I have been in vacation limbo since Tevis...driving twisty turny roads in
Mendocino and visiting Ridgeview Ranch, home of Seabiscuit. So I've missed
much of the Tevis talk, except for what I've read on the archives. This is
just an overview of some of my experiences there.
I just wanted to say it was not only an honor, but A LOT of fun crewing for
Paul Sideo and Ron Chapman. They are a couple of nice old
farts....perfectly complementing Debbie Parson's and my role of "perfect
nags". The best thing about crewing for them is we could order them
around, and they just did what we told them..."Sit Down!" "I want this
bottle of Gatorade GONE by the time you leave!" "Let me do that!"...I don't
know about anyone else, but usually when I get that bossy with a man, they seem
to resent it for some reason. The biggest problem crewing for Paul was to
get him to stop talking to everyone when he should be sitting down and eating
during the checks. At Foresthill he stood there, waving this big sloppy
barbecue sandwich he'd bought and chatting away to someone until I finally told
him "You have to stop talking now and sit down!" Ron let me do all the
nasty things to his horse, Barukh....kind of like playing "good cop, bad
cop"....like giving electrolytes and putting his splint boots back on. It
got to the point where Barukh would give me the evil eye every time he saw
me coming with a syringe. Then Ron would pet him (good cop), hop on and
ride off. After seeing how well he's able to get on his horse, I have
sworn not to use mounting block anymore, at least not while I'm still in my
50's.
Debbie and I hit it off last year when we met for the first time to crew
for Pam and Don Bowen. We both manage to see the funny side in everything,
which considering we're two flatlanders in the mountains, is a good thing,
because there's a lot to laugh at. She is a masterful driver, manoevering
Paul's 32 foot camper and horse trailer out of Robie Park, and although she did
her share of screaming as we drove up to Robinson last year (I was leaning away
from the edge to the point of almost being in her lap), she's gotten us up there
two years in a row now, without going off the edge (one of the things that
really tickled us was seeing the 6 inch shoulder with a sheer drop-off, and
signs posted saying "DO NOT PARK ON SHOULDER"...to which I generally commented
"NO SH-T!!!"). This year we followed two transport trailers up, which at
least gave us some warning when trucks came flying around the corners going back
down.
It is such a wonderful feeling to be gathered at the finish line in Auburn,
straining your eyes through the dark and trying to see if the next rider is
yours, and when it actually is you just can't help but whoop and scream.
You've been working toward this goal for 24 hours, and suddenly there they
are...they're finished...and you know you were an integral part of getting them
there. Debbie and I kept telling people that we have completed our riders
EVERY year we've crewed.....all TWO! Although I hope to actually ride
Tevis in a couple years (everytime my horse spooks I tell him "Do that at Tevis
and you'll kill us both..."), the rewards of crewing should not be
overlooked.
