[RC] Tevis Bound ???? Part 4 - Patrick Allen/Evelyn Hartman
I am by no means complaining, just explaining our
situation. I keep seeing in my minds eye that tee-shirt with the "No Whining"
logo on it. Real hard not to invite everyone to my pity party but I know we will
get through this, just need to be patient, remember not to explode, knowing
there are those worse off than we.
Last night I got to looking through my kit bag just for
something to do. Low and behold I found us some goodies. A hand held poker game
and a hand held Yatzee game. The poker game had been my daughter's and she
played it while at the rides with me for something to do. After she passed away
I found it among her things and put it in my kit bag, taking it out several
times to play but soon putting it back as it made me sad, knowing it had
belonged to her. The Yatzee game I had bought at the store one day and only
played one time.
Finding these two items has been like a breath of fresh
air and a lifting of our spirits. Something to do, bringing laughter, lite
cursing ( you know the kind I mean) and something else to focus on rather than
just staring out the windows at nothing. Conversation again, gentle voices,
making decisions together as to what numbers we should play.
When we went to the Hilton to get something to eat it
felt strange to be in a Casino and not have any money to play. So here we are
now playing games of chance with no money.
Knowing Tevis has come and gone is frustrating as I have
no idea who won and of those that completed were any of them my clients? I tell
my clients that I will never ride the trails with them but if you know me and
are wearing something I have made then my sprit rides with you.
Bobbie Lieberman wrote a great article about the
outfitting of a horse and rider for the Tevis. It came out on the 27th of July
in the LA Times Outdoor Section. My tights were featured along with the other
items used. Nowhere while traveling on the 27th did we find a copy of the Times.
I have paid for several copies and have them on hold for me when I get home. We
told everybody and his brother about the article and they are saving it for us.
Pat's Aunt said she had a dozen of them as her neighbors saved them for her.
Getting so close to Tevis and not being able to see the article has been hard to
deal with. Can go to Tevis next year...read the article when I get home....it's
dealing with the here and now that has me "chomping at the bit and more than a
little jiggy". Grin.
Oh, oh, how good it is to be moving again. We left Reno
at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. The people at Reno Sparks RV did really good for us,
costing us much less than we had figured.
Now we exchanged one stress for another...will the
repairs they made get us home? We are fighting such terrible winds, even
signs saying no high profile vehicles or trucks next 9 miles......what to do?
Trucks are passing us like crazy going in our direction so we just follow.
Nowhere on our drive do we not fight the winds.
For the most part our journey home (love that word) will
be going down hill but must still pull some major grades. The country side looks
different than when we travel here for the convention. Hills and mountains that
were covered with snow, majestic and awesome, are now just big hills and
mountains, dull and ugly without their coats of winter snow. We saw many areas
that had been ravaged with fires. Encouraged by the new green growth
ringing the black sticks pointing to the skies.
Several grades give us fits as we go slower and slower
up them. I keep repeating to myself the Little Engine That Could's
confident refrain.......I think I can, I think I can, then down the other side
with big sighs of relief and then repeat again with the next grade.
We stopped in Bishop to get some groceries and then
continue on to Coso Junction, just north of Ridgecrest, to spend the night at
the rest stop. I slept for 7 hours without waking up from dreams of rolling back
down that road. When we left this morning I waved at Mike and Sue Benson and
Jackie Baumgartner....strange to be driving by and not stopping for a ride.
Not getting to Tevis this year has been a disappointment
for me but I didn't realize how much Pat wanted to go also. After we had rolled
down the hill the second time we each just sat there staring out the side
windows. All of a sudden Pat pounded his fist on the steering wheel and said,
"I'm so sorry, Evelyn, I really wanted to get you to Tevis this year, I am
so sorry. Don't worry I'll get us home somehow."
In the 16 years we have been together (Aug.9 1988) Pat
has always been my hero. He was been through this ordeal and I have every
confidence that he will be in our future.
I know very little about cars and their needs so for me
there was very little help or suggestions I could offer. Doing
what was asked, keeping us fed, doing everything that I could to keep us
comfortable while Pat saw to getting our motorhome repaired and on our way
became my job. For Pat having to depend on others to do something he knows how
to do but is physically incapable of doing is.....well you know what I
mean.
