We are planning a GAS CASH fundraiser for June 2 at a friend's, Eldy and Carol Swendsen, ranch just outside of La Pine. The ranch has a beautiful log amphitheater/stage and outdoor buffet bar. The fundraiser is by invitation and will feature the Armadillos band with our band, Desert Sage, opening. We need to raise @ $1200 for gas for this trip so will offer people to sponsor $1/mile with a map of the trek on display coloring in the route miles as donations come in. There will also be a 50/50 raffle splitting the funds between the winner and the GAS CASH fund. We will serve trail food of hot dogs, beans, and chips, along with beverages. We probably won't actually be eating that well on the trip :)
Friday, March 30, 2012
FUNDRAISER
My bad, we are riding to Glendo State Park Reservoir, WY, not Glenco.
The event should be a lot of fun, and we will be able to afford to come home!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
THE
DREAM - 2012
My dream
since I was a kid.....Ride to Montana horseback. Well, this summer I
am riding either to Glenco State Park Reservoir, Wyoming, or Pony, Montana, whichever I can reach in the three months allotted, by way of Walla Walla, WA! I have
friends who live at each destination, (Jerry & Elayne Watrus in Glenco, Fred & Joy Flint in Pony) so will have a friendly spot to
land at the end of the trail.
I read the book "In the Company of Mules" by Jody Foss, who rode her mule from her home in northern Idaho to
the Oregon coast, going through Walla Walla, etc. When I finished her
other book "Mules Across the Great Wide Open" early August 2010 about her ride with her sister, a
friend, and a young man that joined them along the way, from northern
Utah to Spokane, WA . That did it! My adrenalin started pumping, I
couldn't sleep, I was going crazy! I thought "What am I going to do, wait until I'm 80 and wish I would have?!"
So...I
wrote Jody a letter and called to see if I could meet her at her home
in Kimberly, OR, (about 45 minutes from John Day) when my husband
Norm & I went to the rodeo in John Day with friends Ken & Linda the end of
that August. Linda and I ran up to meet Jody one afternoon and
had a great visit. I met Mavis, the mule she rode in her second
book. I showed her my plan, and she said “That is soooo doable!”
After breaking the news to Norm, the real planning started.
Although Norm thinks I'm crazy, his help, support, and willingness to let me go and keep things going on the homefront has been imperative to making my dream come true. And thank you, all my friends and family, who have also been supportive, the ones who are excited for me, the ones who wish they could go, the ones who think I am crazy, and the ones who are worried about me.
PLANNING...
Looking
for a small group of ladies to make this trip, I found one, Sandra
Russell, who was originally making the whole trip but has since had
to limit herself to one month. Since, oddly, both of our names are Sandra Jo, we felt this was meant to be. The ride was planned for summer 2011,
but with several holes in our plans and the equine herpes outbreak, we
postponed until summer 2012. The original plan was to take pack
horses and sleep out every night. We were short a pack horse, so
opted to take a truck/horse trailer support. We are very fortunate
to have found our driver, Judy Keller, and her co-pilot, Linda Phillips, who's enthusiasm and spirits
have been a great asset to our team. The plan is to ride a maximum
of 20 miles a day, probably closer to 10-15, resting 2-3 days a week,
depending on weather, terrain, and horse condition, meeting up with support each night. We will sleep in the trailer with the horses highlined outside. The support team will then be our
ride home. This is not a race to see how quickly we get from point A
to point B, but rather a special time to bond with our horses,
keeping their safety, welfare and comfort most important.
The TEGs (Tuff Enuff Gals) meet bi-weekly going over supply lists, maps, contacts, etc. Time is getting close, we get more and more excited as plans fall into place.
We've
been in touch with State Police, Sheriffs, and Forest Service offices
along the route for information, and advice. They have all
been incredibly helpful.
THE RIDE STARTS....
The ride starts July 1, riding out from
last camp of the Pendleton Round-Up Wagon Train somewhere between
Heppner and Ukiah, OR. First major stop will be Walla Walla, WA,
where my 94 year-old cousin, Lucille, will be waiting to greet us. I
think she is as excited about this ride as I am. We will rest our horses, and our bones, at cousin Linda (Lucille's daughter), husband Doug, and boys Justin and Adam's. BCH (Back Country Horsemen) Club of Idaho member Rod Parks from Clarkston, WA, has graciously offered to meet us is Walla Walla and guide us at least to Lewiston, ID. He is also checking on our planned route to Darby, MT.
YOU ARE INVITED....
We are contacting horse clubs and inviting riders to join us along any
portion of the route.
Anyone
interested in joining our ride, please comment on this blog, or e-mail me at tuffenuffgals@gmail.com. You can follow my adventures on this blog, or follow the group as a whole and view our "rules" (recommendations) for riding with us on www.2012horsetrek.blogspot.com.
God
bless the team, and God bless our horses.
Sandy
Jansen
Friday, March 16, 2012
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