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[RC] ARR story - Dawn Simas
Hi Nick,
I loved your story about the Amer. River Ride (Classic). :) I thought I'd answer/elaborate on some of your questions. You may know a lot of this, but I thought it may interest other riders on Ridecamp.
I was born into this sport, at an old hospital on Robie Point. My Mom rode with the pioneers of the sport, including Wendell Robie. I would tag along on my 1/2 arab pony. :)
American River Ride used to start in Sacramento (downtown) at Cal Expo at the race track. It was so nice because "ride camp" was those beautiful barns and their box stalls. I would take my 1/2 TB mare out on the track and "pretend" when I was a little girl the night before the ride. :) They lobbed off the first 20 miles of the ride and now start it at Negro Bar (was a vet check), because of the developed/overcrowded nature of that first section. The end of the ride, 49th mile, was Cardiac Hill. Unfortunately you didn't get to experience that one now, since they took you on the "Cardiac Bypass" (my cardiac nurse friend gets a kick out of that name). The original Cardiac makes the other training hills look like they are for rookies.
This year, I was one of those that opted out of doing the 50 because of the boggy conditions. I was crewing for a friend. And also was available to go haul out an injured horse at the bottom of Cardiac this year.
You mentioned the Training Hill that would never end, with the stair step begining, it is after No Hands Bridge. That is "Wendell's Training Hill", he routinely used it to condition his horses. And yes, I ride it every week, along with the old Cardiac, and they are great! It took a while, but even my current buckskin QH paint makes it to the top without resting and immediately breaks into a trot at the top. Nice gauge to know when your horse is fit. :)
"ALT" is Auburn Lake Trails. It is a community that was built in the 70's when the dam (you probably saw the scarring and old construction/paved access roads just prior to the lunch stop) was going to be built and that canyon would have been a lake. In 1974 or so, we had a 5.4 earthquake and lo and behold there was a fault discovered in the dam site... No Auburn Lake now, but the name stuck.
The steep hill you rode down is Maine Bar hill, riding *up* it is another training hill. Honestly, I couldn't imagine riding DOWN it! Maine Bar at the bottom on the river, where it joins the Tevis trail, was an old mining town.
And that wrong turn that you took a few miles before the finish, that you came to a green gate, was probably Robie Point. The pavement you may have saw at the gate is the end of Robie Drive. It used to be the finish line for Tevis, and Wendell lived right there. Got too crowded and they moved the finish to the newer Staging Area in Auburn.
It was great reading one of your great stories about familiar surroundings. And a big congratulations to you and Don (I'm not offended that you changed his name...;-)) on your BC, a fantastic accomplishment for such a challenging ride!
Dawn
Ms. Dawn Simas
Director - Wild About Cats
Wild Feline Conservation, Education, and Rescue
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