Greetings,
June 11 2011 – Between Rush Creek Ranch and Mud Springs – Again I rode a half day, 25 miles. The second half of the day was all roads and the first half had some very fine trail sections. I rode with Tracy, Max, Gary, Janus, Dave, and another woman. The trails were rolling prairie on the edge of the Sand Hills. We use a GPS for trail so there were no ribbons and no tracks. We rode across clean prairie. The XP ride is very different from the structured format of a regular endurance ride and I really appreciate the easy-going attitude on the XP trail. There are certainly some very competitive riders on the trip, but nearly everyone is only out for the adventure. Nearly everyone shares the same goal – to get the horses to Virginia City healthy and sound. I am traveling with a very competent group of horseman.
We are all sleep-deprived on this trip. We leave on the trail at 5:00 am Mountain Time which means that we get up at about 3:30 in order to have enough time to eat breakfast, pack camp, and saddle a horse. We are only getting about six or six-and-one-half hours of sleep each night. The rest days are greatly appreciated and most people take the rest day to repair tack, fix trucks, or just sleep late and take life easy.
Because I rode the first half of the day, and because we started this morning at 5:00 am, Cindy and I had the time to take a slight detour to Alliance Nebraska to see Carhenge. From Wikipedia:
"Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 29 metres (95 ft) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Carhenge replicates Stonehenge's current "tumble-down" state, rather than the original stone circle erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.
"Carhenge was conceived in 1987 by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. While living in England, he studied the structure of Stonehenge, which helped him to copy the structure's shape, proportions, and size."
For someone who appreciates whimsical metal sculptures and art, Carhenge might be considered hallowed ground!
Tonight we are camped at site of the Mud Springs Pony Express Station. Mud Springs was likely a Pony Express home station and was certainly a stop on the stage coach road. Today we caught our first sighting of two prominent landmarks on the pioneer trails – Courthouse Rock and Jailhouse Rock. Tomorrow, we may be able to see Chimney Rock and we are in Plains Indian country.
Best Regards,
Tom N
June 11 2011 – Between Rush Creek Ranch and Mud Springs – Again I rode a half day, 25 miles. The second half of the day was all roads and the first half had some very fine trail sections. I rode with Tracy, Max, Gary, Janus, Dave, and another woman. The trails were rolling prairie on the edge of the Sand Hills. We use a GPS for trail so there were no ribbons and no tracks. We rode across clean prairie. The XP ride is very different from the structured format of a regular endurance ride and I really appreciate the easy-going attitude on the XP trail. There are certainly some very competitive riders on the trip, but nearly everyone is only out for the adventure. Nearly everyone shares the same goal – to get the horses to Virginia City healthy and sound. I am traveling with a very competent group of horseman.
We are all sleep-deprived on this trip. We leave on the trail at 5:00 am Mountain Time which means that we get up at about 3:30 in order to have enough time to eat breakfast, pack camp, and saddle a horse. We are only getting about six or six-and-one-half hours of sleep each night. The rest days are greatly appreciated and most people take the rest day to repair tack, fix trucks, or just sleep late and take life easy.
Because I rode the first half of the day, and because we started this morning at 5:00 am, Cindy and I had the time to take a slight detour to Alliance Nebraska to see Carhenge. From Wikipedia:
"Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 29 metres (95 ft) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Carhenge replicates Stonehenge's current "tumble-down" state, rather than the original stone circle erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC.
"Carhenge was conceived in 1987 by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father. While living in England, he studied the structure of Stonehenge, which helped him to copy the structure's shape, proportions, and size."
For someone who appreciates whimsical metal sculptures and art, Carhenge might be considered hallowed ground!
Tonight we are camped at site of the Mud Springs Pony Express Station. Mud Springs was likely a Pony Express home station and was certainly a stop on the stage coach road. Today we caught our first sighting of two prominent landmarks on the pioneer trails – Courthouse Rock and Jailhouse Rock. Tomorrow, we may be able to see Chimney Rock and we are in Plains Indian country.
Best Regards,
Tom N
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