Wendy, it sounds like a blast. I am hoping to
do the same sort of thing next year with my hubby and maybe the kids. I
don't know if I'll ever want to come home again. Thanks for sharing your
story with us. I know for me it was inspiring.
First - Susan, thanks for
the comparisons on gas prices - perfect timing before my gas
bill comes in. NJ to UT and back on diesel!
Sherman asked for some history
on Old Jim - A friend bought Jim from a dealer. Jim was 14 at the
time. He's registered with AQHA & a full QH.
Bucked off my friend and became mine. I took him out on
trail & just let him run it off and he's never bucked again.
He's stubborn & opinionated, gets along well with other horses & loves
new trails. I didn't know anything about endurance & didn't find out
until Jim was 18. At 19 Jim did his first endurance ride, Old Dominion,
took us 11:56! Since then, he's been all up and down the east coast (NE
& SE regions) and is now pushing 3000 mi. We've both
learned & mellowed out & now ave. about 7 mph for rides.
He's a friendly, happy guy & I love him.
Kathy asked how I
planned - well, first I looked at the AERC calendar and found a
multi day ride (you don't travel that far for a 50). I tried to
make sure it was a good weather season. We decided if we were to travel
that far we wanted to see the country so we planned on traveling out on the
northern route ( I 80 to I 70) & returning by the south (
I 40 to I 70). Then there was the question of where to stay. I
checked state parks on the internet in the states we planned to overnight
in and found those that would take horses. Most had electric,
water, showers & laundry. I have to say though that if I was going
again, I'd check with Ride Camp because many ridecampers across
America are happy to meet you & give you a place to stay
overnight.
Anyone can do
it. We did it with a 2 horse bumper pull - tents, etc. It
was a Great Adventure for my 2 daughters, ages 26 & 17, and
myself. The horses and dogs just thought we were crazy.
