from ride management: "The trail is single track and old two-track jeep trails with some short sections in sandy washes and one section of graded dirt road for about 4 miles. The trail will have short up and downs and will go back and forth between all the trail descriptions listed above. There are rocks, so please be forewarned and address this condition to your speed at which you will be riding. Elevation at Base Camp is around 2000 feet and none of the trail will go over 3,200 feet in elevation. Beautiful Sonoran Desert and a view of the town of Wickenburg is visible almost all day long as you ride."
-------I love an honest trail description, and this one was right on!
So...here's my story - but I've backed up quite a bit to get to this point. Probably more 'regular life' detail than is of interest to the general public..., but sometimes backing up and writing myself from there (a couple months ago) to here (another Arizona ride) helps me keep perspective on this life. So...
It's a wonderful thing to be home (in a relative sense) for days – and months – on end. I haven't travelled overseas since May of '09 since the incredible trip to Patagonia to ride around the Torres del Paine. Last year I rode over 800 miles of endurance rides, on my own horses! I had one of the most enjoyable ride seasons in a long time with my old timer horse Jaziret (veteran of the 2001 XP, as well as multiple FEI rides and a Pan American Championship). He's an awesome horse that still amazes me with his strength and spirit. I'm hoping to reach a goal of 5000 miles with him this year... we're getting close – we shall see!
John and I packed up a bit of home (Sundowner trailer, a few horses, and our laptops) in December and moved down to Scottsdale, Arizona for the winter months. Once again parking ourselves at the home of our friends Kevin Myers and Rusty Toth, once again settling in for a winter of good friends, good food and good trails. And once again Merri stayed in Oreana with the dogs and the other horses and the Owyhee winter which isn't too bad, as long as it snows at least once.
This winter the social activity at GottaGo Ranch has risen to new levels. Brian and Darla Malkoske drove down after Christmas for another winter of sunshine escape from the wet British Columbia coast. Sheri from Moab moved into the house next door to K&R for the winter, bringing more horses and more friends. Charlie, the neighbor to the west lost her husband last year to cancer and has become a constant partner to the dinners and outings. And of course every meal is an occasion for special recipes and favorite wines. And we were treated to a new visitor - Kyle, the 19 year old endurance enthusiast from Maine who spent ten days here riding and riding and riding . Jim and Clydea from across the highway, Steve and Cindy (and now Doug and Linda too) from across the valley...and many more. Winter – which used to be a time of hibernation, has become a time of activity. And this winter it's been even more enjoyable since I'm not constantly jet lagged from all of the international travel.
There are a few changes and transitions for the gang this year. John has taken a position as 'senior scientist' with a startup companyPeople Power which hopes to revolutionize the way people manage their residential power usage and ride the green wave by positioning themselves as part of the initiative to design the world's new 'smart grid' – solving the world's energy production and consumption challenges. Kevin is about to leave a 22 year career in the world of non-profit companies, ballet companies specifically, and embark on a new life as head of marketing and administration with the highly energized company EasyCare Inc, the life work of Garret Ford who started with a clever horse hoof product, the Easyboot, and expanded it into a world wide line of hoof care products, becoming part of the natural hoof care revolution. Kevin will now be attending horse expos and competitions instead of ballets, and managing a vital and growing company instead of answering to large non-profit boards and struggling with the challenge of keeping the arts alive in difficult economic times. And Rusty has moved out of the world of performing as a dancer, and into the world of teaching yoga and ballet.
So jobs and situations have changed, but we're all still stuck with the same hopeless passion for our horses and this crazy endurance riding sport!
