Greetings,
June 18, 2011 – Across the Shirley Basin in Wyoming – I started early this morning with only a few other riders. There was ice on the water buckets and it was good that we blanketed the horses last night. We left the ranch and headed west across the Shirley Basin. In 25 miles of trail, we passed one ranch house and today we are camped on Stinking Creek – a tributary to the North Platte. An eastern name for Stinking Creek would be Stink Brook. Esterbrook, where we camped a few days ago, was named after a lady with the first name of Ester so Stink Brook would be a fine name for a small waterway. And tomorrow, we will rejoin the Pony Express trail near the North Platte River.
The Shirley Basin is a remote area north of Laramie. I have met descendents of the Shirley Basin ranching families and I have looked across the Shirley Basin from Interstate 80, but I have never explored the area. Today, I rode across the north perimeter of the basin and the country is very remote. The wind was blowing and it was cool, but the scenery was true west – red soil, sagebrush and antelope, a few cows, and the endless sky. I thought back to Kansas and Nebraska and it seems like we have come a long way in four weeks. At any moment on the trail, our pace seems slow, but as the miles are added together, we have traveled from the Missouri River to central Wyoming. I like traveling at 50 miles per day. When Cindy and I step off the trail to buy groceries or gas, 2011 America seems foreign. We have our own community and we are working together to get the horses across the Western US. Right now, our lives are simple and the complications of modern America seem unnecessary. Cindy and I have become accustomed to living on the trail.
The other thing that has impressed me is how difficult it would be to fully support someone who was riding fifty miles per day, every day. We are four weeks on the trail and some crews are falling apart. The details are sketchy, but it appears as if working together and living together under stressful conditions is too much for some personality combinations. I generally ride half days and Cindy and I use the second half of the day to resupply and meet the needs of the horses. As far as I know, there is only one person who has completed 50 miles every day and her crew is totally committed to her travel. The rest of us find ways to work with our crews to lessen the responsibilities.
Best Regards,
Tom N
June 18, 2011 – Across the Shirley Basin in Wyoming – I started early this morning with only a few other riders. There was ice on the water buckets and it was good that we blanketed the horses last night. We left the ranch and headed west across the Shirley Basin. In 25 miles of trail, we passed one ranch house and today we are camped on Stinking Creek – a tributary to the North Platte. An eastern name for Stinking Creek would be Stink Brook. Esterbrook, where we camped a few days ago, was named after a lady with the first name of Ester so Stink Brook would be a fine name for a small waterway. And tomorrow, we will rejoin the Pony Express trail near the North Platte River.
The Shirley Basin is a remote area north of Laramie. I have met descendents of the Shirley Basin ranching families and I have looked across the Shirley Basin from Interstate 80, but I have never explored the area. Today, I rode across the north perimeter of the basin and the country is very remote. The wind was blowing and it was cool, but the scenery was true west – red soil, sagebrush and antelope, a few cows, and the endless sky. I thought back to Kansas and Nebraska and it seems like we have come a long way in four weeks. At any moment on the trail, our pace seems slow, but as the miles are added together, we have traveled from the Missouri River to central Wyoming. I like traveling at 50 miles per day. When Cindy and I step off the trail to buy groceries or gas, 2011 America seems foreign. We have our own community and we are working together to get the horses across the Western US. Right now, our lives are simple and the complications of modern America seem unnecessary. Cindy and I have become accustomed to living on the trail.
The other thing that has impressed me is how difficult it would be to fully support someone who was riding fifty miles per day, every day. We are four weeks on the trail and some crews are falling apart. The details are sketchy, but it appears as if working together and living together under stressful conditions is too much for some personality combinations. I generally ride half days and Cindy and I use the second half of the day to resupply and meet the needs of the horses. As far as I know, there is only one person who has completed 50 miles every day and her crew is totally committed to her travel. The rest of us find ways to work with our crews to lessen the responsibilities.
Best Regards,
Tom N
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