Fwd: FW: On the Pony Express Trail between Oak and Hastings, Nebraska

Greetings,
May 31, 2011 - Near Hastings Nebraska – All of us survived the severe weather last night.  Cindy and I dropped the top on the camper, placed the horses in the trailer, moved the rig to the leeward side of a 50-foot grain hauling trailer and hunkered down.  We heard this morning that most of the Pony Express riders sought shelter in the basement of the Oak School.  We never heard the call to join the others in the shelter, perhaps because I had hidden the van so well.  Cindy and I watched the storm develop on the NWS weather pages and waited.  The lightning show was continuous and gave us ample warning of what was to come.  The weather front passed through Oak at about 10:30.  Actually, the storm was no worse than the others that we have experienced and we let the horse out at about 1:30 am.
Today dawned clear and cool and even though we did not get much sleep last night, I saddled and left on the trail at six.  Again there was mud, but Whiskey did very well.  We rode through some real boggy sections and Whiskey thoroughly enjoys the challenge of a technical trail.  Whiskey puts his head down and focuses on the footing, carefully working his way through the difficult sections.  Whiskey should find the trail far more enjoyable when we get further west.  For now, I am holding to the plan of half-days until we transition from roads to trails.  This week, my plan is for Whiskey to go three days and Frank for two days.
The general schedule is for us to ride five days per week – Tuesday through Saturday, and then use Sunday and Monday for shopping, laundry, tack adjustments, and truck repairs.  Because I am only riding half-days, Cindy and I lounge around on the days off (we take a holiday from our vacation).  Today we shopped for groceries and did laundry in Hastings Nebraska.  Our camp tonight is in the grass on the shore of a small lake.  Tomorrow, we head out for Fort Kearney on the Platte River.  I am very lucky.
Best Regards,
Tom Noll

Between Alexandria and Oak, Nebraska

Greetings,
May 28, 2011 – Alexandria to Oak, Nebraska – The last day of week one. Today we rode along the Little Blue River in Southeastern Nebraska. We passed the site of the Millersville and Kiowa Pony Express stations. All that remains are vague sites because the actual stations were burned during the Indian Wars of the 1870s.
As you can see from the photos, we passed large patches on wild marijuana. Here in Nebraska the marijuana is a "ditch weed." As you would expect, there were conversations about financing the trip by selling bags of Commemorative Pony Express Herbs. Other than a topic for conversation, no one is interested in ditch weed.
Frank and Whiskey finished the week sound. We ran half-days all week, with Frank running 75 miles and Whiskey ran 50 miles. Whiskey was a little muscle sore last night and the half days are giving both horses the opportunity to ease into the trip.
We will spend the next two days in Oak Nebraska. The townsfolk of Oak are cooking a dinner for us tonight. Tomorrow morning, we are looking forward to sleeping late. The 6:00 am starts require waking at 4:30 in order to eat, pack the van, and saddle the horses.
We are living on the road. Cindy joked a few days ago when someone on the trip asked where she lives. Cindy replied, "Today I live in Kansas, tomorrow I will live in Nebraska, and in a few weeks, Wyoming." Living on the trail like this is easy. We know where we are, where we have been, where we are going, and we know our purpose. Life is relatively simple.

Best Regards,
Tom N

Between Hanover Kansas and Alexandria Nebraska

Greetings,
May 27, 2011 – Between Hanover Kansas and Alexandria Nebraska – The Pony Express trail left Kansas today. The trail today passed by both the Hollenberg and Rock Creek stations. Both stations were Pony Express stations as well as wagon stations along the Oregon Trail. Like the modern truck stops, the Oregon Trail stations served the needs of the travelers on the Overland Highway of the mid-1800s. Since I am only riding 25 to 30 mile days, we took some time to explore the Rock Creek station.
The Oregon Trail is a long road from St Joseph to Oregon. The trail passes through Boise, perhaps close to my house just off Overland Road, and continues on to the Willamette Valley, crossing the Sandy River near Max Merlich's home. It is difficult to imagine those pioneer families averaging fifteen miles or so a day and making the journey all the way to Oregon. Today, we are in Nebraska, 200 miles from our start on the bank of the Missouri River. Horse travel may seem slow, but in four days, we have come 200 miles. We have passed by many Oregon Trail monuments. We have seen the swales and marks on the land left by the Oregon Trail pioneers.
Whiskey stepped out for another day on the trail and he walked and trotted for nearly 30 miles. The first week is nearly done and I am already hearing stories about horses that are foot-sore and back-sore. I am satisfied with my plan to ride half-days for the first few weeks or so in Kansas and Nebraska. The half days allow me to become familiar with the trail as well as allow the horses time to build their strength. Also, the half days allow the time to explore some of the historic sites along the way.
Tonight we are camped on the short road leading to an abandoned Nebraska farm that appears to have been the home of two brothers who were farmers. There are clothes and other belongings scattered about the abandoned home. It appears as if the home was last occupied about four years ago. Some of the others are camped along the nearby county roads or in a wet farm field. We have been riding along an early railroad of 1870s, which later became the Rock Island rail line which is now a part of the Union Pacific system. The trail whistles sound at every road crossing and we hear the trains throughout the day and at night as well.

Best Regards,
Tom N

Riding the Trail in Kansas, Between Seneca and Hanover

Greetings,

May 26, 2011 – Riding Between Seneca and Hanover – Today was a beautiful day in Kansas. The sky was a deep blue all day. The rain yesterday was cleansing and the air was clear and clean. Frank was hot. Even at well over 20, with almost six thousand endurance miles, Frank can get very excited in a group of horses. Today he was tossing his head, rooting, and generally carrying on in a most inappropriate manner. In his activity, he even broke his left buckle on the reins. I tied the rein, took a time out, and then headed back out on the trail and Frank was very well behaved. We finished the day with a smile.

A farmer told us yesterday that he measured 8.2 inches of rain on his farm. Further west in Hanover, the measured rain was only about four inches. Either amount is enough to make some serious mud. Some rigs became mired in and stuck – in some cases seriously stuck. The farmers and the tractors were busy extricating the big rigs. Cindy avoided all the muddy roads and had a successful day.

We passed through Marysville which has an intact Pony Express Home Station. The Pony Express was set up with way stations every ten miles or so where the riders would change horses, and a home station every 75 miles or so where the mail system changed riders.

Tonight, we are in Hanover and we will ride by the Hollenberg Pony Express Station tomorrow. As you can tell by the names, we are in country settled by Germans, and I met a man in Marysville today whose ancestor was sponsored as a German emigrant by Gerat and Sophia Hollenberg – the operators of the Hollenberg Pony Express Station. In our conversation, he mentioned the Oregon Trail furrows on his land and an Oregon Trail pioneer grave as well. The grave is on the US historic record.

Earlier today, while on the road, Cindy stopped to mail a letter and enjoyed a long talk with the postmaster in Beattie Kansas. Everyone is very interested in our journey and I guess you cannot hide so many horses and the associated traveling "dog and pony show." Tonight, the people of Hanover have agreed to cook dinner for us. The hospitality along the trail is amazing and we are very lucky.

Best Regards,

Tom N

Pony Express - Whiskey Steps Out and Heads West

Greetings,

May 25, 2011 – Seneca Kansas – Whiskey Steps Out and Heads West on the Pony Express Trail – Today was another short day. I elected for twenty-five miles instead of the whole fifty. Cindy and I talked about the first two weeks on the trail during our drive from Idaho. We decided to focus on short days early on to give the horses a chance to learn the travel routine and to give us a chance to become familiar with the travel routine too.

Today was a big day for Whiskey. In January, Whiskey could not stand because his chronic laminitis had become severe. Steve Hardy, a local veterinarian, and Lee Pierce, an Oregon farrier, worked out a plan to restore Whiskey to soundness. Most horses take a whole year to recover fully and Whiskey will probably take a year as well. But, we all worked to bring Whiskey to soundness for the Pony Express. I remember talking with Lee in January and we discussed the May start. Lee thought it might be possible for Whiskey to run the XP and we crossed our fingers and consulted St Jude who is Whiskey's patron saint. The question has always been, "Is Whiskey an unlucky horse, or is he very lucky", and your answer depends on your perspective.

We had another magic electrical show last night and the roads were wet from the rain. The rain softened the surface and the day was cool with a nice breeze out of the north. We rode on muddy roads. The soft surface was perfect for Whiskey's feet. Whiskey stepped right back and he ran strong. My friends remarked how well he looked and also the relief that I must be feeling.

Along the trail today we passed by an old house and the farmer came out to greet us. We talked of horses, dogs, farming and Kansas. Like the farmer, the local residents have been very gracious. Tonight we are camped in an actual campground with electric and water. The campground hosts opened their facilities to us and I bet this campground has never seen so many horses.

Today I rode with my friends Tracy Blue, Max Merlich, and Dave Rabe. Tracy, Max, and Dave continued on for the fifty. There is a low pressure weather system just south of us and severe rain is rotating through like spokes on a pinwheel. Right now, it is raining very hard and Max, Tracy, Dave, and their horses are undoubtedly very wet.

Best Regards,

Tom N

First Day on the Trail

Greetings,

May 24, 2011, Horton Kansas – The first day on the trail. Today, I decided to ride half the day to lunch both to test the footing and to ease Frank into the ride because we still have 1950 miles to go. We started down the trail at six as the day dawned clear. The weather service forecast the possibility of severe weather but the morning looked calm.

We rode west through Wathena Kansas and out to rural Kansas. The countryside is rolling hills and pastoral farmland where the Midwest begins to yield to the Great Plains. At about twelve miles or so, Cindy met us with water for Frank under the watchful eye of a wary Angus bull. The sky was beginning to darken but I had no worries.

Gary and Janus from the NW rode with me and we continued west on various section-line roads. Some roads were paved, some were packed gravel, and some we bare dirt. When dry, the bare dirt is the best footing for the horses. When the bare dirt is wet, the horses slide as if they are on skates.

Gary, Janus, and I began to become concerned about six miles from the lunch spot. By about three miles out the real rain began. Then the wind shifted to the west and the wind speed increased. The wind and rain was right in our faces.

We were soaked. Janus said that her boots were full of water. I was as wet as had I just jumped into a creek. At one point, Frank balked at the headwinds and the three of us took shelter in the lee of a barn. Between the sheets of rain we could look out and see the trailers ahead of us about half-mile. Eventually, we made it to the trailers. Cindy and I quickly untacked Frank and loaded him into the trailer.

Now, I am sitting in the van in the fairgrounds in Horton Kansas under partly cloudy skies. But, the forecast is shows an increasing chance of severe weather this evening – early summer in eastern Kansas. The fairgrounds are in an old railroad yard and we have been instructed to seek shelter in the old stone railroad roundhouse if necessary.

Best Regards,

Tom N

Elwood Kansas

Greetings,

May 23, 2011, Elwood Kansas – Today is the last pre-ride day. The camp is filling up with riders from across the US and even riders from Australia.

Earlier this morning, we caught a ride over to St Joseph and visited the Pony Express stables and the Patee House. The Patee House was the headquarters for the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, and the Pony Express. The firm was founded in 1849 by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell (the Patee House is the large brick building).

After touring the old town area, we walked back to camp on a highway bridge over the Missouri River. Today, the Missouri River is far from the slow lazy river that we often read about in literature. The Missouri river at St Joseph is flowing 110,000 cubic feet per second, about two feet over flood stage, and almost six times the water flow that we saw at Shoshone Falls a week ago. Please check out the "Sharpen Anything" Missouri Americana that we saw by the river in St Joseph.

We plan to spend the afternoon packing for an early departure in the morning. Tonight, we'll go to the Patee House for a catered dinner and tomorrow morning around six, I'll place the saddle on the back of Frank, take up the reins, and we will head west on the trail to California.

Best Regards,

Tom N

Riding Near Beatrice Nebraska

Greetings,

We have decided to spend another day at the Gage County Fairgrounds in Beatrice, Nebraska. Earlier this morning, we rode around the fairgrounds and out to the surrounding area. For you power aficionados, we visited the Norris Public Power Beatrice Operation Center as well as a substation (all part of the electric utility scouting expedition that comes are part of my leave from Idaho Power). We were out for about two hours and Whiskey and Frank did well.
Later today or tomorrow, we will load the horses and head to the trailhead in Elwood Kansas on the west bank of the Missouri River just across from St Joseph Missouri. We will start riding west on Tuesday.

Best Regards,

Tom N