tomorrow we are back out on the road for a three-day haula-thon across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, then we pick up Aaseff and Lightning and get home! We’ll be making a few stops along the route, one to meet Sharon Casey Pappas Jackson and see her horses near OKC.
Looking forward to getting home and deeply grateful for having seen what I’ve seen between Annie’s ears. [Editor: We are deeply grateful, also, to Ellen and Cathy and Annie, of course, for sharing the stories!]
Davenport Arabian Horse Conservancy
Ask us about the Davenport Arabian Horse as Homer Davenport knew it in the desert, and as we still know it..
Secretary Jeanne Craver 709 Brackett Lane. Winchester IL 62694, mowarda@gmail.com www.DavenportHorses.org
Chef Al Khamsa and the Roster
Chef Al wants to know if you use the Al Khamsa Roster. Once a year? Ten times a Year? Every week? How much is that amazing tool worth to you? Like Public Radio, there is no toll when you access the Roster. Al Khamsa has no dues. Our volunteers do much of the work of the website, but there are continuing costs to maintain our presence on the internet. Won’t you make a contribution to support this wondrous service? The Roster is just a part of the information you can find about the Al Khamsa horse or about your own Al Khamsa horse on the website. You can designate your donation specifically for the General Fund, the Endowment, the AERC Fund or give to the Preservation Task Force by pressing this button at https://alkhamsa.org/about-us/how-you-
can-help:
or by mailing your check to the Al Khamsa Business Office, 470 Folsom-Jonesville Road Jonesville, KY 41052
P.S.! Remember to designate Al Khamsa, Inc., when making an AmazonSmile purchase!
Have you visited our website?
Only a few copies are still available of the essential reference book, HEIRLOOM EGYPTIAN ARABIAN HORSES, 1840-2000 by John W. Fippen. Hardcover, 592 pages, with over 400 archival black/white photographs. Please visit the website for excerpts and ordering information.
www.heirloomarabianstud.com
TWIN BROOK FARM
Offers for your Consideration, Al Khamsa, Blue Cataloged, Straight Egyptian, Asil Bloodlines
Kamal El Farid AHR #639179
Bay stallion, 6/13/2008 (Shaikh El Farid x Al Niswannah by Almawardy+), bred in the strain Abeyyan Tail Female to *Magidaa. SCID clear, LFS negative & N/N for CA. DNA Test: Ee/Aa (carries the black gene) Runs year round in pasture with colts and geldings here at the farm. He has sired quality foals who inherit his stellar disposition, sturdy correct structure with excellent bone. Excellent to handle for hand or pasture breeding. https://www. allbreedpedigree.com/kamal+el+farid
Adeb AHR #671776
Grey colt, 6/21/2016 (Ansata Qasim x Fahdeelah Ajiba), Abeyyan Strain Tail Female to *Magidaa. SCID clear, LFS negative & N/N for CA. Ansata Qasim is by Farres by Anaza El Nisr, the grey full brother to Anaza El Farid. True to his breeding, a quality colt; runs with the stallion Kamal El Farid and the geldings. Beautiful head and set of neck, balanced body on excellent legs with superb motion and size. https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/adeb Fakhoor El Kadeen AHR # 671473
Dark bay colt, 8/25/2017 (Anaza El Kadeen {full brother to Anaza El Farid} x Fahdeelah Ajiba). Abeyyan Strain Tail Female to *Magidaa Abeyyan Strain Tail Female to *Magidaa. SCID clear, LFS negative & N/N for CA. Beautiful head and eye. Tall, leggy colt, balanced body. A colt who runs with the herd, well-socialized. Well-mannered colt for show and/or stallon potential. https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/ fakhoor+el+kadeen
*** Al Nazer Kamal AHR #660974
Bay gelding, 5/17/2013 (Kamal El Farid x Badiha). Hadban Enzahi Strain. SCID clear, LFS negative & N/N for CA. Beautiful head with eyes full of expression, super friendly and attentive attitude. Stands 15.hh barefoot, a full-bodied horse with depth of hip. Wide chest, sturdy, clean legs and feet. Trained to saddle, a true trail enthusiast, he would make an excellent CT/Endurance horse. https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/al+nazer+kamal Plus Mares and Fillies available: check out our website.
Contact: Marguerite Illing
milling853@gmail.com ~ www.twinbrookarabians.com ~ or call 845-292-7797 in the evenings only after 8pm EST for details, photos, current videos upon request and prices
Davenport Stallion Available at Stud
Monologue CF
Riposte CF x Soliloquy CF 2002 bay stallion (2012 photo) Proven Sire of Quality Arabians
Darlene Summers and Edouard Al Dahdah quiltingbeans@gmail.com ealdahdah@hotmail.com
Lothar *Fadl x Habba
Ibn Lothar Shar Sabbah Negem x Gammousa Abbas Ibn Lothar Mah Hab Mahrouf x Bah Habba Bint Roulett
Roulett Mahrouf x Roulena
Fa Lothar Azaba
Saafaddan Faddan x Saaba Ibn Saafaddan Daal Aba Daaldan x Fay El Aba Almoraima Neblina Mahrouf Fabah x Aaroufa Marlaroufa Bint Bah Roufa Ibn Fa-Serr x Bah Roufa
Taliid Faye Neblina
Fleet-Foot Khebir x Nadra Sera DahmanSabbah Khezera Ibn Faddan x Aradan
Bedu Sabir
Aareebah
Negem Fa-Serr x Fay-Negma
Shar Sabbah Gammousa *Fadl x Fay-Sabbah
Ibn Fa-Serr Fa-Serr x Fa Deene Midbar Fa Rabdan Aroufina Fabah x Roufina Almoraima Alegria Mahrouf Fabah x Aaroufa Fa Mahrouf Bint Bahretta Serr Rou x Bahretta
