Saturday, November 15, 2014

Riding in Canyon De Chelly



November 9 2014

There’s only one thing endurance riders want to do in the brief off-season - they want to RIDE!

Without a specific ride date on the ride calendar, and with the necessity of organizing guides to escort us, it was a little harder to orchestrate for a group; but in the end, there were six of us endurance riders who ventured down to Chinle, Arizona, to ride for a weekend in Canyon De Chelly National Monument, the heart of the Navajo Nation.

Christoph and Dian, Howard and Kathy, and Sue and I hauled down from Utah for this unique adventure some of us had been talking about for a long time. Sue graciously loaned me her 2012 Haggin Cup winner, LZP Julioslastchance, to ride on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!


Canyon De Chelly, on the Colorado plateau in eastern Arizona, has been occupied on and off for 5000 years. Archaic peoples from 2500 BC were followed by Ancestral Puebloans (the Anasazi), then the Navajo. The Navajo were driven out in the mid-1800’s during the nation-wide Indian purge, but four years later, they were allowed to return home.


Canyon De Chelly became a National Monument within the Navajo Nation lands in 1931, to protect the ancient history of the canyons. The Navajo still live and farm in Canyon De Chelly. The Park Service manages the archaeological ruins (the Navajo don’t want anything to do with the Anasazi ruins and spirits); the Navajo manage the natural resources.

We’d arranged to park our rigs at Justin’s Horse Rental. Our guides Justin Tso, and his granddaughter Kristy, escorted us on our 2 days in the canyon. The first day we rode up the northeast branch of Canyon Del Muerto in two different groups; on the second day we ventured far up the southeast branch of Canyon De Chelly, 18 miles to Spider Rock and back. Spider Woman, who taught the Navajo people how to weave, is said to live on top of Spider Rock, and watch over and protect her people.


The 800 foot spire of Spider Rock stands at another canyon junction of Canyon De Chelly and Monument Canyon, where thousand-foot sandstone walls line the way to more Navajo farms, then merge into the Defiance Plateau at 8000 feet, and eventually meet the Chuska Mountains.

After a lunch beneath the mythic spire, we turned around and rode back out Canyon De Chelly. It was just like an endurance ride - miles and miles through spectacular scenic country, fast and fun, with old friends and new, on the backs of our willing steeds.

slide show:


or link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/102194576498719760691/CanyonDeChellyAZNov2014

Sunday, November 2, 2014

2014 Owyhee Hallowed Weenies - No Weenies Here!



Saturday November 1 2014

You'd be forgiven if, because of the weather, you mistook it for a spring Owyhee Tough Sucker ride. With some Saturday weather forecasts more dire than others (like, 90% chance of rain all day and 45*, or, just 40% chance of rain starting in the evening), co-ride manager Steph Teeter challenged, "The Owyhee Hallowed Weenies is on, we're going with the Channel 5 weather forecast (forget the others…) - high of 53 (that's not too bad) and 40% chance of showers - that means 60% chance of no rain! So if you're still debating, don't be a Weenie...just get Tough and come on out."

People came from as far away as Washington state, and Ely, Nevada, either undaunted by the weather forecast, or, already on their way so that it was too late to turn back. A small but decent number of Owyhee Tough Hallowed Weenies Suckers (25 of them) did turn out (plus a number of volunteers who showed up just to help) and saddled up in the chilly morning under heavy darkening skies, and set out on 25 miles and 50 miles, Halloween costumes covered up under raincoats. (The Raven dressed up too, but he was stuffed way down in his Raven bag on Dudley's saddle!)


The Raven had one of the best costumes. Can you tell he's a cardinal?

The rain started around 10 AM, and continued steadily until the last rider came in near what would have been sunset, if said sunset could be seen through the still-heavy and dark rainclouds. The temperature dropped to the mid-40's and the wind picked up during the day, but, once you were out there on a horse, it really wasn't unpleasant, particularly if you had enough layers on, and, if you were a horse, you had a heavy winter coat already, which many horses did!


It really wasn't so daunting, once you were already out riding!

Winner of the 50 was 8-year-old mare OFW Alivia (aka "Ali, as in Ali McGraw") ridden by veterinarian and endurance rider and ride n' tier Dick Root. Dick and Ali came thundering in one second ahead of Errol Fife and OMR Pristine. Ali also got Best Condition and a perfect vet score! "I think she's going to be a good one," Dick said. This was only Dick's second ride this year (the first was an LD on Ali in June), since he's been vetting rides instead of riding in them.

Errol's brother Kent rode 20-year-old Charlie to 3rd place on their first endurance ride ever, finishing 41 minutes behind the first two. If he hadn't taken a wrong turn on the last loop and ridden an extra 5 miles, he'd have been even closer!


If you timed your ride right, you saw only your riding partners Carol and August on the entire 50-mile trail!

Ten of twelve completed the 50 miler, including 10th place Carla Richardson and SS Kharady Khid. The ride put Carla at 11,000 AERC miles (Khid has 150 more miles to go for the same plateau).

All thirteen riders completed the 25-mile ride, including Steph Teeter, who slipped out on her 24-year-old former international FEI half Orlov-trotter gelding Nature's Khruschev (aka Krusty), coming in 7th in 3:21, and stealing Best Condition. "40-40 CRI!" she said of the big, old, black, heavy-winter-coated gentle giant. Carrie Johnson and Montana's Echo won the ride in 2:59.


If you timed your ride right, this is what the vet checks at base camp looked like!

Ride manager Regina Rose's famous potato-cheese soup warmed up riders for the awards dinner, where finishers and non-finishers alike took home little Halloween spider plants overgrown by Steph's green thumb. Veterinarian Matt Dredge and his daughter/assistant Ashley drove 4 1/2 hours to vet the ride, intrepidly taking on the weather with the rest of the Owyhee Halloween tough suckers. It was, all in all, a good end to the ride season!


The Raven got a spider plant in a Raven planter for his finish on Dudley!

More photos, and results, at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2014OwyheeHallowedWeenies/