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I stopped going up to Tevis years ago for a myriad of reasons, but one 
of the main ones was my parents no longer lived in Lake of the Pines 
(12 miles north of Auburn).  Well, they moved back.  I love visiting my 
parents during Tevis - the ride is an excellent excuse to "get out of 
Dodge" while in Dodge.  I especially enjoy it now that they live about 
a mile from the finish line.  So convenient, so cheap, and I don't have 
to share a bathroom.  Who could ask for more.

Well, this year I announced my plans to my husband that I was going up 
to Tevis and I told him the weekend.  He said rather matter of fact, 
"You can put the top down on the Mercedes.  Have fun.  I'm going 
fishing ... in the truck."  I was rather dumb struck.  For people that 
know me they understand that this is almost an impossibility.  Me?  
Lost for words?  Inconceivable.  I sort of just stared at my husband 
blinking.  He reached up and closed my mouth.  Then he reiterated, "I 
get the truck that weekend."  Well that just put a huge chink in my 
plans.  How am I suppose to visit my parents when I have no escape 
plan?  I'd have to figure something out.

My horses are boarded at Chris Herron's Bar H Ranch.  When I heard 
Chris was going to do Tevis again this year I told him I'd drive out to 
Foresthill and help him out.  I wouldn't really be much worth as a crew 
person, but I could at least get away from 'Dodge' for a few hours.  
Then Kat Swigert told me Melissa Margetts was coming out from Colorado 
to do Tevis and could I help her out.  I met Melissa and her super cool 
Paso Fino, Cabo, at the Main Divide 100 in March.  I Emailed Lissa to 
see what her plans were and found out that she had no crew what so 
ever.  So, there I am perfectly able to help out and I'm stuck in a 
sports car that chokes at the first sign of dirt.

Thank God for Ridecamp.  I put out the SOS and got more responses than 
I could dream of.  I needed people to go to Robie Park to see Lissa off 
in the AM and drive her rig down to Auburn.  I asked for, and got, a 
separate person to go to Robinson Flat early to avoid the rush and get 
a good spot.  I would go to Foresthill and get a spot there.  I asked 
and I received.  I hated writing the Emails to all the other volunteers 
to tell them no thank you.  But, I'm glad I did (no offense to anyone). 
 I wound up with ladies that had ridden Tevis themselves and could 
answer all of Lissa's questions with first hand knowledge.  Too cool.  
Now it was just a matter of logistics.  How to get gear and passes 
transferred to their respective people in a timely matter.  Piece of 
cake.

Oh, did I mention I've been having Eustachian tube problems since May 
and have been a Dizzy Dora all summer.  No, silly me.  I can't make any 
sudden moves or turn my head fast without having a bout of dizziness 
(hey, I'm not landing on my butt anymore so things are improving).  And 
I'm going to go crew Tevis.    On top of that, I was told that my 
sister and her husband would be at their Meadow Vista home and that my 
brother and his family would be passing through town on their way to 
Lewiston Lake.  What a great time for a family get together.  We 
haven't all been together for at least 7 years.  Wouldn't this just be 
wonderful.  Blah, blah, blah.  Make the parents happy.  Yaddah, yaddah, 
yaddah.  I'm doomed.  I'm going to try to crew Tevis.  This was going 
to be an interesting weekend.

The countdown was on.  Only a week to go and my husband announced that 
work has ruined his plans and I can have the truck after all.  That 
just made things a whole lot easier.  Didn't get me out of my familial 
obligations, but I now had room to carry gear.

So here was the plan.  Lissa and Cabo arrive in Auburn on Monday and 
ride the trail from No Hands to the finish.  Then they go up to Robie 
Park on Thursday.  I drive up from SoCal on Thursday via the eastern 
side of the Sierras through Reno (the long route to Auburn, but the 
short route to Truckee).  I stopped in at Robie Park to see Lissa (and 
Chris Herron).  I pick up all the gear Lissa wants at Robinson's Flat, 
the crew passes, hay, grain Etc.  Then head on down to Auburn and the 
warm embrace of my family's bosom.  First thing out of my mother's 
mouth is, "Why do you cut your hair so short?"  Nice to see you too 
mom.  Friday afternoon/evening I transfer all that gear plus people 
food and drinks and buckets and crew pass to Nancy Corbelletta who will 
go to Robinson Flat.  Joanne Gwin and her mom and friend Mary and their 
children will drive to Robie Park on Friday, find Lissa and help her.  
I continue to remain with my family trying to be as inconspicuous as 
possible.  I speak only when spoken to.  My sister's husband showed 
some interest in the ride and asked a lot of questions - his son runs 
the WST Run, came in third this year.  All in all a quiet evening.  
Saturday the family gathers at my parent's house for breakfast.  
Meanwhile, Lissa has begun the ride, her rig is being transported down 
the mountain, Nancy is waiting at Robinson's.  And I'm sleeping in, 
showering, clean clothes, big breakfast.  Ahh, crewing at Tevis, this 
is the life.

I got to Foresthill about 12:30.  Spotted Chris's big rig and pulled in 
next to him.  Since Lissa wasn't a top ten contender I had no doubt 
that most of the cars would be gone by the time she got there and we'd 
have plenty of space.  I was right.  I wandered around saying hi to 
people I knew.  Looked for Hal and Ann Hall's crew but never did find 
them.  An old friend was crewing for them and I wanted to see her, but 
it just wasn't meant to be.  I was up by the in-gate when Nancy arrived 
from Robinson's.  We talked for awhile down by the truck.  We found 
some shade and she made us the most wonderful mojitoesque drink.  Need 
the recipe, Nancy.  We finally wandered back up to the in-gate and 
there were Joanne and Mary and Mary's daughter (sorry, I forget her 
name) along with Lissa's dog Wilson.  So we sat and waited and watched 
all the horses come in.  And we waited, and we waited some more.  
Joanne and Mary decided to take a bucket of water and a sponge down the 
road and next thing you know there was Lissa and Cabo.  Mary slugged 
that saddle around like it was made of gold.  She wouldn't put it down 
all through the vet check.  Cabo did great.  Chris was just leaving his 
vet hold when Lissa arrived and she was allowed to use his LQ to change 
clothes.  Nancy, Joanne and Mary just jumped in to work.  We parked 
Cabo in front of a bunch of hay and water and let him munch.  I sponged 
him clean.  Lissa ate a little bit, but was asking if we should saddle 
him up to go.  I told her she still had 40 minutes left on her hold and 
to sit down and be quiet.  Fat chance.  She tried, but it didn't last 
long.  Between Nancy, Joanne and Mary I pretty much just stood back and 
watched.  I swear the most I did that hold was sponge Cabo off and hand 
the glow sticks to Nancy.  I LIKED it.

For all the groaning Lissa was doing about her um ... chaffing problem, 
she was walking pretty darn good.  Nancy brought her Monkey Butt cream 
(but it wasn't Monkey Butt, something else I don't remember).  Had 
Lissa purring like a kitten.  With glow sticks taped to Cabo's rig it 
was time for Lissa to go.  The others saw her off to the out-gate while 
I cleaned up.  I separated everyone's gear and loaded Lissa's into my 
truck.  Things were going to get a little interesting after this.

Joanne and Mary were off to find Joanne's mother and sons.  They lost 
them.  Joanne's boys got very sick Friday night and Joanne's mom took 
them to a motel Saturday morning.  The problem was they didn't know 
what motel they went to.  The motel where they SAID they had 
reservations never heard of them.  Joanne's mom got a new cell phone 
and the number wasn't in Joanne's phone.  Joanne's phone was dead.  
Mary's phone worked, but she didn't have the number nor could they be 
found in the motels.  Mary's phone was getting low on power.  They had 
to go.

I now had the dog and had to go to the fairgrounds to find Lissa's van 
to deposit said hound.  I also had to eat.  It was 9:45 PM when we all 
pulled out of Foresthill.  I was going to drop the dog off and join 
Nancy for some dinner.  Then we were going to go to the barns and fix 
up Cabo's stall.  Then Nancy went to get a few hours sleep.  I went 
back to the parking lot and walked the dog and unloaded the rest of 
Lissa's gear into her trailer.  It was about 1:30 AM and I tried to get 
a couple hours of sleep, but there was a guy in the LQ next to me that 
was barfing his guts up.  Poor thing.  Doesn't make for pleasant bed 
company.  I went to the arena instead.  Did a little walking around the 
barns.  Then went to the finish line about 4 AM.  Nancy met me there.  
About 4:45 - 4:50 a bunch of riders came in with Lissa and Cabo among 
them.  Cabo looked great.  Hugs, tears and a big drink of water for 
Cabo and we were off to the fairgrounds.  We handed Cabo some food 
while he waited for a vet to see him.  Then he was trotting out for the 
vets and they said, "Yep, gaited horse.  Lame on all four feet."  Cabo 
passed with flying colors.  Lissa climbed back aboard for her victory 
lap and the announcer said, "Would you look at that guy go.  What is 
that?"  Cabo just zoomed around the arena.  We let him eat a little 
grass and then walked Cabo back to his stall.  We cleaned him up and 
left him alone.

Nancy, poor thing, left to begin another very long day.  She had to 
drive back to Palo Alto and then go to a baseball game with her husband 
and mother-in-law.  She probably stopped at every Starbuck's between 
Auburn and San Francisco.  What a trooper.  I took Lissa to her van and 
waiting dog.  They left to go to their motel.  I went to my parent's 
house.  Since they were still asleep I just parked out front and read a 
little Harry Potter and waited until they got up.  I laid down about 8 
and asked to be woken at 11.  My father obliged me with a very loud 
knock on my bedroom door.

I showered and went back to the barns to walk Cabo.  Cabo thought I was 
nuts when I asked him to walk with me, but he came along peacefully.  
He would much rather have been left to eat.  He was a little stiff and 
sore, but not too bad.  He tolerated the bath he got, but just barely.  
He had some sore spots, but nothing really bad.  His legs looked good 
and his eyes were bright and alert.  All in all I'd say he managed 
those 100 miles quite nicely.  Lissa arrived during his bath.  She had 
showered and changed but hadn't slept.  Too wound up.  We went to the 
awards ceremony/banquet and listened to other people's ride stories, 
had a good meal and watched the presentation of the Haggin Cup.  After 
watching all those horses John's deserved it, hands down.  I was still 
kind of out of it because while standing in line to get food I looked 
out and down a hill and there was this big poster of my colt Hawkeye 
(AHA has it spelled Hawk-aye).  Right next to Hawkeye was a poster of 
Lynne Glazer's gelding Q.  Now I'm giving these posters a good look 
thinking to myself I know all those pictures, what on Earth are they 
doing there.  Uh, duh, there's Lynne and Christy Cumberworth in their 
booth letting people know where they'll be able to find their Tevis 
pictures, and selling some posters too.  I'd been walking all night 
passed Lynne's truck and didn't even see her.  I'd of banged on her 
door too if I'd noticed her sleeping there.

Lissa and I had breakfast on Monday morning before I headed on down the 
highway.  She was finally able to sleep, but the dust had done a number 
on her voice.  She and Cabo were heading back to Colorado on Tuesday.  
Her last words were, "I'm never making Cabo do another endurance ride 
again."  We'll see.


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