Lodgepole Nebraska and Julesberg Colorado

On 28 September Bob had a ride of approx 19 miles to Lodgepole. The weather was quite pleasant, warm and dry, and there is plenty of grazing for Cody and Tigers on the way. Norma had arranged for him to stay with some people she knew, and they all went out for something to eat and a drink that evening. Bob was warm and dry in the barn that evening, and the horses were corralled. My thanks to Norma and her friends for letting Bob stay there.

Another Milestone.........Bob was now heading into Colorado to Julesberg Fairground, a distance of 27 miles , so he set off very early in the morning. The weather was pretty much the same as the day before, and he called me on his cell phone about 2 in the afternoon, to let me know he was en route. The horses were having a stop for grazing and water. Cody is recovering well from his adventure with the post, and seems none the worse for it. In fact, Bob said he has a job to contain him in the mornings because he is raring to go.

When I spoke to Bob in the early hours, he had not long arrived at the Fairground. Apparently, he was getting close to his destination, and then came across a train stopped right across the road. He had to ride the horses alongside till he came to the engine, cross, and then ride back down..........a distance of nearly a mile. Also that day he had seen a train with 5 engines pulling, and goodness knows how many trucks!

The Fairground is right next to the rail track, and the trains seem to come every hour, 24 hours a day, so I don't think he's going to have a good night's sleep, as they blow their horns every time they go past. Jene Bauerle at the Fairground had kindly arranged hay and water for the horses, and Bob had some sort of building to sleep in. My thanks to Jene for all his help.

Keep riding, Cowboy Bob.

Dalton,Sidney and on to Lodgepole

Here are some photos that were kindly sent to me by Dan and Brenda McNeill, who Bob met on 17 September, whilst on the way to Crawford, Nebraska.




When they took this photo, Bob was trying to reach me by cell phone, but , unfortunately, his phone was flat.

Bob having a rest by the side of the road. Horses catching up on the grazing.

After Bob left Bridgeport Fairground he had a very easy ride to Mud Spring Ranch, the home of Betty Cape. Betty made a lovely meal for him and he had a comfortable bed for the night. He also met her three sons, who came over to visit with him. He had an early night as he had a long ride of 28 miles the following morning, and needed to make an early start. Thank you very much to Betty and her sons for their hospitality. I would also mention Jim, who stopped his truck when Bob was en route to the ranch and offered to trailer them all there. Bob politely declined the offer, as that would have been cheating.

His destination the next day was Cabela's RV Park and campground at Sidney, and he phoned me on 26 September when he was about 15 miles from there. It was a pretty hard ride, as he had left at 7am, and the weather again was very hot. He had stopped at a house along the way, where they kindly gave him water for himself and the horses. I contacted him later that evening when he had arrived at Cabela's. He had corralled the horses for the night, and set up his tent, and Norma ( sorry Norma, I don't know your surname) had arrived with hay for the horses. She also very kindly gave Bob a $20 gift voucher for Cabela's. Thank you for all your help, Norma, as I know you came straight from work with the hay, so it must have been a very long day for you. We do appreciate it.

Bob was staying there for the following day, and went to do some shopping in the store, as he needed some more socks and a few other items. Mary, the greeter in the store bought him breakfast, and Cabela's also gave him a goodies bag with lots of useful items, and would not let him pay for camping there. The Cabela newspaper also arrived to interview him, so he's a bit of a celebrity round there. Mine and Bob's thanks for Mary's and Cabela's generosity. It is so nice that everyone is extending a hand in friendship to him , as has been in evidence throughout this trip.

Bob was spending the rest of the day writing up his journal and resting , ready for his journey to Lodgepole the following morning . Once he leaves Lodgepole, he will be crossing into Colorado, and has already done in excess of 700 miles. In approximately one week's time, he will be half way through his long ride.

My sincere thanks to the people of Nebraska for all your kindness towards Bob, and all the help you have given him. Another great State!

McGrew & Bayard, Nebraska

The photos below were taken by Rick Myers from the Star Herald when he came to do an interview with Bob at Lake Minatare.

Below is Farrier Wilkins making new shoes for Tigers.


Here's Bob's little yellow tent, nestling amongst the trees.

Bob and vet Arden Wohlers, who had come to visit that day. Bob stayed with him near Marsland.

Bob and David , the superintendent of Lake Minatare.

After the events at Lake Minatare, I expect Bob was glad to be back on the road again. He had 22 miles to travel to his next stay, and because he wanted to make it easy for Cody, he took all the extra weight off him, and also walked for 8 miles of the journey. The weather wasn't too hot, and he arrived at the home of Judy Durnal at Bayard in the early evening to a very warm welcome........there were about 20 people waiting to meet him. They all said they'd been reading about him in the newspaper, and they wanted his autograph on the newspapers they had brought!!!!! He is going to be sooooooo big headed if this carries on!

The horses were corralled for the night, and the barbecue came out, and I believe a good time was had by all. Bob reckons he didn't get to bed till going on midnight. I can't e-mail Judy as she hasn't got a computer, but if anyone reads this who knows her, please pass our thanks along to her for looking after Bob.

Bob left Bayard at 9.45 the next morning, accompanied part of the way by Judy and two of her friends, who rode for about 5 miles with him. He had an 18 mile ride to Bridgeport, where he was staying at the Fairground. Dale Frickey from the Fairground came out to meet Bob as was getting near to Bridgeport, and he had arranged hay to be there for the horses. Because there was no water at the fairground the local Fire Brigade came out and pumped about 100 galls of water into a container for Bob. They all enjoyed a beer after that, supplied by Dale. Thank you very much , Dale, and also the Fire Brigade for all your help.

Bob was heading today (25 Sep) towards Dalton, a distance of about 16 miles, so that won't be too taxing for Cody, although Bob says he seems remarkably unfazed by his adventure, and was raring to go again when they left Lake Minatare.

On a different subject. Under my blog "Marsland and on to Lake Minatare", I had mentioned at the end of the blog about Rocky Woolman's trip across the Central Divide. I have corrected it on that blog now, but for anyone who had already read it, I had mistakenly put he was the first person to do this, when I actually should have put, he was the first person to do it recently. Apologies to all the previous Long Riders who have already made this trip before him.

On A More Sombre Note

I won't apologise for bringing up this subject on the blog site, as it indirectly affects Bob's ride, and any other long rider in the future, and I feel that anyone who reads this site would be as shocked as I was when they read the following article.

Yesterday it was brought to my attention by CuChullaine & Basha O'Reilly of the Long Rider's Guild about a case involving horrific abuse of four horses in the Bitterroot-Selway Wilderness on the Montana-Idaho border. I will not go into details of the case, as I have enclosed below the website for the article which was covered by the Rocky Mountain Magazine. The web address is:
http://www.rockymountainrider.com/

I will prewarn you that this does not make enjoyable reading, but I hope that you will all read this article, even though it will probably upset you as much as it did me. However, it needs to be brought to public attention, so that cases like this do not arise again, and the two men concerned brought to justice.

At the present time not many cases of animal cruelty go to trial in Montana as very few authorities are willing to spend time and the public's money to prosecute unless the public raises an outcry, and this is the important point. I have today written to the prosecutor for this county(details of him are available at the end of the story), to register my feelings about this case. The more people who do this, the more likely these individuals will get their just deserts, and people will come to realise that horses cannot and must not be treated in this way.

You all know that when Bob was planning his long ride, of paramount importance to him was the welfare of his horses. He spent most of the previous year gaining as much knowledge as possible so that he was totally equipped to deal with any eventuality, and also set up a network to ensure that his horses would be checked regularly by vets and farriers, and plenty of hay, grain and water would be available along the way. He also carries a first aid kit for the horses, and had taken a first aid course prior to leaving. Bob would be the first to admit he is no horse expert, but he had done as much as was humanely possible to ensure Cody and Tigers would not be neglected in any way. He receives regular compliments from people he meets on how good the horses look, which is very pleasing.

However, now this case of cruelty has come to light, we all feel that this may have a detrimental effect on any Long Rider, and that the public may now question the integrity of authentic equestrian riders such as Bob. History has demonstrated that the lives of the Long Riders and their horses depend on the generosity, trust and acceptance of people we have never met.

That is why it is critically important that when a person says they are a Long Rider from the Long Rider's Guild that the public instantly knows that the person in the saddle is a shining example of noteworthy action and equestrian integrity.

The following extract is a quote from the Long Rider's Guild :
"If it is discovered that any member has acted in any manner inconsistant with the good faith observable between members, or is found guilty of any conduct which injures the good name of the Long Rider's Guild, or threatens to bring about the dissolution of the Long Rider's Guild. or has falsified his or her equestrian achievements, is discovered to have intentionally neglected or injured his or her horse(s), or is not willing to help other equestrian travelers by sharing information, The Long Rider's Guild reserves the right to expel that person from the Guild."

If you wish to find out any further information on the Long Rider's Guild, the web site is below:
" http://www.thelongridersguild.com/ "

I hope that many of you will act on this blog and register you disgust at this inhumane cruelty.

P.S.
If you wish to check out how the horses are doing, the web site of the Bitter Root Humane Association is:
http://www.bitterroothumane.org/
and click on "update on horse cruelty case"

Thank you all for reading this.

Near Disaster at Lake Minnatare

Well, believe it or not, I've been trying all evening to get this blog done, as, yet again, I've got three days blog to catch up on. I'm starting to feel like a full time secretary! It's now 1.26 am, so I'd better get started.

Anyway, Bob has been resting the horses at Lake Minnatare since 20 September. We had pre-arranged for him to climb his hill near the campsite to get reception, and he was telling me there had just been a massive rainstorm, and his tent was surrounded by rivers of water running both sides. But just as quickly as it started, so it stopped, and the sun was shining again. Arden Wohlers came to the campsite to meet with Bob, and that evening Bob went to David's ( the superintendent of the campsite) home for a meal. He had a wonderful time, as they had a family gathering, with guitar playing and singing Country & Western songs round the fire after the meal. Thanks to David and his family for a great evening. Wish I could have been there. I must also mention that David had got feed in for the horses, and refused to take any payment for it. What great people there are around.

Whilst I was talking to Bob on the hillside, he looked down, and the horses had broken out of their temporary corral. So our conversation was cut short, as he had to go and rescue them.

The following day (22 Sep) Bob was on the hillside again to tell me about the disasterous day. He was in his tent doing some jobs and heard a commotion outside. When he looked out, the horses had been spooked by something, and Cody had pulled his post out and was galloping for the horizon, with the post still attached to his rope. As Bob looked, Tigers thought "blow this, I'm going as well," and pulled his post out and took after Cody. Bob legged after them,but luckily there was someone nearby in his pickup truck who gave Bob a lift and they chased after the horses. They were about two miles down the road by the time they caught up with them, and Bob managed to lead them back to the camp behind the truck. Cody had lost two shoes,and he came off the worse as his legs were cut and grazed from the posts. Luckily, Bob had arranged for a farrier to come out that day to re-shoe both horses, and even more luckily Arden Wohlers (who's a retired vet) arrived at about the same time as the farrier. The shoes were sorted and Arden gave Cody an antibiotic injection as a precaution against infection, and after checking both horses over, pronounced them fit for riding. In fact, he said it was better to ride them, albeit gently, or they would stiffen up. Bob had been prepared to stay put to give them a chance to recover, but Arden said there was no need for that and they would be as right as rain within a few days. He put a poultice on Cody's leg, which Bob was to remove the next morning, to reduce the swelling. Thanks for administrating the first aid, Arden.

The name of the person who gave chase in his pickup was Scott, and we would both like to thank him for his quick actions which averted what could have been a total disaster. I believe that he and his wife, Barbara, had come down to do some fishing at the lake, and when he left the next day, he gave Bob a load of lighweight food for his journey the next day.

Later that day Rick Myers from the local paper, the Star Herald arrived and took a load of photos of Bob and the horses as well as doing a write up for the paper. He kindly sent me some photos and a copy of the article today.

That evening Arden came to collect Bob and took him back to his house for the biggest steak he has ever had in his life. He said it was absolutely delicious, was cooked by Arden's fair hands on the Barbeque and totally covered his plate!

The following morning Bob was up at 5am, as he had a 22 mile ride to McGrew/Bayard, and he had to give Cody another antibiotic injection in his neck before they set off. He also wanted to do a gentle ride today, because of yesterday's events. He phoned me this evening when he was about 6 miles away from Chimney Rock, on the Oregon Trail. This is a local landmark, which is quite famous, as the first settlers going out West went along the Oregon Trail, and used the Chimney Rock as a guiding landmark. The Trail also runs alongside the North Platt river. Apparently, you can see the Rock from up to 40 miles away. He was riding Cody, who seemed unscathed from yesterday's adventure and was raring to go! I'm beginning to wonder if the horses get bored after one day's rest and start looking for trouble. The weather was quite windy and pleasantly warm, so good riding weather.Bob is heading for the home of Judy Durnal on whose land the Chimney Rock stands, so I'll find out more tomorrow when we speak again.

I've got more photos to put on the blog site, but sorry, folks, you'll have to wait till tomorrow for them, as I'm ready for bed.

Happy riding, Bob.Jess (our dog) wants to know when you're coming home.

p.s. When I was talking to Bob I mentioned he had about another 2.5 month's riding to do, and he turned around and said"I might carry on through Mexico and head for Argentina. My response was "I'll take a crash course in Western riding , and join you then!!!"

The promised photos

This is the obligatory wildlife photo, that I like to include from time to time.Don't ask me where this frog (toad?) was .........


Someone has got a sense of humour! Aren't they cute?

The following photos were sent to me by Trudy Henderson. This is Bob on the way to Lake Minatare. You can see how flat and tree less the land is.

Tracey's son Kyle, with Cody.

Bob posing with the two boys. He's riding Tigers.

And here's a picture of Jace posing with the three boys!!!!

Kyle, Dorothy and Dave Henderson outside their ranch after Marsland. Bob was leaving for Lake Minatare.

The following photos were sent by Irene Tillusz, when Bob was up in the Maah Dah Hey. This is the campground, and the little yellow speck in the middle is his faithful yellow tent.

Our intrepid adventurer with his equine friends.

Keep on posting those photos to me . I love to see the faces of the people Bob has met on the way.

Marsland and on to Lake Minatare

I was going to start off with some photos, but maybe Sunday evening is not a good time to download them, as I've been sitting here for ages and everything is on a go slow. I guess everyone's on their computers , so will do a separate blog with the pretty pictures in the early hours of the morning when all sensible people are in bed.

As you've probably gathered, I've had little or no contact with Bob for the last three days. But, miracles, I phoned at 1.00a.m. this morning and Bob answered. He was standing on a table to get reception, and even then we kept cutting out! We were both speaking as quickly as possible to get as much information relayed before he disappeared again.

When I last blogged, Bob was heading for Marsland on 18 September, a distance of about 20 miles. When I post the photos, you will be able to see what the scenery is like. The land is very flat, with a few low hills, but quite desolate, and very few trees for our man to shelter under. The temperature was in the high 80's, so it must have been quite tough not to have any shelter when he was resting on the way. He arrived at the home of retired vet, Arden Wohlers, who had arranged for him to sleep in the house. He had also arranged a stopover for the following day, which was great. Bob had not yet met him, as he wasn't at the house, but apparently is coming to meet Bob at Lake Minatare , two days on, where Bob is resting over for a few days. Arden has kindly arranged for a farrier to come with him to see to the horses' shoes and feet.

Can I take this opportunity of thanking Arden Wohlers for all the help he has given Bob in making his long ride that much easier.

Bob set off the next morning (19 September) at 7.15 am to his next destination, The Henderson Ranch. From what he was telling me when we spoke, the ride was very tough, not because of the terrain , but the weather was very hot, and he lost his way at one point , and ended up having to ride 30 miles . He didn't arrive at the ranch until 7.30 that evening, so was pretty exhausted. Trudy Henderson has kindly sent me some lovely photos, which she took after Bob left the ranch on the way to Lake Minatare, and also some of him with her family. Watch the next blog I do for the photos. She also kindly e-mailed me when I was out of contact with Bob, to let me know that he had arrived safely and from the sound of it was being well looked after. Mine and Bob's grateful thanks go out to all the Henderson family for their hospitality.

On 20 September, Bob rode nearly 23 miles to Lake Minatare, without incident. The weather was very hot, but a breeze was blowing, which makes it a bit cooler. I forgot to ask him how his back was when we talked, but there was no mention of it, so maybe things are improving in that direction. He is resting at this site until 23 September, and he has all mod cons here.....showers, wc, laundry, and even food for sale and a restaurant. He won't want to leave!!!!

He said there are quite a few people there camping etc, but I think he's the only one with horses, so is attracting a bit of attention, especially when they hear that British accent! The horses have a roped off area, and David, the superintendent of the site, has kindly got in hay for them.
Bob has pitched his tent only feet away from the lake. I guess he might have a swim if it's warm enough, while he's resting.

David's wife (sorry I don't know her name, but I'm sure Bob will let me know when we speak) has invited Bob over to their home for a meal this evening. I'm surprised that he's still losing weight with all these lovely people feeding him up.

With any luck, I will get the photos on the blog site this evening.... or early morning.( O.K. for those of you following the site in America, but not so good for the Brits). So keep watching, and we welcome any comments you wish to make on the blog site..... nothing rude though!!!

p.s. I've just been advised by CuChullaine of the Long Rider's Guild that Rocky Woolman has completed his longride of 1500 miles over the Central Divide from Mexico to Canada . Several riders had tried recently, and had to give up because of their or the horse's health, so a fantastic achievement. I've been in e-mail contact with Rocky today, and he's hoping to meet up with Bob, and hopefully ride with him some of the way.I'll keep you all posted on that. Congratulations to Rocky, and I hope it will be an inspiration to Bob.

p.p.s Bob has now ridden 720 miles, so has completed over a third of his long ride . Keep going, Long Rider in the making.


A lovely quote I've pinched from Rocky's blog site
"Life is a journey, enjoy the ride"

Rumford South Dakota and Crawford Nebraska

As you've probably gathered, cell phone contact has been non existant again, so I've got three days to catch up on.

After Bob's rest days at Edgemont Head, he had a 23 mile ride to Rumford on 15 September. The weather was very hot in the high 80's, and the scenery quite desolate, with very few trees. For a lot of the journey, the road he was riding along ran close to a railway line, and at one stage he rode alongside the rail line, as, although he had been told trains went along there every 15 minutes, he had been riding for 4 hours and not seen one! He came across some men working on the line, and they told him it was closed for repairs for six hours, so he managed to ride the rest of his journey alongside it, which cut down his journey somewhat.

He arrived at his stop at Rumford where he met up with Jerry Styles, who had kindly got in hay and grain for the horses, and allowed Bob to sleep in his camper van there. Jerry does not live there, but runs cows on some land down there. My thanks to Jerry for all his help, especially as he went out of his way to go quite a distance to get extra water for Bob for the next day.

After a good night's sleep, Bob was originally riding to a lake some further 20 miles on, but he couldn't find it. I guess either his map was a bit out of date, or it had dried up. He ended up riding for 26 miles, and eventually found a field, where the owner let him rope of a corner for the horses to graze in, and Bob pitched his tent there for the night. Dinner consisted of a can of stew, and luxury of luxuries, cups of tea, as he'd bought some milk the day before!

On 17 September Bob had crossed the border into Nebraska, and was heading for Crawford to stop at Crawford Park. As he rode further yesterday, he only covered 16 miles today, and the weather again was very hot. Unfortunately, even though I couldn't reach him last night, he had forgotten to turn his cell phone off, and because it was searching for a signal, was totally flat. As he was riding along, he met a couple, Dan and Brenda McNeill who were driving along in their camper van. They offered to take his phone and recharge it and meet him in Crawford.

When he arrived in Crawford, they kindly let him take a shower in their camper van (was he smelling horsey ?!?! ). He met Sheriff Karl Dailey at the camp ground who had arranged a corral for the horses as well as feed. Thank you very much , Sheriff Dailey, for your kindness.

When I spoke to Bob tonight, he was just about to go out for a meal with Dan and Brenda, as they had offered to take him out. I'm sure Bob will have already thanked them for helping him out so much, but I'd like to express my appreciation also.

Tomorrow, Bob is heading for Marsland, a ride of 20 miles, and I will be blogging again in a couple of days. I think reception will be poor again, so there may be nothing to report for a few days. Keep watching, folks!

Edgemont South Dakota

Terri Harwood kindly sent these three photos of Bob, Don and Jerry today, on his last rest day at Edgemont on 14 September.

Below Jerry is resetting the front shoes on Tigers ready for the ride the next day.




Farewell, and thanks, Jerry, for all your help, not forgetting to mention his wife, Linda, as well.



A big thanks to Don. Hope you enjoyed the rides with Bob. My heartfelt thanks to Terri, for keeping me informed of how Bob was doing when I was out of contact with him, and for sending the photos through so quickly.

After Bob left the Minnekhata trailhead he rode over 16 miles to Edgemont. The weather has cooled considerably, so riding was much easier, although his back is still giving him a lot of pain, and he's having to take painkillers. When I spoke to Bob on 12 September he had arrived at the home of Geri and John Baillie, and was being very well looked after. He was actually in the supermarket with Geri stocking up on supplies when we spoke!

Bob rested up there for two days, and Geri and John took him out on a visit to Hot Springs. His horses have been well fed, and I think they were probably enjoying the rest. My sincere thanks to Geri and John for looking after Bob so well.

On 14 September, Don and Jerry arrived in the morning, and Jerry kindly reset Tigers' shoes, after which they went into Edgemont for burgers and chips.Don had brought a breast collar for Tigers, which was really good of him.

When I spoke to Bob today, he was well on his ride to Rumford, although he still had a considerable distance to go. Where he is riding is pretty desolate, very flat, and not much traffic. He is riding alongside the road, but says he only sees about 3 cars an hour. As I spoke to him, he said 4 deer had just run across the road in front of him. The weather is starting to get hotter again, and will be heading for 90 degrees in the next day or so. After his stay at Rumford tonight, he will be crossing the border to Nebraska.

Many thanks to all the kind people along the way in South Dakota.

Photos of Bob on the Minnekahta Trailhead

Here we go, the promised photos, which I was too exhausted to do last night.
This is Bob riding Tigers, with Cody in tow on the Minnekahta Trail. Most of the trail is flat,as it was originally an old rail truck line, and runs for 100 miles.



Here all four horses are having a well deserved rest and chance for a feed.

This is Jerry from the Suncatcher's Theraputic Riding at Pringle, who rode part of the trail with Bob .

Here is Don Harwood from Custer, who rode for several days with Bob. He is coming to visit with Bob this weekend, as is Jerry.

The safe arrival of Bob and Don at the Harwood's home in Custer.

Reception is good with the cell phone now, so I will be talking to Bob this afternoon. He is resting up at Edgemont today and tomorrow, and then will heading off to Rumford, before he crosses the border to Nebraska. Another milestone!

Custer,Pringle and the Minnekahta Trailhead

Hooray, Communication was re-established tonight, so I will fill you all in on what has been going on for the last few days.

Bob had an uneventful ride to Custer, but once there had a bit of trouble finding the Harwood's home where he was staying for the night. Don Harwood rode out to meet him and escorted him back. The Harwoods have some really beautiful horses, Spanish Mustangs, which I got the chance to look at on their web site. The following morning, Don rode with Bob to Pringle where he was staying at the Suncatcher'sTheraputic Riding, which is a charity that provides riding for disabled people. This is managed by Linda and Jerry.

Don took his camera on the ride there, and Terri very kindly e-mailed some really nice photos, which I will be putting on the blog site tomorrow, as it's now 2 o'clock in the morning, and I want to catch up on the news before I forget it.

A very big thank you to Don and Terri for all they have done for Bob. I know he really enjoyed his stay with you both, and thank you Terri for sending the photos so quickly.

The following morning Bob was all set to leave and then Jerry asked to come along for part of the ride, so there was quite a party with Don, Jerry and Bob riding. When they were half way to the Minnekhata Trailhead, Jerry rode back home, and reappeared at the Trailhead with dinner for them all (Jello and all!). After they had eaten, Bob set up his tent for the night, and as it was starting to get dark, Jerry trailered Don and his horse back to Custer. Bob was able to let the horses roam to graze, as it was fenced in at the Trailhead. There is water there and even a toilet. What luxuries!

Thank you very much to Linda and Jerry for all your hospitality. The dinner was very much appreciated by Bob ( and Don as well, I expect).

When I spoke to Bob tonight he had ridden just over 16 miles in the pouring rain to the home of Geri and John Baillie. Now he knows what it's been like in England for weeks! He's resting up there for 2 nights and will then be moving on to Rumford. After that he will be leaving South Dakota and heading into Nebraska.

This weekend, Jerry, who used to be a blacksmith is, coming out to Edgmont with Don and Terri
to visit Bob. Whilst there, he is going to trim the horses' feet and reset their shoes, as they've done quite a bit of mileage now ( 585 miles to be exact).

I spoke to CuChullaine and Basha O'Reilly from the Long Rider's Guild tonight. They have been invaluable in providing support and contacts for Bob when he was planning the long ride. I know Bob has spoken highly of them many times, and it is so nice to have that backup when you're heading into the unknown.It was lovely talking with them, as we've had a lot of contact by e-mail, but this was the first time I have spoken with them.

Tomorrow, I will post some photos, as Terri is planning to take some more when she comes to Edgmont at the weekend. I hope to see one of her and Don to put on the blog site.

Keep watching this space for further developments.

Custer and Pringle South Dakota

Sorry, folks, communication has been totally lost since Hill City, so we can only hope that everything is going well.

I know that Bob made it to Custer, as I had an e-mail from Don and Terri Harwood telling me that he had a good night with them, and that he and Don had ridden off to Pringle on 10 September. Thank you very much Don and Terri for your hospitality, and for letting me know that Bob is ok. I will give more details on Custer and Pringle once we re-establish contact.

Today he was riding nearly 16 miles to the Minnekahta Trailhead, and obviously is still in the Black Hills, so I doubt we will have any communication for a while. If anyone reading this blog site over there spots him, feel free to let us know. He will be camping at the Minnekahta Trailhead, and the following day moving on to a couple of miles before Edgemont. The weather tomorrow is forecast rain and thunder and lightning, so I hope he's got his slicker handy!

In a few more days he will be leaving South Dakota and heading into Nebraska

All for now until our adventurer surfaces again !

Rochford and Hill City

At last I've had some time to download a few more photos from Bob's camera

Here we can see the blacksmith at Allen Russell's place at the beginning of the trip shoeing
the horses and trimming their feet. The dogs are waiting for the parings. Tasty!

This is Allen's fantastic house on stilts with a fabulous view of the mountains. I love the veranda all the way round.

Here is Jed and Melissa Rider and their little one, who kindly put Bob up at the last minute at his stopover after Williston North Dakota

This is Irene Tillusz and her fiance who Bob met up in the Maah Daah Hey. He spent an enjoyable evening socialising with them in the campsite there.

Another spectacular view of the Maah Daah Hey. I can quite understand why Bob lost his way at times!

Coming into the Maah Daah Hey.

One of the campsites that Bob stayed at in the Maah Daah Hey. Not exactly overpopulated is it?
Two horses and a tent!

I'm hoping that Bob will be able to forward more recent photos soon, as it makes the blog site more interesting.

On 7 September he had a long ride of over 26 miles to Rochford over very hilly terrain. The temperatures are a lot lower as it is so much higher up here, and to make matters worse, it rained all day. When he set off there was a frost in the morning, and he was cold for the duration of the ride. What a change from temperatures a week or so ago.

He arrived at the bar run by Betsy Harn in the early evening and had a wonderful night there. Nobody would let him buy a drink, and they had a couple of live singers who were very good. All in all a good night, and he didn't get to bed until after midnight. Thank you so much, Betsy, for looking after him and all your customers for giving him such a memorable evening.

A milestone has been reached. Bob has now completed a quarter of his trip.

Bob is now on the Michelson Trail, and he said the scenery is magnificant......Massive hills covered in Pine trees, beautiful little streams, and full of wildlife such as Deer, Rabbits and Squirrels. Not to mention the smaller creatures, that he's not sure what they are!

After a good night's sleep at Rochford on 8 September Bob had a ride of approx 18.5 miles to his next base, which is a campsite, where he would be staying in a log cabin at Hill City. He said the ride was very easy, as the trail is gravelled, so the horses don't slip or sink in the ground, and he got to the High Country Ranch at about 4pm. He made this trip on Cody, who loves to be the lead horse, and can't wait to get going in the mornings. Both horses are really brilliant, very responsive, and it seems they are enjoying this adventure as much as Bob.

When I spoke to him last night, he was settling into his cabin for the evening. Bob had climbed to the top of a hill which was about the only place where you can get cell phone reception, about a quarter of a mile away, so that I could speak to him, as contact up till then had been lost for 2 days. The cabin is very luxurious, with its own bathroom, fridge, tv etc. Don't get too used to it,Bob, cos you'll be back to basics soon!!!!!

Next episode soon, as Bob makes his way to Custer.

Chill out time in Deadwood

On 4 September Bob had an easy 10 mile ride to Deadwood and is staying in a log cabin in a campsite there. He is aiming to have a bit of time out to see the sights of Deadwood and when I spoke to him had settled into his temporary abode. Dawn and Wilbur turned up in their trailer whilst we were talking and he was planning to take them out for a meal, and then they were going to trailer the horses back to their place, so they could be coralled for the three days.

I spoke to Bob the next night, and they had a wonderful meal at a restaurant owned by Kevin Costner (who, incidentally, Wilbur has met!!!) The restaurant is full of memorabilia from his films. Sounds like a great place to go. Bob said the food was fantastic.

That evening Bob met up with Dana Peep and his family and relatives of Kim Howie that Bob stayed with in Belfield. They had kindly driven out to Deadwood to meet him, which was really nice of them. They gave him a lift back to the campsite afterwards.

When we talked last night Bob was chilling out. He'd bought a load of "naughty but nice" goodies from the supermarket, and was catching up on his diary. He has an early start on 7 September, as Wilbur is arriving with the horses at 6a.m. and the ride to his next stop at Rochford is 26 miles. Thankfully, the weather has cooled down a lot, so the going should be easier, but he reckons it will take him about 10 hours riding. He is staying at Moonshine Gulch which is very sparsely populated at a bar owned by Betsy Harn. He will be hitting the Michelson Trail soon, which he is looking forward to, as it will be a bit of hill riding again.

Reception for cell phones is pretty bad in that area, so, once again, we may loose contact for a while.

Keep watching this site. When I have a bit more time, I will be aiming to post some more photos from Bob's camera that J.B. had sent me earlier.

Belle Fourche and the Newlands

This is a selection from the photos that were kindly sent to me by J.B. yesterday.
Below is Bob leaving Dave Meredith's place at Spearfish, en route to Deadwood. This is one of the photos Dave sent tonight.


I don't think Wilbur will ever live this down! Dawn and Wilbur Newland washing the pots together!

Bob and Wilbur Newland at Mount Rushmore on 3 September

Bob gave a talk to the children at the school in Ludlow.

This is Suezet and Ron Braaten in their bar at Ludlow, where Bob stayed for the night.

Whilst Bob was in Medora, he was coming out of the show he went to with Myrna Eberle and her family and he spotted this Elk between the two buildings, on the top of the hill.

This is the buffalo that stood in Bob's way when he was on the trail in the Maah Daah Hey. Everyone has since told him that he should have kept well away from it , as they can be very aggressive!

Two exhausted horses up in the Maah Daah Hey having a well deserved rest

A view up in the Maah Daah Hey. Quite spectacular, isn't it?

This is typical of the trail that Bob rode on in the Maah Daah Hey. the whole trail took him a week, and was 100 miles long.

This cute little bunny was up in the Maah Daah hey. I had to include him!!!!!!

Yet another view in the Maah Daah Hey

And last of all. Here's Bob trusty yellow tent, that accompanies him everywhere. He has spent many an uncomfortable night in it!

Enough of photos for now. I will resume the ongoing saga of Bob's latest adventures.

Wilbur has now returned, and took Bob to complete the part of his ride that he had missed when he was trailered to Wilbur's and Dawn's place. Bob decided just to take Cody, as there was no point in loading the pack horse for this trip. However, Cody was not very happy about being parted from Tigers and kept neighing for him throughout the trip.

Wilbur trailered him to the point where he had been picked up the previous day, but en route took him to a point which is the place that the three states of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota all meet up. He also took him to another point which is the centre of the United States.

Bob had no trouble with the ride and was back and Wilbur's and Dawn's late that afternoon.

The following day, the vet arrived to check the horses and give Bob the health certificate that he has to have renewed every 30 days. Bob mentioned the episode of colic with Tigers, and also the fact that he was having trouble weeing. It turns out he has what the horsey people call "beans in his penis"!!!!!! or for the layman "a blockage in the urethra " Anyway, Wilbur sedated the horse and did the necessary ( don't ask!!!!!) and all is now fine. He did say to Bob that he was happy to do it for the horse, but would not do the same for Bob!

The following day Wilbur took him for a bit of sightseeing, while the horses were resting. They went to Mount Rushmore to see the presidents' heads carved in the rock, and also Custer National Park. While they were out Bob spotted a Bald Headed Eagle, which he managed to take a photo of. They also did a check up of the campsite that Bob is staying at in Deadwood. I'm not sure yet, but Wilbur has offered to trailer the horses back to his place while Bob is in Deadwood, as there are no corrals for the horses at the campsite, and they would have to be tied up all the time. When I speak to Bob tonight, I will find out what's happening.

Dawn's brother, J.B., kindly spent most of the last evening Bob was there, sending about 100 photos to me through the computer from Bob's camera. Thank you very much , J.B. for spending so much time on that .

I really must say heartfelt thanks to Dawn and Wilbur for spending so much time with Bob , and for being such wonderful hosts, as well as accomodating him on what was a very busy weekend for them (It was Labour Day in America). They have totally gone out of their way to make sure he had a good time, and I'm sure Bob has already expressed his appreciation to them.

On 3 September, Wilbur rode with Bob to Spearfish , amply supplied with beef sandwiches and dried fruit from Dawn, where a friend of his, Dave Meredith, had offered to put Bob up for the night. I got an e-mail from Dave tonight saying that Bob had gone out for breakfast with him that morning, after a good night's sleep, and was now on his way to Deadwood. Thank you , Dave, not only for putting Bob up, but for kindly sending some photos, and also for letting me know he was safetly on his way.

Well that's the site brought up to date for now, so will resume when there's further news.

Colony & Belle Fourche

After Bob left Redig he had a 19 mile ride, basically to the middle of nowhere, as there is nothing between Redig and Colony. He set camp beside a lake, and had to clear a path down to it to get water for himself and the horses. He had no hay for them so they were hobbled for grazing and were tied up when he went to bed. He dined that night on home made pork and antelope salami that was given to him by someone in Buffalo.

The next day disaster occurred. The weather was exceptionally hot (103 degrees). and he had ridden 14 miles when Tigers developed colic and kept trying to lie down. Bob was forced to walk with him for three miles to keep him moving. People kept stopping in their cars, saying "Are you mad ? Do you know what the temperature is ?" A couple, Tim Olsen and his wife stopped and gave Bob water which he was very grateful for, as he'd practically run out. Also, another car stopped and gave the horse some Bute, which is a medication to ease the pain, and he seemed to be better after that. The name of those people were Ralph Craig and his daughter Kirsty, and they also gave him a can of lemonade and a bunch of grapes. Bob said they tasted like nectar. I would like to extend my thanks to them all for helping him out.

Bob was stopping at the ranch of Wilbur and Dawn Newland, and because it was miles off the road Bob was travelling, they sent a trailer out to collect him when he was close. Because his vet's certificate had run off, he was forced to go to their place at Belle Fourche, instead of Colony. Dawn's brother JB came out in the trailer looking for him, as he was nowhere near the place they had arranged to meet because of the problems with Tigers.

The vet is coming out tomorrow (2 Sep) to do the new certificate, and check the horses over, and Bob will be resting that day.

When I spoke to Bob last night he was at a tractor pull at Newell, 25 miles from Belle Fourche, with Dawn and her brother, JB. Another new experience for him!

He said that Tigers was fine now, and eating well. He had arrived at Belle Fourche on 30 August and was planning on resting up there for a couple of days. Unfortunately Wilbur is away at the moment but Bob hopes to meet him before he leaves. He has been given wonderful accomodation, and he said the bed was fantastic. I think he was pretty exhausted that first night, after walking so long in the heat.

I think he was planning on riding the bit he missed when he had to go to Belle Fourche today, but I will find out more when I call him tonight.