RideCamp@endurance.net
Re: FW: Re: Death Valley Rant
Day 2, from Rabbit Hole Springs to
Gerlach. The "trail" is on road the whole way and is pretty much flat,
with only slight variations. Day 3, from Gerlach to Mud Meadows is also
fairly flat, but with luck we have been able to allow 7 miles on the Black Rock
Desert itself, which is an amazing experience. It is dead flat, the bottom
of an ancient sea; cracked mud and not a bush to be seen. Yet, the rider
can see the mountains, the playa with its brush, the Black Rock itself, some 25
miles across the desert to the east. Days 1, 4, & 5 offer elevations
changes, challenges, and great beauty, as well as history. And then there
are the hot springs at Trego, the vet check site for Day 2. We go
hot-tubbing during the vet check!
Barbara McCrary
Ride manager, Swanton
Pacific 75/100
(and sometimes
Applegate-Lassen, located in the NW corner of Nevada)
We used to attend this ride regularly when
Lavone Booth managed it. She stopped doing it after 8
years, and we asked her permission to re-instate it. We did it for
3 years. The 4th year we cancelled because it drew only 5 entries.
When there is commitment to this ride, we will do it again, as we love this part
of the country. But riders need crews/drivers; we cannot
provide them, and there has to be a level of commitment from the riders, as
there was on the 2001 XP. We can't manage it this year, as we're taking a
study-tour to Ireland and the Isle of Man, but maybe 2003? Show us your
interest and commitment and we'll put on the ride. I know this is
backwards, but we have no other choice. It is an 8-hour drive from our
home to the ride start and it takes us 4 days to drive there, flag the trail,
and drive home. Add this to all the other details, such as BLM
permit, gasoline, arrangements for the awards dinner, and the awards
themselves and it does add up to be a rather large effort and expense for just 5
riders. For a minimum of 10, we would do it; 25 would be
wonderful.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 9:40
AM
Subject: RC: FW: Re: Death Valley
Rant
I'm
into flat rides and live in N. Calif. Could you pinpoint that flat section of
the Applegate-Lassen ride a little more closely?
Regards,
Michael Sherrell
Grizzly Analytical
(USA)
www.grizzlyanalytical.com
707
887 2919/fax 707 887 9834
The issue of David's LD ride being
entirely flat across the desert reminds me of a day on Applegate-Lassen ride
when a rider came into the vet check halfway through and said,
"BORRRING!" Yes, the day's trail (actually a road) was flat all
the way, but I believe boring is in the mind. I've ridden that stretch
of trail (road) about 10 times and I've never found it boring. How can
anything be boring with all that scenery around? I just put my horse
on auto-pilot and trot along looking at mountains, gulches, vegetation,
looking for animals, thinking about the pioneers who endured such terrible
hardships on that trail. Never boring! And the area around
Ballarat on DVE is highly variable, even on the flat stretches. It's
all in a person's perspective, isn't it?
Barbara
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002
10:59 PM
Subject: RC: Death Valley Rant
<<Nick, knock off fluffing our pillows and yank your
head out of the sand.
You can save the chocolate kisses for somebody
else. #1, impeccable
weather? how about cold and overcast the entire
time we were there, didn't
miss my sunblock at all.
#2, and most
importantly: my 25 on the second day was pretty much what I'd
call an
airport ride circumnavigating a dried up piece of lake bed,
pretty
much a yawner no matter what the
weather.>>
This seems a little bit uncalled
for. Even if your rant about people cutting trail and missing vet
checks IS true, why does Nick have to pull his head out of a pillow and
quit eating chocolate kisses (or whatever)? He had a great ride on a great
horse! If you have a problem with the ride, file a formal protest.
Basically put up or shut up!
Also, if you want scenery, ride the
50.
Sylvia
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