Friday, June 24, 2011

On the Pony Express trail, June 22 2011


Greetings,

The cellphone coverage has been very limited so I will catch up with a few posts.

June 22, 2011 – Murphy Ranch, Independence Rock, to Sweetwater Junction (Sixth Crossing) – Last night was the Summer Solstice and Cindy and I camped alone in the desert near Independence Rock.  The ride was broken into two segments; a thirty-six mile segment and a fourteen mile segment.  I decided to start my ride at Handcart Ranch to shorten the first half to about 25 miles and I rode Whiskey.

Shortening the ride gave us time to explore Independence Rock.  Independence Rock is a large granite monolith rising out of the Sweetwater River valley floor and the rock was a major landmark on the pioneer trials.  The pioneers tried to make Independence Rock by the fourth of July.  Like register cliffs, the rock is inscribed with many names of the early settlers.  We climbed to the top of the rock and read some of the many inscriptions.  The rock surface also shows signs of glacial polish from the Paleocene ice flows.  We could observe the riders coming from the top of Independence Rock.

After the rock, we rode through Handcart Ranch which is property purchased by the LDS church where the church teaches the history of the Mormon migration and many re-enact the handcart migrations of their ancestors.  We saw Handcart Companies in the area around Martin's Cove on the ranch.  While at the ranch, I was riding with Max Merlich on his mule Guadalupe.  Many of the visitors to the ranch site were very interested in our journey.  Some were particularly interested in the mule and wanted pictures.  In fact, one group asked that Whiskey move so that there would not be a horse in the photo.  Whiskey, an American Mustang was slightly offended, but he respected the wishes of the visitors and preserved the dignity of the situation.

While passing one of the handcart companies, I took the opportunity to ride away from our group and stop to listen to the sounds of the pioneer re-enactment.  Whiskey and I stood on the high desert and listened as the handcart company slowly made its way on the trail.  There were two and three people at the bar pulling each cart, others walked along side in the procession, and the participants were dressed in period clothes.  They were LDS people reliving the lives of their ancestors.  I could hear the wheels of the handcarts and hear the chatter of the people.  As I sat on my horse and looked across the desert at the handcart companies, at the sage-covered hills, at Split Rock, and listened to the sounds of the pioneers, it was easy for my mind to drift back in time to the Overland Trail and the Pony Express 150 years ago.

Later on, we continued our ride on two-track primitive roads that are the actual pioneer trails.  Like the handcart re-enactors, we followed in the footsteps of the Pony Express and the early settlers.  I found part of a worn ox-shoe on a section of the trail rutted by the pioneer wagons.  I wondered if the shoe was original or left from a more recent re-enactment and I asked my companions.  I was assured that the piece was well over a 100 years old and original.

While on Independence Rock today, Cindy and I talked about the trip and our speed.  I am riding half-days which preserves my horses as well as gives us the opportunity to visit some of the historical sites along the trail.  We decided that fifty miles per day may be too fast to explore the pioneer trails– after over a month on the trail, we have concluded that our pace is too fast which is a sure sign that we have stepped out of modern life, even if for only a short period of time.  We are very lucky.

Best Regards,
Tom N


No comments:

Post a Comment