The Santa Fe Trail

This week we rode four days from Moriarty, NM to Las Veges, NM. It was a total of 75 miles and our total distance traveled is now 442 miles.

We rode through the frieght wagon route of the old Santa Fe Trail. This was the first that I knew of the Santa Fe trail haveing two routes, one for travelers on horseback and another for the frieght wagons. Part of the route was in Blanco Canyon through Canon Blanco Ranch. It has breath taking views and elevation changes.

We were not able to get our camping rigs into the area because of the steep terrain and rough roads but we did take in pickup trucks with three days provisions. Four of us teamed up and took supplies in with two trucks. I slept Monday night in the front seat of the pickup. I got up sore, stiff and tired! Tuesday & Wednsday nights I slept in the pickup bed. I rolled out my sleeping bag and got a pretty good night sleep both nights. Monday and Tuesday we spent at ranch catch pens where we had water for the horses and pens or fences to tie the horses to. On Wednesday night we stayed in El Cerritto, a small village that is on a horseshoe bend of the Pecos River. It is a beautiful 1700s village that now has eleven ful time residents and fourteen parttime residents. The river flows into a box canyon on one side and then flows out the other side. It is not much wider then a quarter mile.

The village hosted us to an authentic spanish dinner and breakfast. Our primary hosts were Louisa and Tony. They then rode with us on Thursday.

On Wednesday and Thursday we could see Starvation Mountain. Legend has it that a group of Spaniards were surrounded by a band of Indians while on the mountain and they all starved to death. Louisa assured us that it was only a legend.

W arrived at the camping site near Las Vegas after 5:00PM on Thursday. We then had to go back to El Cerritto to retrieve our trucks and then go back the sixty niles to Moriarty to get our rigs to take them to the new camp site. It was after 11:00PM when we arrived with our rigs. By the time we tended to the horses and took a shower it was almost midnight when I got to bed. This three day trek was every bit as grueling as the trip across the desert. The horses were very tired when we arrived Thursday night, as were we.

We are using Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as rest days. I have done my laundry and will get more propane and generator gas while I'm in town today. I am at a Comfort Inn using their wi-fi to do this update. Many thanks for thier hospitaliy.

It is Sunday afternoon and I am at the Comfort Inn in Moriarty, NM using their wi-fi. I have had a quiet day. I attended cowboy church at the rodeo grounds this morning.

Pictures are of the wagons and of the Gran Quivera Ruins

We have gone over 350 miles to date.

Yesterday was a busy rest day. The day started by banging pots and pans outside Tom Seay's trailer and singing Happy Birthday to him. We then went to breakfast at the El Comador restaurant and ate with Bruce King, former governor of New Mexico. We just happened to have taken the table he and his friends have coffee at every morning. What a pleasent man he is! We then rode in the grand entrance to the rodeo. The temperature was in the forty's with a stiff wind. We all froze. In the afternoon I went and had a flat trailer tire repaired, bought propane, did my grocery shopping, and had my laundry done.

Friday we rode into town with a group of local riders and wagons drawn by miniature horses.

I have gotten help from a couple of fellow riders on getting Ali to collect up better when he trots. Many thanks to Tammy and Julie for their help.

Thursday, 5/14

We rode out of the dairy farm and went 14 mile to Estanzia, NM to the Rodeo Grounds where we spent the night. There was a little over 10 miles of road-side riding alongside a state highway. This was the first time we've ridden along a road. We had wide shoulders to deal with and the traffic usually slowed down for us. The horses sometimes shied at signage along the highway, but nothing serious. Estanzia has a spring fed small lake in the center of town that is a beautiful little city oasis year round. One horse has now been deemed unfit to continue due to arthritic joints and an unsound mind. So Mary, from Massachusetts, must decide what she's going to do. She is looking now for another horse to either buy, lease, or trade. However, her 16 year old horse is part of her family and it seems she won't be parting with him. We are going to be riding into a rodeo tonight, so more to come!

Posted by: Stephani

Sunday 5/10 - Wednesday 5/13

Wednesday 5/13: We rode 17 miles to the Zen Dairy. The day was an uneventful 17.8 miles! We then trailered the horses to the city of Mountainair rodeo grounds and the city hosted us to a BBQ dinner. A local historian told us the history of the area and sang us some cowboy songs. I was able to get into town to get fuel for the generator, some parts at a hardware store and to do my laundry before dinner. I was lucky to find a hairdresser available at the Laundromat, so I also got my haircut. Tomorrow we ride out and head toward Moriarty where we will have a weekend of rest.

Tuesday 5/12: We rode out into another ranch from the Monte Pietra and came upon an ancient Pueblo Indian mission ruins from the 16th century. We took a break there from riding and toured the ruins. We rode 18 miles this day.

Monday 5/11: We stayed Sunday night on the Hinkle Ranch and rode out Monday morning through a beautiful canyon with gullies and ridges and brush. It was like riding in the scenes we saw on TV and movie westerns. I took photos, but they don’t do it justice. We rode 17 miles and stayed that night at the Monte Pietra Ranch.

Sunday 5/10: On Sunday, we rode off the McKinley Ranch and onto the Hinkle Ranch in NM. We’re entering an area with grass and juniper trees that looks more like the plains than the desert.

Posted by: Stephani

After the Desert!

5-7-09 Thursday was a welcomed and well-needed day of rest. After doing a great job in the desert, Ali was ready to rest. He was less than enthusiastic and didn't even eat all of his grain. Fortunately, Ali got better as the day wore on. We spent the day at a bed and breakfast owned by Linda and Dewey Brown on the Fite Ranch in San Antonio, NM. Linda and Dewey were great hosts. You can get more information about their bed and breakfast at http://www.fiteranchbedandbreakfast.com/.
Thursday night we had a potluck dinner. I took my infamous tossed salad.


5-8-09 Friday was another rest day. Boredom set in for Ali and I, but disappeared for me when it was time for the crawfish boil. The Best of America by Horseback crew had Fed Ex fly in 50 pounds of fresh crawfish from Louisiana. Bobby Horton, a native of Mississippi, cooked the crawfish with potatoes, onions, corn on the cob, and sausage. It was delicious! We all ate until we we were stuffed.

5-9-09 Saturday we were back on the trail. Ali and I were both ready to go again. We started the day at 7:00 a.m. It was a cool 40 degrees with gusty winds up to 25 miles per hour. Brrrr! The horses were fresh but skiddish from the wind. Fortunately, the horses settled down fairly quickly, and we were able to finish just after noon. We rode over 18 miles on changing terrain. There was more grass, and it even had a green tinge. We've now ridden 255 miles. Ali had his best day so far. He found a perfect gait and didn't want to argue with me at all. The highpoint of the day was riding by the Trinity Site where the first atom bomb was exploded in 1945.

We stop three times each day on the trail to give the horses water. So far, we have not had any problems with getting hay or grain. I understand we have to have certified weed-free hay when we go into Colorado, or we could be fined as much as $7,000. The Best of America by Horseback organizers are working on the details to make sure we have the right hay in Colorado. My supply of peppermint candies for Ali are holding out. I carry some in a sack on the saddlehorn each day. Ali knows where they are and turns to get one each time we take a rest stop on the trail.

The riders get together every night to share stories, talk about our families, and get to know each other better. My daughter sent cross word puzzles, soduku puzzles and books to keep me busy, but I haven't had time to do any of them, yet. This is a wonderful experience! I am just amazed to be so lucky to have people to support me in doing this. I pinch myself daily to make sure it's not a dream!

Posted by: Dea

Photos!!!

Bud was able to get a good enough connection to get a few pictures out today so I thought I'd share. There were no captions, but they seem to be pretty easily matched to the blog posts below. There are some from the T or C, NM parade, riding along the Rio Grande, the trek through the White Sands Desert and their camp at the Hatch Fairgrounds. I'm sure everyone's eager to see proof of the trip, so here you go!

Posted by: Melissa

Socorro, NM

It is Thursday morning and I am in Socorro, NM. We are staying at the Fite Ranch at the north edge of the White Sands desert, about 15 miles southeast of Socorro. We rode three day in the desert and I slept on the ground or on the floor of a cattle trailer the two nights. It was a hot and grueling ride. I was worn out after each day's ride. Ali is doing fine and has actually gained weight back. He likes the alfalfa hay! We rode 22 miles the first day in the desert, 24 the second day, and 20 the third day. We have past the 200 mile marker towards Canada.

The view is beautiful along the way. We had mountains in all directions from us. We rode along the west fence of the White Sands Missile range for several miles, and then rode across a small corner of it. We could see clusters of missiles on turrets pointed at the sky. We travel on ranch roads that are rocky & sandy, dirt roads. The ranch we stayed at the first night about 40 miles east of T or C, NM on the Buckhorn Ranch, owned by Doug & Leslie Davis. They are wonderful hosts and have an oasis in the desert. They are opening up a Bed & Breakfast in the near future. It is a great place to stay and bring your horses! They light a campfire for us and Del Shields sang cowboy songs as the sun set with brilliant colors on the horizon. It can't get any better then this for a cowboy!!!
The second night we stayed at a cattle watering hole with a fence to tie our horses to. We rode out, after breakfast, at 7AM on Wednesday to ride as much as we could in the cool morning. We arrived at the Fite ranch at 1:30PM after traveling the full distance without stopping for lunch. We did water the horses 3 times along the way. We ate lunch in the saddle. We never found a shady place to stop.

Of the 41 riders that started out 17 made the desert trip. Crossing the desert was a great experience, I don't have to, need to, or want to do it again!

I want to thank the people that helped me get Ali in shape to travel: My vet Dr. Mitts and his staff at Holt Animal clinic, Russ Mac Lellen, whose shoes are still on Ali, and Doug Perry for his advice in getting Ali into top shape.



Thanks to the Econolodge Inn for allowing me to use their wifi.

Until next time everyone be safe.

Bud