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Stories by Merri: Friday || Day 1 and 2

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Friday June 26 2009

Almosta Ride

Nothing like having an impromptu 2-day endurance ride - in your own back yard, with a week's notice!

Lynne White was scheduled to put on the 2-day Bennett Hills endurance ride in Gooding, Idaho this weekend. Last Friday - 1 week to go till the ride - she cancelled it. Problems with muddy basecamp and trails.

That same evening, Steph called Lynne and offered to put it on here in Owyhee.

"It's not like this is an altruistic ride... I want to ride!" Steph had been planning to go to the Bennett Hills ride for a while, and with it cancelled, she couldn't ride! So the only solution was to put it on herself. She spent the weekend and Monday scrambling to plan trails and get the permits, and she was out marking trail all week.

She wanted something different than our usual loops, but she had to consider the water situation - neighbors Carol and Rick who always put out all the water wouldn't be here this weekend. Steph scouted trail, studied google earth, marked trail, studied google earth. We could get water to the vet check on a truck, but out on trail, horses would have to cross the two running creeks to get their water.

We didn't expect a huge turnout, and Steph would have been happy enough if she and John were the only riders. "I just want to ride!"

Steve and Cindy Bradley showed up on Thursday. Steve's a photographer, and whatever else Steph drafts him to do - most often helping to flag trail. Cindy's been riding gangbusters since being sick the last 5 or 6 years - after finally being diagnosed and getting treatment, she's already ridden 760 miles this year! And I expect it's the endurance riding that's helped to heal her.

Lynne White was still the official ride manager, so she came to do the ride manager thing on Friday, while Steph got to vet in her horse and get ready for the Almosta Bennett Hills ride.

Merri