NEARING THE END OF THE TRAIL!

It is Sunday morning and Bonnie and I are in the lobby of the International Inn in Williston, ND. We attended Cowboy Church this morning and then had breakfast at Grandma Sharon's restaurant. It is a very good family restaurant.

I rode Ali three days this past week. We traveled on the Maah Daah Hey Trail for two days. It was a scenic ride through the Badlands and the Little Missouri River Grasslands. Some of the trail is very steep and narrow. There are places we went up, or down, the side of hills and rock formations that are so steep that we did switchbacks several times. Ali was very attentive to where we were and stayed on the trail very well. I'm glad because it was a long ways to the bottom if you fell.

We camped at the Milt and Clarice Madison Ranch three nights. They are a wonderful couple and were very hospitable to us. Milt took several of us on a horse drawn wagon ride out onto his ranch. It was a very peaceful ride. They and their children and neighbors fed us a delicious meal one evening. After the meal Del Shields sang cowboy songs to the group. I thanked the Riders, during this gathering, for their support and kindness to both Bonnie and me.

We are 60 miles, or 4 riding days, from the Canadian border. We expect to be at the border on Friday September 4th. All the riders are becoming more excited by the prospect of the journey's end and accomplishing their goals. Most are also ready to be back home.

The pictures are of the Little Misouri River along the Maah Daah Hey Trail and of the Madison Ranch horse drawn wagon.

RIDING AGAIN!!

Bonnie and I left Liberty on Monday August 17 and joined the Mexico to Canada riders on Tuesday night near Bowman, ND. The trip out was mostly uneventful, but we found it difficult at times. The memories keep flooding back for our daughter. All the riders welcomed us back to the trailride.

I rode Ali on a short ride around the camp and down near the Little Missouri River on Wednesday morining. The area is very scenic and rugged. We then moved camp to Medora, ND.

On Thursday I rode about 8 miles, part of which was on the Maah Daah Hey Trail. I was too busy with Ali to take any pictures as he was really fresh and ready to go. When we arrived in Medora there was a media event that all the riders participated in. We were all interviewed by local TV stations.

Friday was a rest day for the riders as they had been riding a very difficult schedule for the past week. We kept somewhat secluded for the weekend. It is pretty difficult to answer the questions.

Saturday I took part in the trail ride that took us out into the North Dakota Badlands. We rode the Maah Daah Hey Trail the entire 14 miles we traveled. The scenery was spectacular and I have many pictures that I will download as soon as I can. Ali was a hand full early in the day but settled down very well.

It is Sunday morning and Bonnie and I are at the Medora campgrounds doing some laundry and I am on their WiFi. The campground is down the road from our campsite. I have chosen not to ride today as it will be a long day and Ali and I are not in shape for a long hard day. We will be moving camp this morning to a site out in the boondocks and will be there for the next 3 days. We will have to carry in all off our supplies as we will not be near any towns. I have filled all the water tanks and the fuel tanks.

It is good to be back on the trail. I am really glad Bonnie is here with me. We both wish we had brought Sabian so she could ride him on some of the short rides.

Thanks for the support we have received from everyone.

Trail's End ???

I rode with Best of America by Horseback from Limon, CO to Brush, CO during the last week of June.

We camped one night on the Fisher Ranch and another night the Fellowship Baptist Church of Woodrow, CO where the church members hosted us to a very good potluck dinner. On Saturday we rode into Brush, CO and set up camp in the sale barn parking lot where we stayed Saturday and Sunday nights.

On Sunday we encountered a group of antique cars passing through Brush on their way to the west coast. They were re-enacting a coast to coast automobile race originally ran in 1902. What are the odds of a coast to coast antique car race and a border to border horseback ride being in Brush, CO on the same day?? It was interesting talking to some of the drivers of their adventure, and they were equally intrigued by ours.

On Monday we rode north out of Brush with me on a very contrary horse. He seemed to want to shy and spook at every thing. We rode only 9 miles and were at the new camp site by noon. I got a ride back to my rig and went to the new campsite and fed Ali, and had a bite of lunch for myself. I then loaded Ali into the trailer and headed for Missouri and home. Personal reasons dictated that I go home for a while. I was home from the 540 mile trip across parts of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas at 1AM Tuesday. It was good to be home and see Bonnie.

Bonnie and I spent the next couple of weeks working on the yard and property and mending fences. We had made plans to return to the Mexico to Canada trail ride together, and depart from home, on Tuesday July 22nd after Bonnie's mother's 90th birthday celebration. I had started to load the supplies into the trailer on Friday July 17th.

On that night a phone call changed our lives forever. We received a phone call that our daughter, Deanna, had died as a result of a gunshot while driving her car in Kansas City. Our granddaughter, Tessa, sustained eye injures from flying glass from the bullet going through the car window. She has recovered from her injuries, but our daughter is gone from us forever and we are having a difficult time dealing with the pain this left us with.

I have no plans or desire to rejoin the trail ride at this time. I wish the riders the best of luck. May God be with them.