FROM: Ron Bell, Nevada NPEA
PST
Report Sand Mountain to Top Gun
Sandy Blair started our section riding Tango; Tango is Larry McPherson’s horse. He would have ridden her this year if his health had permitted. Sandy and Tango covered the first two mile section. Tango had a little problem getting started but after a bit cantered along just fine.
Anne Martins picked up the mail from Sandy, riding Sam, her Mustang. With a fast exchange Anne was up galloping down the trail. I followed along for a bit then moved on past to get to my start location about three miles further down the trail. Just when I got to my station I got a call from the radio operator that Sam was having problems, so I turned around and headed back to meet them. When I got close I could see Anne leading Sam, heading on to meet me so she could get as much distance as she could. I pulled up and unloaded Dandy exchanged the mochilla and stepped aboard.
I am riding Dandy. This is his third year on this section of the trail; it runs along the base of the mountain just to the west of the dry lake. This part of the trail has a lot of rocks and gullies with some parts that you can canter your horse. Some of this section you need to walk. Dandy ran the better part of the first three miles, getting back to my supposed start point. We had sand blowing in our face at about 30 plus mph. My hat was blowing off even though I had a hurricane leather string. Dandy just cantered on, ears forward, just doing his Dandy thing – just what you ask him to do. Grant Bell, the ride captain, drove back down the road and asked Jim Swigart, the National President, if he could ride into my section on Diamond to help our team.
Jim Swigart rode back into my section about two miles. By this time Dandy had ran about five out of the eight miles I had covered. He was starting to slow down. Reaching Jim, we exchanged the mail. Jim turned and galloped off leaving Dandy and me in the dust. Jim ran Diamond about three miles to make the next exchange with Rex.
Rex Hall was riding what could have been the youngest horses on the re-ride – a three year old mare. Rex and horse both did a great job riding only a short section of two and one half miles. Next year he wants to ride a longer section when his horse has more miles on her. Rex also came back later to help ride another section of the trail on Diamond. Diamond ran a five mile section at about 1:00 am on the 26th.
Grant Bell received the mail from Rex and stepped aboard Dakota. This is Grant’s second year and Dakota’s first year. Grant rode from the power plant over the hill to Pit Road. Dakota likes to run off road, so they bypassed the road and went directly up the hill and down the mountain through the brush at a full gallop. Better him than me, I would have taken the road. Hitting the road at the bottom, he headed down the draw to the exchange.
Now the fun started, it could have gone the other way. Crystal Reno and Stephanie Wilkes were ready to go. Mail on Karma, they started out onto the dry lake. Not just yet. Stephanie’s horse Harley bucked her off before she made the dry lake. Crystal had her music playing on her ear phones and was in the lead. In about two hundred yards Harley was running beside Crystal. She reached out and pulled the reins over her head, hooked them on the saddle horn and galloped on, not much she could do at that point except control the horse. Back at the crash site Stephanie dusted herself off and jumped into the jeep with radio crew and they raced out to catch Crystal. About a mile out on the lake they passed Crystal. Going on ahead, Stephanie jumped out of the jeep and Crystal slowed up and gave her the reins. Stephanie jumped into the saddle and they raced on across the lake heading on to Top Gun. Crystal reached Top Gun just ahead of Stephanie. We all reached Top Gun in time to see Stephanie come in. I told her she had some mud on her face. She said, “following Crystal any one would have mud on their face.”
Great ending for a fun day.