FROM: Sam DiMuzio
PST
Hello Nevada Pony Express Fans,
On behalf of the Nevada Division Board, we would like to extend our thanks for being part of our historical organization, both in-person and virtually.
Nevada has officially finished its duty in getting the mochilla across our state.
Our pony riders rose to the occasion during record heat and with far fewer than the normal amount of riders needed.
Most of our rider pairs rode multiple legs in their section, while many others went on to do multiple legs in multiple sections, day and night.
To you, Pony Rider, we owe our sincerest gratitude for your perseverance and dedication “to honor the memory and endeavors of the Pony Express riders of 1860-1861 while preserving and riding the original Pony Express route through (one of) the eight states it crossed” (NPEA Mission).
Your horses gave us their hearts as they galloped down paved streets to eagerly awaiting crowds, across the scorching sage and playa lands, over the tall pinyon-juniper mountain ranges, and throughout the half-moonlit nights. They carried the spirits of the original ponies with them as they carried you and the mochila.
While not the time record we were hoping for, our riders never wavered and did the job they were sworn to do. Sometimes the trail is your friend, other times not so much; but it is the adventure we seek!
To the support crews (family drivers, HAM operators, all-around XP loving folks), you give us the strength and motivation to keep going. You keep us safe when we are out in the middle of nowhere. You keep us fed when we are so busy running on adrenaline we forget to eat. You drive us to where we need to be and then pick us up to take us to the next exchange point, just as excited as we are for what we are doing. You greet us at random places along busy highways, tiny historic towns, or at a random pullout miles in from the nearest “road”. Your enthusiasm fuels our drive to keep going.
This annual event is a team effort led by each section’s Ride Captain without whose leadership the Re-Ride would falter. Some sections are like herding cats, others a well-oiled machine; but in the end, we all desired and earned our ride pins by coming together to move the mail across our great state as best we could in the conditions we were given.
And we can’t wait to do it again next year!
Congratulations on another successful Re-Ride, Nevada!
Sincerely,
Your Nevada Division Board Members