Tuesday, 14 October 2008

Away for a while

All is well with Bob, and his ride is progressing well. But I have been called away, due to a family emergency, so there will be no blog for a while. Will update you on Bob's progress as soon as I can

Monday, 13 October 2008

Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson Colorado

Well, another day, another blog !

When we last spoke Bob was awaiting his ribs from the barbecue. He said they tasted absolutely delicious.I expect when you've been living off freeze dried meals, it must be heaven to have something like that. He had a great evening with Tyson Pharo, and his friend Mike, and rounded off with a few beers. Bob had lost his sweatshirt on his travels (dementia setting in !), and Mike went out to his truck, and gave him one of his. The next morning he had a cooked breakfast, and set off on the road at 7.50am. Thanks to Tyson and Mike for all your help.

He was now heading for Cheyenne Wells, a distance of just over 17 miles, and the weather has certainly changed now, very cold, drizzly and overcast. He was riding Tigers, who hasn't got the "umph" of Cody, so it was a pretty slow ride. The landscape is very open, nothing much around, and the roads are quiet. People still stop in their cars, as they have done throughout his ride, to talk with him, and even offer him places to stay. When he rides past a ranch, they invariably come out to see if they can help.

Bob arrived at the Fairground in Cheyenne Wells, to find that Vicke Nestor had kindly got him in hay for the horses. Many thanks, Vickie. Hardly had he brushed them down, fed and corralled them , than Phil Doddery who lived about 1/2 mile from the Fairground arrived. Mike from the previous night had told him about Bob, and he'd been looking out for him. He took him back to his house, fed him a wonderful steak, and gave him a bed for the night. Thanks so much for your kindness, Phil.

On 12 October, Bob was up at 5.30 am, and on the road at 7.10, heading for Kit Carson......... I just love these names, they sound as though they are full of old cowboy history. That day, he saw drastic changes in temperature on his travels. He couldn't ride in the ditches, as there had been heavy rain during the night, and the horses were sinking into the ground there, so he was forced to ride on the road, something he doesn't do out of choice. Very slow progress was made that day. In the morning he was riding into a strong South wind approaching gale force, with a temperature high of 60 degrees. But around noon, the sky started getting darker and darker, and within seconds the wind had changed to a North wind , and the temperature dropped by 15 degrees.

When I last spoke to him, he had just arrived at the home of Jack and Marcia Wilson, and had stabled the horses for the night. He had seen the Wilsons' on the road that morning, as they were heading out for a convention, but had not yet returned when we spoke.

I've just checked out the weather for Eads, where he is heading tomorrow, and see that snow is forecast !!!

Bob has now completed well over 1000 miles, and has about another 8 week's riding to go.

Saturday, 11 October 2008

Bonny Lake State Park and Burlington

On 6 October, Bob rode the 17 miles to Bonny Lake State Park. The weather was very windy, which made it hard going, as the dust goes in your eyes. Apart from that the journey was uneventful.......Kevin, whose land he camped on last night, stopped to say hello on the way today.

The Campground is very nice, with all mod cons, showers, toilets etc, and the horses were corralled. Darby at the ground had got in hay for Cody and Tigers, for which they were very appreciative. Many thanks. There was only one camper van on the site, and Bob was listening to their radio for the weather. The couple, Norman and Betty Kramer, live 10 miles east of Burlington, and they offered Bob a meal and bed for the night on 8 October, which he gratefully accepted.

He had a shower and a gert lush freeze dried dinner that night, and an early night.

As he had a 25 mile ride to Burlington, Bob was up at 5.45 on 7 October. He got away on time, and was met on the road by a reporter, who interviewed him and promised to send me a copy of the paper. He arrived at the fairground without mishap, and the horses were corralled. Jerry Mangrass, the feed store owner, turned up with 4 bales of hay and grain for the horses, as they are having a stopover here for three nights. The Fairground is on the edge of town, and Bob reckons it's very nice. He's sleeping on a little bed in a building, and has his own shower and RADIO there. He was listening to a Country and Western Station when I called , which comes from Burlington.

Jerry and his wife Cindy gave Bob a lift to the Restaurant, and joined him for dinner, which Jerry paid for. Thank you so much, Jerry and Cindy, for your hospitality. They later dropped him back at the Fairground, as he was meeting another reporter for an interview at 8.00pm.

For the next two days Bob is resting over at the Fairground. David, the Caretaker, came over to check everything was ok, and that evening Norman Kramer picked him up to go to their place. He had a very pleasant evening, with a good dinner, with Norman, Betty, and a friend. Thank you both for feeding and giving Bob a bed for the night.

When I spoke to Bob on 9 October, he was bored !!!!!! He'd written up his journal, and I think he was fed up chilling out, and needed some action. Freeze dried meals that day, and a load of chocolate to give him a buzz.

The weather now sounds as though it is very similar to the U.K. Very chilly first thing in the morning, and the same as the evenings draw in .He's now needing to wear several layers of clothes at night. I think the days are a lot warmer than ours though. He has been slightly disappointed in the sleeping bag, which wasn't cheap, but is not as warm as it claimed it would be.

When I spoke to him last night, he'd ridden just over 22 miles past Burlington, and was stopping at the ranch of Tyson Pharo. As we spoke, Tyson was being the genial host and cooking spare ribs on the barbecue. A friend of his was coming over, who is a farrier, so no doubt he will check the horses over for Bob.

The weather is not looking good for tomorrow, storms are forecast, and the temperature is dropping dramatically. Bob was saying that were he is in Colorado is apparently a bit of a cold spot, but the temperatures will pick up again further along the journey.

Keep 'em riding, Cowboy.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Photos From Holyoke


Our beautiful boys trying to get in on the act!

Dana's mother, Dreama Poe, cuddling up with our Bob at the get together

Bob and Dana Warren



I'm not sure what Bob's doing with his fingers here !



Our Long Rider in the making talking about his adventures



Time for food at Holyoke


Don't worry, Bob, there's plenty for you !


Our Boys saying hello to Allison and Jillian, Dana's daughters


Bob chatting before the get together began


I would think those are grain silos in the background, but put me right someone, if I'm wrong.

Thank you ,Dana, for providing all the above photos. It was great to get them.

Wauneta, Dean and Sue Jarrett, and on to Wray

Bob managed to leave Holyoke at 7.30 am on 3 October, as there were lights in the fairground, and he could pack etc whilst still dark.The journey would not be too long that day, 18 miles, and he was about 6 miles away from Dean Jarrett's when a trailer pulled up and on board was Patti Hendrick and her daughter, Taylor, who is 81/2. They asked if Taylor could ride with him part of the way, which Bob was very happy about. He said the little girl was a brilliant rider, and they rode to the Hendrick's home, and Bob had a break for coffee, whilst the horses were watered. Thanks for the coffee, Loren and Patti, and not forgetting Taylor!

He arrived at Dean's home about 3pm, and the horses were fed and corralled, and also given a salt block, & then went with Dean to feed the cattle. Later on that night he had a steak from their own farm, which he said was lovely. I'm getting so jealous !!!! He slept in the house that night. I would like to extend my thanks to Dean and Sue for their hospitality, and building his strength up with the lovely steak.

A bit of information on the landscape in Colorado. He's now in praire land, the ground is quite sandy and covered in Sagebrush and Tumbleweed. All farming here is done by irrigation, as the soil is so light, and I don't suppose they get much rain ( only guessing). There is adequate grass for the horses as he's riding, but the best is in the ditches.

I must also mention that as he was leaving Dean's place, he was looking for his gloves, which were at the bottom of his panniers, and Dean not only gave him a pair of gloves, but also a back strap to help with the bad back. Thanks again, Dean.

BOB IS NOW MORE THAN HALF WAY THROUGH HIS LONG RIDE. ANOTHER MILESTONE PASSED.

Bob left at 7.30am, and the weather was cold and overcast, and it was spitting with rain. However, saying that, he had a good ride with the distance to be covered being 21 miles that day. He stopped at a garage for food, and made it in good time to Drake Johnson's ranch by late afternoon. Drake trains reining horses. Later that evening, Bob, Drake and his girlfriend went into town for a steak and beers. Bob had a good night's sleep in the stables with the reining horses, and said that in the field next door to Cody and Tigers there were six buffalo. The horses were not impressed! Thank you so much, Drake, for looking after the three boys.

The following morning, he again left early, and had a tough day, as it was very windy, and made the ride hard going. He was camping by a river that was practically dried up, but there was enough water for the horses, and also trees, so that he could high line them. As it's getting dark earlier now, he has to make sure he leaves himself enough time when he arrives to pitch his tent and get the chores done before it gets dark. His faithful lamp is still going strong, and giving him plenty of light at night. There was enough light left for the horses to be hobbled to graze, and Tigers was belled so he could hear where they were. Bob said listening to the bell going reminded him of when he was up in the mountains with them.

Kevin Shiveley, whose land he was camping on, came out to make sure he was ok and for a chat, and also his son and his girlfriend. Thanks, Kevin for allowing him to camp on your land.

Holyoke,Colorado

From what Bob has told me, he had a wonderful time in Holyoke, so I decided to devote one blog to this, as there's quite a bit to tell.

Bob started off on 1 October, and the ride there was very short, only 12 miles, as David's place was further on than Bob had anticipated stopping. He has had a bit of a problem with sand burrs that stick to the horses, and I guess are quite a problem to remove. He arrived after an uneventful journey at 3p.m. En route, he stopped near the entrance to a ranch, to let his horses graze, and three people came out of the ranch to talk to him and take photos. The lady also kindly gave him some cookies to eat. I'm really sorry that I don't know the names of the people, as it's nice to mention names and to be able to thank people personally. One of the gentlemen said he was the owner of the Burge Hotel in Holyoke, and told Bob to call in there the next day for a shower. Thank you everyone for your kindness.

As Bob was riding along, Dana Warren, who was organising his stopover at Holyoke, drove out to meet him, and gave him a copy of the local paper, which had an article on him. She had also organised a "pot luck" supper for the following evening, next to the Rodeo ground he was staying at, as there were quite a few people wanted to meet him. I think some of the people he had stayed with previously were going to attend, and there was going to be a singer. Again, when he was 2 miles away from Holyoke, she returned with water for the horses. Dana, you're marvellous. He's also had a lot of people stopping to chat with him on the roadside, as they've read about him in the papers.

Anyway, our hero arrived at the fairground, and the caretaker showed him around, and opened a building for him to sleep in. He even had a toilet, and the horses were corralled, which means he's got peace of mind. The local vet (sorry, don't know his name again), kindly provided the horses with hay and grain, and would not take payment for them. Thank you very much for your generosity. Whilst Bob was settling in and brewing up a long needed coffee, Dana arrived and took his washing away to do. As Bob was still having trouble with his back, she had also arranged for the local chiropractor to open up for Bob the following morning (it was his day off) to see if there was anything he could do to alleviate the discomfort. The vet came along for a chat, and also checked the horses over for Bob. He said they were in great shape. They are really toned up now, and are not losing any more weight, so must be really fit. Bob is really fond of his "boys" now and spends a lot of time chatting to them, especially on the road. People were very kind and left him alone for the rest of the day so he could rest and write up his journal ( book in the making?).

The following day , 2 October, Dana arrived at 8.30 to take Bob to the chiropractor. He had come into town especially to see Bob and treat him and would not take any payment. What kindness! I hope I've got this right, but apparently he's got two vertebrae & ribs seized up and needs to wear a support belt, as he can't cure it.

After that Bob went over to the Burge Hotel for his shower. The Hotel is quite historical as it was built in 1878, and in 1929 the then owners built a fireplace. As the Hotel is next to the railway station it's used a lot by sales reps, and over the fireplace there is a plaque with 200 names of the people who have all contributed unusual items to build it with. There are things from all over the world......Civil War cannonballs, a Ist World War German helmet, a stone from the grave of Calamity Jane, prehistoric bones, to name but a few. Quite amazing ,eh ?

Later that day, Bob had an interview with the local radio station, who ran off a CD of the interview and gave it to him.

At 6 pm, the horses were corralled on a park area close to the Fairground so people could see them, and people started arriving to chat with Bob. Everyone brought food, and it was a good social event, which went on till about 9pm. Bob gave a talk on his long ride, and Dana has kindly sent me some photos of the evening, which I will put on the blog site once I've finished this write up. I think somewhere between 40 and 60 people turned up, which was great. Also the local paper, the Holyoke Enterprise, turned up for an interview.

I've really got to say a big thank you to Dana, as she has been marvellous with all the help she has given Bob over the last few days. Words aren't really enough to express our appreciation.
I would also say that Bob really loved Holyoke and its people. He said it's a great town, they really organized everything well , as well as giving him space to relax, and the people are wonderful. Thank you kindly, folks, for giving him such a good welcome.

His next stop was at Wauneta, at the home of Dean Jarrett.

Julesberg Fairground and David's place

You're probably all wondering why there's been no blog for a week. Unfortunately, I've been away from Bristol, due to family illness. Have returned today to try and catch up on the blog site. So rest assured, Bob is fine and the long ride is still going well.

I last spoke to Bob when he was approaching Julesberg, and he has since told me that he arrived safely. Unfortunately, he did not have a good night's sleep, due to the trains running alongside the fairground , who blew their horns as they approached, and this continued throughout the night. Although he was under shelter the weather has turned very cold at night now........ nearly frosty, and he needs to wear several layers of clothes to keep warm.

My thanks go out to Jene at the fairground, who had kindly arranged the next stopover for Bob. This was at the home of David, and Bob arrived there on 30 September. I'm afraid I don't know how long the ride was, as Bob forgot to tell me. Some friends came to visit, and brought cherry pie and ice cream...........Bob had two helpings, and said it was delicious, and David kindly let Bob sleep on his couch that night. Mine and Bob's thanks go out to him for his hospitality. In the morning, some friends arrived with breakfast, and Bob left at about 10a.m.

As I've got so much catching up to do, I've decided to split his journey for the next few days into different headings, so I don't leave anyone out.