Re:Valley Fire Ride

["Drin Becker" <rainbow@montana.com>]

Boy anyone in the Mtn./NW region who missed the Valley Fire Ride that Sandy
Bolinger managed really missed one heck of a nice ride . Our "little group"
from SW Montana all met up in Butte  to caravan over to the ride site , we
were short one of our riders as Ellen Snoeyenbos from Gardiner mt. had been
up in alaska about 10 days before and her and a friend had been hiking and
were attacked by a grizzley protecting her cubs ! Lucky for Ellen she was
not permanately injured but it still managed to do a number on her foot
which is still healing . Anyway back to the ride ! Camping at the Valley
Fire Ride was in a huge grassy meadow with lots of water tanks and
porta-potties everywhere a person looked .We also were awakened both
mornings by howling wolves as there is a native pack in the area . Excellent
vets with ridecamps Heidi Smith being one of them as she is now in this area
, vet checks were all out on the trail as it was one 50 mile loop which is
rare these days .Water was hauled in and was everywhere along the trail ,
the trail was really really well marked . I believe Sandy must of had Jim
(her husband) out on that trail for weeks putting flags around all the holes
and iffy footing :-) I have never seen a ride marked quite as well as this
one was .Awards were very nice with T-shirts,buckets,halters,handmade
horseshoe items ....just lots of stuff for everyone .Everybody in our group
that had travelled over together all completed the ride and had a great time
and can't wait to go back next year . Of course by next year Sandy will of
done something about that displaced grizzley that was causing a commotion
with the mushroom hunters in the area............right Sandy ?????? So if
any of you missed this ride this year try to get to it next year , you will
not be sorry !
                                                          Drin Becker
                                                          Mtn. Region