Re: [QSEndurance] Ride Report on the Oct. 6 Del Valle Vulture Venture

["Barbara McCrary" <bigcreekranch@cruzio.com>]

Marvelous write-up of the ride, Mike.  I like your observations of the light
on the lake; very thoughtful.  A few comments:  As ride manager, I know that
anxiety the we all feel when the entries don't come in until the last week.
I have felt the 80% of entries come in that last week.  I've learned to
accept this, but it causes a lot of sleepless nights.
Very helpful of Eric to patrol the flagging at the last moment.  Lost
flagging can be a great worry.
Vultures:  Never thought of why the ride management named the ride so, but
perhaps the area is a nesting site or wintering site for them.  Once we saw
great flocks of them near a stream bed near Visalia.  We thought something
was dead, but the rancher we were with said they merely winter there.
Interesting.
Thanks so much for the post on the ride.  Second best to having been there.

Barbara

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Maul" <mmaul@flash.net>
To: "QSEndurance" <QSEndurance@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: <jcloud@stan-co.k12.ca.us>; "Katey Geis" <heart@magiclink.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2001 1:44 PM
Subject: [QSEndurance] Ride Report on the Oct. 6 Del Valle Vulture Venture


> The Del Valle Vulture Venture was held Oct. 6 with a lot of QSER
participation. The
> ride is local for us - near Livermore in the Del Valle Regional Park and
the weather
> was great - mild temperatures. There was a 25 and 50.
>
> The statistics first:
>
> 50 miles - 37 starting - 33 finishing
> 1st - Ed Meyer - not QSER
> 2nd - Cheryl Davidison - not QSER
> 3rd - Barry Waitte - not QSER
> 4th - Judy Etheridge/Orion ***BC***
>
> 11th - Jill Kilty Newburn
> 13th - Mike Tracy
> 14th - Robert Ribley/Muir The Blur
> 20th - Jeff Luternauer/Phoenix
> 24th - Lori Oleson
> 31st - Judith Ogus
> 32nd - Mike Maul/Roc
> 33rd - Trilby/Beau - Last
>
> Marybens junior Katie Alton finished her first 50 on Jake - Marybens
pinto - with Judith.
> It was Jakes first 50 as well. Katies parents were on hand as well as her
grandparents
> from England.  Katie looks like she is hooked now - perhaps another
Heather in the making.
>
> Pulled Mike Sofen/Nick - Lame and Maryben on Bandit - Rider Option
>
> 25 miles - 45 starting and 38 finishing
>
> Steve Shaw 5th or so
> Barbara White, Julie Shur, and Bob Suhr in the last few places.
>
> Tom Stutzman Pulled
>
> Working the ride were Melissa Ribley - Head Vet, Michele Shaw and Judy
Reens assisting.
>
> Volunteers on the ride had Mike and Kirsten Bernsten, Brian and Val
cooking, Eric
> Thompson(Mr. ATV), Mike Newburn.  Becky Glaser worked the ride after
deciding not
> to start.
>
> The ride was put on for the first time this year - the ride manager Jane
Cloud
> and Ride Secretary Linda Rogers did an excellent job.  Lunch was served at
the
> away Lunch Vet Check(Grilled cheese sandwiches and BBQ hot-dogs) and there
was an
> excellent meal at the awards.
>
> There were lots of awards - high vet score, horse of excellence instead of
BC
> in the LD, best rider care of their horse in the LD(Steve Shaw), last
place
> awards in both - Bob Suhr(LD) and Trilby(50).  The awards ceremony was
well done
> with lots of fun - a song written for the event and sung by two of the
volunteers,
> all the awards, good food, and a great place to hold it. Nice completion
> sweatshirts for everyone starting.
>
> The ride was challenging - lots of hills with reasonable climbs.  Lots of
loops
> where you saw riders passing in opposite directions and sharing of the 25
and 50
> trails.  Marking was excellent - done all the afternoon before by Mr.
ATV - Eric
> Thompson - because the rangers would not allow it before then. Lots of
water.
>
> Parking was tight but manageable - the park only allowed 75 to enter but
with trailer
> sharing - the number of entries snuck up to a total of 83.
>
> The views of the lake were beautiful from up on the ridges - lots of small
boats
> with fishermen - a few sailboats - and waves.  The wind was blowing hard
and one time
> when we tried to get our horses to drink from the lake - the 3 inch waves
kept
> coming in and the horses would have none of this - Arabians of course...
Some of the
> trails followed the lake fingers and you could almost see the bottom in
the blue
> green water.
>
> We had a hold at 15 miles back in camp - then a lunch check at 34 miles -
then a
> check a few miles out of the finish where you just had to meet criteria.
>
> Observation on the ride:
>
> A comment on the worries of ride managers - until just the week before -
not many riders
> had signed up - lots showed up in the last week. Bet there was a big sigh
of relief..
>
> Something I had forgotten about lakes - if you catch the sun just right -
it looks
> like thousands of little diamonds flashing from the surface. In the
morning - the clouds
> hung around the peaks rising out of the fog. As you go thru the day - you
see the
> quality of the light change on the peaks and know why photographers like
dawn and
> sunset.
>
> Some of the little thing you do as a ride manager - suckers in the ride
packets.  Some
> of the smart things you do - I heard an ATV start up at 3:50 AM that I
believe went
> out for a last minute check of the markings.
>
> Others use the parks too - there were lots of Boy Scouts there - camping
and cleaning
> up the park.  Something to remember and be careful of - it's a "shared"
resource.
> We saw hikers - dog walkers - bikers - we all need to be courteous to each
other.
>
> Vets do more than watch our horses - I saw a vet send out a volunteer
after a rider
> leaving the lunch check saying the rider looked really tired and could the
volunteer
> talk him into staying a while longer.
>
> Riders can be out there just to have fun - on the LD a new horse was
causing
> it's rider a lot of problems and other riders pitched in to help get it
thru.
> All very experienced riders using LD as a way of starting new horses.
>
> Mules are different - we watched Roberts mule Muir The Blur - paw, buck,
shake
> his head for 3 hours while tied to a trailer.  All without harming himself
> even with a tether tied to one foot.  Horses would last about 2 minutes.
> Mules look like they are smarter and tougher than horses but a whole lot
> more stubborn...
>
> There are things to say about riding slowly.  My guy Roc is recovering
from a
> respiratory infection followed by a cough that wouldn't seem to go away.
I wanted to
> make sure I didn't get carried away by how the horse was feeling and ride
too fast.
> So I paired up with Trilby and rode together for the whole ride.   It was
quite
> a different perspective than I normally get - and well worthwhile.  Trilby
has a
> lot of stories to tell.
>
> There was a write up on vultures in the ride packet - but I must have
missed the
> connection with the name Vulture Venture in the ride meeting. Even with
the name -
> it was a great ride - Sue and Linda - and hopefully the start of a regular
new ride
> in the Bay area.
>
> Mike
>
>
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