2013 Owyhee Chills No Frills - photos and results
2012 Hallowed Weenies - photos and results 2011 Hallowed Weenies - photos and results 2010 Hallowed Weenies - photos and results 2009 Hallowed Weenies - photos and results
2012 Owyhee Hallowed Weenies
Images by Merri Melde
2015 Owyhee Hallowed Weenies
November 3 2015
by Merri Melde
A Hallowed number of Weenies showed up to ride in the last Idaho endurance event of the season.
Or, possibly it was the enticement of getting to listen to the Pickett
Crick Ramblers (or, is it the Pickett Cricksters, or the Pickin'
Pickett Crickers - even as a member, I can't remember our name)
cranking out the Bluegrass tunes while pickin' on the porch (or in the
house) Friday and Saturday evenings.
If you were an innocent bystander, or by-driver motoring down Owyhee County's Highway 45 on Saturday, you might have wondered why 4 WANTED OutLaws in orange jumpsuits from the Department of Corrections were out riding horses 50 miles across the desert; but you would probably have been comforted knowing that the THE LAW, (Sheriff Dudley)
was hot on their tails. In fact, two of the WANTED OutLaws were arrested at the halfway vet check and deposed. (That's their story too, and they're stickin' to it.)
You might have seen an Indian chief on her wild Indian pony;
you might have seen Pocahontas; you might have encountered Minnie Mouse,
or you might have sent a salute to Uncle Aunt Sam as she escorted a string of Junior riders on the LD.
There was a lady in a 70's costume (no - wait - that was her everyday outfit), and two riders sported bright orange reins that could likely be seen from the orbiting Soyuz spacecraft. Some Ay-rab named Sheikh Hopkins rode a mustang like he stole 'im. He gave THE LAW the slip, though he might have been on the up and up.
In a rare, and perhaps unprecedented feat of excellence, husband-wife team of Susan and Dennis Summers both won Best Condition on the 50 mile ride with the same high score. (Has this happened before? Somebody look it up!) They stopped in Owyhee to ride on their annual winter Snowbird pilgrimage to Arizona.
Hayley White, riding with her father Richard, won the 25 mile ride, with Richard getting Best Condition.
22 of 30 riders completed the 50, and 17 of 18 riders completed the 25.
The fall weather was a perfect bookend to the 2015 endurance ride season, a crisp and clear day with the gold sun highlighting the purple Owyhee mountains to the west.
See you on the Owyhee trails next year!
Come join us for the last ride of the Northwest season! We've had recent rains so the dust will be gone, and the trails should be perfect.
You'll be riding one loop south to Hart Creek, nice single track trails, with some sand wash and a bit of climbing. Rocky in places. The other loop will take you north on mostly single track trails with great footing.
We WILL have a Halloween Costume Contest!
Download pdf map
MAP IS TENTATIVE! WE MAY NEED TO CHANGE THE COURSE DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER AND UNFORESEEN NATURAL EVENTS!!
Ride veterinarian is Matt Dredge DVM. We'll have some warm chili for after the ride, and if we get real organized, we'll provide snacks for Friday night ride meeting.
Ride Managers: Regina Rose: 208 250 8662, Email Regina , and Steph Teeter: 208 473 4877, Email Steph
Driving Directions
Please fill out this preregistration form:
Check back for updates!
2014 Owyhee Hallowed Weenies - No Weenies Here!
Saturday November 1 2014
by Merri Melde
You'd be forgiven if, because of the weather, you mistook it for a spring Owyhee Tough Sucker ride. With some Saturday weather forecasts more dire than others (like, 90% chance of rain all day and 45*, or, just 40% chance of rain starting in the evening), co-ride manager Steph Teeter challenged, "The Owyhee Hallowed Weenies is on, we're going with the Channel 5 weather forecast (forget the others…) - high of 53 (that's not too bad) and 40% chance of showers - that means 60% chance of no rain! So if you're still debating, don't be a Weenie...just get Tough and come on out."
People came from as far away as Washington state, and Ely, Nevada, either undaunted by the weather forecast, or, already on their way so that it was too late to turn back. A small but decent number of Owyhee Tough Hallowed Weenies Suckers (25 of them) did turn out (plus a number of volunteers who showed up just to help) and saddled up in the chilly morning under heavy darkening skies, and set out on 25 miles and 50 miles, Halloween costumes covered up under raincoats. (The Raven dressed up too, but he was stuffed way down in his Raven bag on Dudley's saddle!)
The Raven had one of the best costumes. Can you tell he's a cardinal?
The rain started around 10 AM, and continued steadily until the last rider came in near what would have been sunset, if said sunset could be seen through the still-heavy and dark rainclouds. The temperature dropped to the mid-40's and the wind picked up during the day, but, once you were out there on a horse, it really wasn't unpleasant, particularly if you had enough layers on, and, if you were a horse, you had a heavy winter coat already, which many horses did!
It really wasn't so daunting, once you were already out riding!
Winner of the 50 was 8-year-old mare OFW Alivia (aka "Ali, as in Ali McGraw") ridden by veterinarian and endurance rider and ride n' tier Dick Root. Dick and Ali came thundering in one second ahead of Errol Fife and OMR Pristine. Ali also got Best Condition and a perfect vet score! "I think she's going to be a good one," Dick said. This was only Dick's second ride this year (the first was an LD on Ali in June), since he's been vetting rides instead of riding in them.
Errol's brother Kent rode 20-year-old Charlie to 3rd place on their first endurance ride ever, finishing 41 minutes behind the first two. If he hadn't taken a wrong turn on the last loop and ridden an extra 5 miles, he'd have been even closer!
If you timed your ride right, you saw only your riding partners Carol and August on the entire 50-mile trail!
Ten of twelve completed the 50 miler, including 10th place Carla Richardson and SS Kharady Khid. The ride put Carla at 11,000 AERC miles (Khid has 150 more miles to go for the same plateau).
All thirteen riders completed the 25-mile ride, including Steph Teeter, who slipped out on her 24-year-old former international FEI half Orlov-trotter gelding Nature's Khruschev (aka Krusty), coming in 7th in 3:21, and stealing Best Condition. "40-40 CRI!" she said of the big, old, black, heavy-winter-coated gentle giant. Carrie Johnson and Montana's Echo won the ride in 2:59.
If you timed your ride right, this is what the vet checks at base camp looked like!
Ride manager Regina Rose's famous potato-cheese soup warmed up riders for the awards dinner, where finishers and non-finishers alike took home little Halloween spider plants overgrown by Steph's green thumb. Veterinarian Matt Dredge and his daughter/assistant Ashley drove 4 1/2 hours to vet the ride, intrepidly taking on the weather with the rest of the Owyhee Halloween tough suckers. It was, all in all, a good end to the ride season!
The Raven got a spider plant in a Raven planter for his finish on Dudley!
Ride is based out of the Teeter ranch in Oreana. Easy access off of Hwy 78. Showers and toilets.
It's fall in Owyhee County - weather can be almost anything! Generally dry but could be warm or cold, ya never know! And there might be a little wind. Trails will consist of single track trails, jeep roads, cow paths, sand washes, ridge tops - and the footing is pretty decent! Some rocky sections but nothing really horid. Rolling terrain, but a generally easy-moderate trail. You'll be riding south to Hart Creek, and across Triangle Rd for a loop around the Browns Ck drainage for the first loop. The second loop will be single track trails, cow trails, jeep roads, a little bit of everything - north a bit, then south a bit, should be a fun trail.
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Directions:
From I-84 East (Oregon) Take Nampa exit 35 and follow signs to Hwy 45 (to Murphy) which takes you south towards Murphy. Follow hwy 78 east (left) after crossing the Snake River.
Between mile markers 42 and 43, you'll turn south on the Oreana Road (little green sign points to Oreana, between mile markers 42 and 43). That goes about 2 miles or so, and when you come down the 2nd hill, you'll see the big spread (NOT!) of Oreana in front of you. Slow down when you get to the first house; right after a "Slow Children" sign, you'll take a right on a dirt road. (like, the only dirt road going right in that area, so you won't take the wrong one). This is Bates Creek Road.
Follow this dirt road toward the mountains for 5 miles. If you think you've gone too far on Bates Creek road, keep going! Ignore the "Private Road" signs and don't pay attention to any "No Trespassing" signs. Keep going! you'll pass the occasional ranch along the creek. when you get to a big place with a bunch horses, that's not us, keep going! (don't pay attention to the order of house #s because they are not in order). Really, it's about 5 miles down this dirt road.
Eventually, about about 4 miles or so you'll pass on your right a funky silver barn-looking thing with a trailer, hovercraft, and Burning-Man-like sculptures and artwork outside.Next place will be neighbors with horses on your left, Lost Juniper ranch, and we will be the next place on your left. You made it!
From I-84 West (Utah): Take Hammett exit 112 onto Hwy 78. Go through Bruneau and Grandview towards Oreana. Turn left between mile markers 42 and 43 onto the Oreana road.
Driving Directions:
AirportThe nearest airport is Boise International (BOI). There are several hotels near the airport. Allow 1 1/2 hours drive time from airport to basecamp.You can go to Google Maps and enter Driving Directions:[ Boise Airport to Oreana, Idaho] for Nampa options // OR [ Boise Airport to Grand View, Idaho ] for Simco Rd options.
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WeatherGrand View forecast - a bit east of Oreana Murphy forecast - a bit west of Oreana |