Fw: Quicksilver 50 wet ride

["Steph Teeter" <step@fsr.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Warhol, Nick <Nick.Warhol@kla-tencor.com>
To: 'steph' <step@fsr.com>
Date: Monday, November 09, 1998 1:41 PM
Subject: FW: Quicksilver 50 wet ride


>
>
>Steph- can you send to the list?  Thanks
>nick
>
>>
>> Subject: Quicksilver 50 wet ride
>>
>> Quicksilver Fall Classic 1998-
>>
>> What if they had a ride that wasn't any fun?
>>
>> Well, maybe not much fun.   That described the QS 50 this past weekend
out
>> at Grant Ranch.  This ride is put on by the Quicksilver Endurance Riders
>> in San Jose and is capably managed by Brian Reeves.  He told everyone
well
>> in advance the ride would be rain or shine and true to his word, the ride
>> did happen.  In the rain.  Driving out on Friday afternoon it rained,
>> setting up Friday evening it rained (but not too bad), but Saturday
>> morning it was coming down, with a nice cold wind thrown in just for fun.
>> I asked Judy if she really wanted to go out there.  "Yep," she replied.
>> It would be her last ride of the season until Death Valley so she wanted
>> to give it a go.  Groan.  I decided to go out and ride but with the firm
>> decision that I would turn around the instant the surfaces got to slick
or
>> slippery for my horse.  I'm not willing to risk an injury in the mud for
>> any ride, and based on my experience at riding in a sloppy Garin Park,
you
>> can't ride in the rain without falling all over the place, or your horse
>> building up six inch mud balls on his hoofs.   Much to my surprise the
>> soil content at Grant Ranch cooperated.  There were a few slippery
>> downhills here and there but nothing really dangerous.  It was just
>> really, really wet.
>>
>> There were about 75 people signed up with about 40 of them scared off by
>> the rain.  (smart people?  We'll see.)  Endurowest'er Linda Cowles was
>> there with two horses (!)  She had transplanted Texan Mike maul ride
>> Gavlin, she rode her Appy Cammie (doesn't look anything like Warpaint) on
>> the horse's first 50 mile ride.   Jack and Diane Enderle toughed it out
>> and started in the soup.  Val Weizer did double duty and not only rode
>> Brian's amazing horse Goofy, she rode drag and picked up wet ribbons.
>> Mary Thompson-Moore was the ride secretary, Nancy Elliot worked as head
>> wet, er, I mean head vet.  And who can forget Maryben Stover out there in
>> the rain, working ever-so-hard to make sure all the riders were treated
to
>> warmth, encouragement and hospitality.
>>
>> The weekend actually belonged to who I think is probably the most amazing
>> individual the endurance world has ever seen.   The one and only Julie
>> Suhr came to the ride with a lifetime total of 24,950 miles.  That's
>> right, this ride would put her over the 25,000 mile mark.  That's just
>> about the distance around the earth at the equator.  She and her ever
>> present husband Bob rode the ride in good spirits all day and finished
>> 11th and 12th respectively.   There are not enough congratulations to
>> convey what everyone felt when she got her completion.  Way to go, Julie.
>> Everyone out there hopes they can do what you have done.
>>
>> I started out in the rain in the dark in the wind fighting mud, water,
>> puddles and wild pigs.   Okay, so it wasn't quite that bad.  (but we did
>> see three huge, I mean big, wild pigs)    A few riders (myself included)
>> made a wrong turn and ended up a little lost but turned around and found
>> the trail.  Just as I found the course Judy was going by on Warpaint.
>> He's easy to see at night.   We rode together with the Appy being a total
>> butt-head.  He just has to go fast all the time.  Not much fun for Judy,
>> though.  We rode along with Dennis and Joyce Souza from up north off and
>> on, becoming increasingly soaked as the morning wore on.  Rain gear, rain
>> schmear- we got wet.   At least the trails were not slippery.  The first
>> loop was 15 miles that seemed longer due to all the walking we did.  Not
>> to mention the fact you could not see much due to the clouds and fog.
>> There were not a lot of horses yet most were sort of bunched up within a
>> few minutes of each other.   We rolled into the first check as wet as can
>> be.  Shatta was at 52, Warpaint took his normal few minutes to come down
>> to Nancy's pulse criteria of 60.   I waited for Judy and together we went
>> back out into the mire.  Wait a minute!  Together?  What's going on here?
>> Judy and I riding together?  We both realized that the last time we rode
>> an endurance ride together was in 1990, on our first ride.  Wow.   We
have
>> never had compatible horses due to age and such and Warpaint sort of
needs
>> to be ridden alone.  She was working hard to keep the feisty critter at
>> bay.
>>
>> The second loop had a HUGE climb in it that seemed to go on forever since
>> you could not see anything through the fog and clouds.   Straight up,
then
>> down a long way back into camp.  But not before we got to see Maryben out
>> there in the rain, cheering us on!   (I needed cheering)   Lunch was a
>> nice break while we covered the horses and retired to the camper.  Did I
>> ever say how much I LOVE my camper?   Out of the soaking wet rain and
>> cold,  into the heated, warm, dry, soft camper where I made some hot
soup.
>> That really helped me change my mindset.   It was a tough chore to drag
>> ourselves back out there, but those two horses were doing this without
>> complaint.   I changed clothes (Why?)  and headed back out with Judy on
>> the longest loop of the day, the now infamous damn pink loop.  It was
okay
>> up the long climb again but once up on top of the ridge it was really
>> miserable.   Pouring rain, severe winds blowing the rain sideways, fog,
>> clouds, cold, then colder, riding with your eyes shut, soaking wet,
soaked
>> trails- not a lot of fun.   It took a long time to get down from that
>> horrible ridge back to camp for the third time.  No hold this time, just
>> P&R and go.  I decided to leave before Judy since Shatta was down when we
>> got there, so I headed out for a mile or so until I made another wrong
>> turn.  I went a mile or so the wrong way and figured out this was wrong
>> when another rider came back facing me.   Oh well- so we'll do a 52 mile
>> ride.  Who should be there on the correct trail but Judy.  I guess it was
>> destiny for us to do the ride together after all.  (or my stupidity for
>> getting lost again)  We rode on, still raining, on the last 8 or so mile
>> loop.  Warpaint seemed to be slowing down a bit so we took it real easy,
>> not wanting to hurry in the sloppy terrain.   The common trail was
getting
>> beat up and quite muddy in places, but still not too bad overall.  We
>> mostly walked up and down the MANY hills and took it easy trotting
>> everything else.   We reached the turn back point towards camp and what's
>> this, the rain is letting up a little!  How can that be?    We trotted
>> back towards camp, actually reminding ourselves that we didn't have to
>> ride on this trail any more!   We passes a guy at a water trough but
other
>> than that didn't see many other people out there.   Imagine my surprise
>> when Brian told us we finished 6th and 7th!  He said we made up time on
>> the pink loop.   Perhaps it was to get down off that ridge faster!
>>
>> The poor horses were as dirty and muddy as I have ever seen them.  What a
>> performance.  I was really pleased to see how Shatta looked at the BC
>> judging.  He got the second best vet score which really made my day.
>> (sort of)  Most riders were just happy it was over.   Linda got pulled at
>> vet 1 on Cammie but her boy Gavlin under Mike's capable hands tied for
>> second.   I think there were only 2 or 3 pulls and most people who
started
>> the thing finished.  The stupid thing was that after the ride ended the
>> rain stopped.  Why?  Who knows.  Life isn't fair sometimes.   The BBQ
>> banquet was superb and really tasted good.  The riders got lots of
>> finishing goodies for completing the wettest San Jose ride in a while.
>> Brian did a great job considering the conditions.
>>
>> You know how when you are doing something miserable you say things like
>> "that's the last rain ride I'll ever do?"   Then when it's over things
get
>> a little better?   And two days later you start remembering how it really
>> wasn't that bad?    And you might even consider riding the ride again?
>> Even if it rains?    Maybe.
>>
>> Nick Warhol
>> Hayward, Ca.
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