Re: RC: Longstreet's Charge... My side

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>This ride has to be about the longest 50 miles I do.  The first leg up
>the >Mt. is 13 miles (ha ha). 

This is a big problem I've had with this site.  It's been measured too
many times.  I wanted to just make a trail with a 4 1/2 hour win time and
call that 50 miles.  Unfortunately, there's competitive trail rides here,
bike races here, etc. and every segment has been measured by a wheel. :-(
 The loop that's 17 miles (ha, ha) has to have some added on and a
spotter to get the length in.  O.K.  I'll get Dave to go over it *again*
with a GPS this winter.  Maybe they're all wrong. (I wish)



Joe had already told me that he knew his horse could 
>not >stay with Coujur on the downhill but I did not know how Lynn's
horse >was.  >Well as soon as we hit the first steep downhill, 

Lynn said Coujur was a "thing of beauty" on the rocks.  I have video of
the Chattanooga Challenge a couple of years ago when I was in the lead
and Nina was behind me (and closing in) on Coujur.  Every rider in the
top 10 *slowly* negotiated this treacherous rocky hill that had big rocks
that were firmly imbedded in the hill like steps.  Then Nina comes by,
waves at the camera and Coujur trots up the whole thing. :-)



>ride should come up with an award in my "memory" while I was still
>alive...She went on for a while on the possibilities of what to call
>the >award etc.

Anybody who knows Susan knows what that award should be called.  It'll be
the "You just can't kill her" 1st place award.  I also have a video of
the finish of the Tennessee Ride in about 1986 and Susan is coming in
right behind the leader, turns right on the shoulder of the road, then
her horse slips on the pavement and totally wipes out on its side.  I
wasn't there, but I heard she was knocked cold.  I'll bet they made sure
they crossed the finish line with her as they brought her in though. I've
accused Susan of being like those people who have a "Farewell Tour" so
everybody will get all emotional and make a fuss over them, and then come
back again a year later.  She had a heart attack at a vet check a few
years ago, spent a summer getting rid of some pesky cancer, then came
back and started beating everybody that had felt so bad for her.  Totall
ruthless. >g< Saturday was a tough day on riders, it took a tough person
to win.  By the way you westerners, Susan's got over 10,000 miles now,
and no 5 day multi-days to run'em up on.

>  I am pretty excited that I may really have Coujur's 
>routine >correct at last.

This brings me to another thing.  I'm interested in writing an article
about horses that riders had good reason to give up on and didn't.... 
Coujur used to get "flutters" at humid rides.  Now he's winning them.  It
took them years to get their electrolytes down to an art with him.  Some
horses interfere or whatever until the riders just KEEPS ON trying to
figure it out after others would have gone on to another horse.  Nina
Warren's horse Desert Ballad got a HORRIBLE infection in his hip and
didn't appear to be going to even survive, much less come back and win
the ROC, but she stuck it out with him.  Any others out there?  Would you
send me a note and let's talk?

>Had been real excited to learn that the Carlson family were planning>on
a >trip to the National Championship this year, but since I discovered
>that Lynn >is a Middleweight 

it's ALL height.  Wish we had her around to pull ribbons that Russel
hangs. >g<

I may have said Susan had to Race Lynn in at the end, sounds like I got
that wrong.  Sorry.  Just catch scraps here and there and try to remember
it all.  By the way though, stuck with the orange juice for myself
instead of soft drinks this weekend and felt great.  Ate almost nothing
though.

Angie McGhee

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