Chicken Chase

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

I've been trying to find time to sit down and do my version. THOROUGHLY
enjoyed getting to go up to Indiana for the first time.  It's always fun
to go somewhere new, and it had been so long since I'd gotten to see
Bill, Amy, Connie, Susan Philpot (new name now?) and some of those folks
that I first met back at the old Tellico rides.

It's pretty cool hauling across Kentucky.  When you come up to a
construction area and there's a huge flashing sign it reads: "SLOW- LEAVE
THE RACIN' TO HORSES" even the diamond shaped yellow caution signs have
race horses on them and the same slogan.  I was paranoid since I'd
forgotten I needed a health certificate.  I'd thought I was going to be
hauling with my neice in the big aluminum trailer and ended up in my 2
tone primered 2 horse.  I could just imagine the control officer watching
out for the likes of me with the Derby festivities beginning. >g<  I took
all my health documentation I needed for the Pan Am (lists of
innoculations, etc) and practiced my innocent "I thought this would do"
speech.  Fortunately the officers must have been at the "Thunder Over
Louisville" air show or getting ready for one of the world's largest
fireworks display that was going to be held Saturday night for the Derby
Festival.  They shoot them off the bridge that goes over the Ohio River
and it's all closed off Saturday night so at least we knew all the riders
wouldn't be heading out right after the ride. :-) 

Coming from the mountains, then crossing flat Kentucky, I got a little
over confident about the difficulty of the trail. Ha. Ha.  It's not a
coincidence that Amy Whelan, Connie Caudill and Bill Wilson come down
here and kill us in the mountains.  They've got HILLS.  LOTS of
hills...all lined up one after the other!  The big difference is; no
rocks!  I'd never seen so many steep hills with good footing.  Bill's
farm borders the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources trails and they're
great.  His farm is beautiful with shade for the vet check, a handy pond,
a good barn for the meeting and fantastic grazing in the field we parked
in.  I seldom travel outside the Southeast region since I live in the
dead center of it, so it seemed strange to see so many people I didn't
know, but everyone was friendly.  My neice commented several times that
the camp was much quieter than the ones in the south. >g<  I think it was
just that there wasn't the periodic roar of laughter from the Kasemayer
trailer.  It's just not the same without Nina's jokes and Danny Herlong's
stories. >g<

My goal for the ride was a good completion, middle of the pack.  I had
done the Million Pines 50 2 weeks ago, and had the Biltmore 100 to do in
2 weeks, so all I wanted to have was a darned tough training ride.  We
started in a light mist and we went down, and down, and down, and down. 
I think 13 out of the first 15 miles were downhill. I have no idea how we
ended up back up at the elevation of camp.  I thought we were going to
end up inside Mammoth Cave any minute.  There was a light mist and the
very upper layer of dirt got a tad slippery.  At one point he felt like
he slipped and was crawling in the front and his rear end slid out from
under him in the back, but we just slid forwards down the hill and ended
up back on our feet again. >whew< The first 15 miles was challenging and
then we went back in for a 45 min. hold.  The mist cleared out and there
was a nice stiff breeze.  

Now for the 25 mile loop. Oh my. I'm not crazy about long loops like
that.  I took 2 doses of electrolytes and was glad I did.  We went up,
then down, then up, then down. It was like a rollarcoaster with lots of
Scream Machine hills.  I still haven't figured out where the switchbacks
were that they kept talking about.  From what I could see the trails were
darned straight up and down the hills.  At one point Kaboot started
trying to make switchbacks on a trail that was about 6 feet wide.  It
took us 3 1/2 hours to do that loop.  I rode with Jennie Agnew and her
gorgeous Paint Arab/Saddlebred.  I have NEVER seen a horse come even
CLOSE to drinking as much as that mare did!!!  I mean EVERY water hole,
even if you'd only trotted 6 feet.  Then she'd lift her head, start
walking out of the creek and see a muddy hoofprint and she'd stop and
drain that!  I don't know how she was even trotting she was so full of
water.  

The views off the ridges were absolutely beautiful.  The terrain in the
bottoms of the hollows was just cool.  I loved this place.  There was
lots of sponging water, plenty to drink and eat, no rocks, just those
HILLS.  The breeze was great even though it was a bit humid.  For a
pretty and challenging (but very do-able) ride this one would be hard to
beat.  I'll admit I was glad my 11 year old daughter had to stay home for
ballgames.  In the past long loops have gotten to her (sick at her
stomach) and this one was a doozie.  It really took a toll on my knees
and just physically wore you out.  Roger Blaylock is a serious runner and
tried to do what he could on foot.  He came close to passing out at the
top of the biggest of big climbs, and seemed to spend a fair amount of
time with his hands on his knees salivating onto the ground after
finishing the loop.  He had my admiration. The most I did was jog down a
couple of the long ones.

We got our completion with good scores, finishing 21 of 52?  I call that
middle of the pack. >g<  Did it in 6:35, much faster than it felt like
I'd done it.  When I interviewed Bud Davidson about the 25 mile loop he
said, "I told the riders I was meeting going out, that I believed if I
had to do that trail again I'd just shoot myself".  I said, "But you did
it in 2 and a half hours" He said, "I did? It felt like all day". >g<

Lois McAfee had really rotten luck.  Her Pan Am nominated horse Legs got
off the trailer with a torn cornea and had to go for surgery.  Really
messes up her plan to qualify at Biltmore.  Her daughter went on to win
the 50 though on LM Khemosabi. It was Tessa's first ride as a
"non-junior".  Doug Sandlin on Omar's Apache got BC.

Thanks to Bill, Amy, Connie, Susan and all the crew.  It was fun and the
fried chicken was worth the chase. :-)

Angie


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