Biltmore

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

First, let me say this was an EVENT!!  It was awesome just to be at
something this big.  Thank you Ann Ayala and all the volunteers.  I plan
to write a full report from my eyes tomorrow.

No time for a complete report.  100 mile winner: Stagg Newman the rest of
these are maybe in order?... Ceia?? from Pennsylvania 2nd, Karen Clark on
Jeb Stuart 3rd? Nikki Young on Shameless 4th? Connie Caudill 5 Doug
Sandlin Omarr's Apache 6th Mary Yeager and Snickers were somewhere in
there, don't know others right off but starting with those who went extra
4 miles: 12th Valarie Kanavey, 13?, 14 ? 15 Becky Russo? Pennsylvania, 16
ANGIE MCGHEE KABOOT HERLONG :-)) the only ones I know soon after me were
Jeannie Waldron and Yvette? from Canada who usually rides "Do Me" (the
sort of thing you remember someone saying after riding the last 16 miles
in the dark with them) and Cameron Holzer who is one tough junior.  Sorry
my memory is sketchy and there are probably people I know well and rode
with that I left out...but it's better than nothing.  All I know about
the 50 was that Cia's (not sure at all about that name) husband won the
50 (nice guy they're from PA) 

> About twelve top 100s took a wrong turn  You should 
> have > seen these twelve climbing back on their horses and >screaming
and > yelling all the way back to 

Not saying we weren't disgusted, but if you heard us "yelling and
screaming" as we left, it was us trying to turn back those who were
coming in towards us who had missed the turn too. :-) I think there were
a  more than 12 Sure, it was the pits, and I whined all day, but the full
extent of my "major protest" was when I realized we had to go back out
and I had the *nerve* to ride my horse back out the arrival gate the poor
"official" (probably somebody's sister in law who'd been dragged out to
work all day) told me I had to leave through the departure gate, I just
ignored her and rode out and all my troops followed, then as my *big*
protest I threw my arrival time slip over my shoulder. >sheepish grin< 
All it accomplished was that it spooked Steve Rojek's horse. >g<  I heard
Tommy Crain went out and got it off the trail (sorry Tommy).  We had
wasted probably 15-20 minutes in camp since we'd arrived and pulled tack.
 Then Ann had to decide what she wanted us to do.  I did feel for her. 
She had a million and one things to cover and a million of them worked
out but of course that's the one people talk about.  As we were heading
out we were meeting more riders coming in and we'd yell and ask, "did you
do a loop and go by the spotters twice?" they'd say, "No" and we'd yell,
come back with us we've got to go do it".  We did manage to save some of
them some distance and Ann got out there pretty quick to straighten out
her spotters.  This problem had nothing to do with the FEI or anything
else.  I've often had problems with spotters who don't understand the
trail and send people wrong so I always mark tricky intersections all to
pieces to keep people from depending on them.  It just added a little
over 4 miles, but early in the day on a 100 it was really disheartening. 
Worst hit were Megan Davis and "little" Dawn (rides with Harry & Vicki
Parker, don't know her last name)  They had come in, pulled tack and
already vetted through.  They didn't know about the commotion and had
served out quite a bit of their hold before Dawn noticed I wasn't at my
vet check and came over to ask where I was.  They lost a lot of time.  If
the timers had been more experience they'd have known to send the numbers
out and make sure everybody was informed.

More later,
Angie and Kaboot who is 3 for 3 on 100's at Biltmore :-D
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