President's Message, August, 2000
Well - I survived another
year of crewing Tevis. When we arrived at Robinson
and were waiting for
the shuttle they told us that there were already 26
horses in. I
was thinking about our rider in the vet check with no crew and
thinking Glaser and
I were the "crew from hell" but we did manage to beat him
there and get all
set up so that we looked competent. The weather cooperated
this year but we had
casualties. My poor Scarlett was pulled for lameness at
70 miles. I
really wanted to see her finish. Oh well, there is always next
year.
The August meeting
will be our usual barbecue at Trilby's. I will see if I
can con Bing and Steve
into getting the meat and drinks for the club to
provide and then everyone
else can just bring a potluck dish to share. We
should plan on starting
about 6:00. More later.
DUH!
Maryben
AUGUST 2000
August 5 Fireworks 25/50
Liz Maitoza 831-763-7885
August 9 Quicksilver Meeting
Barbecue at Trilby's
August 12 Swanton Pacific 100
Barbara McCrary 831-423-4572
August 12 Redwood 25/50
Elaine Kerrigan 707-443-0215
August 19 Eastern High Sierra Classic 25/50
Jackie Bumgardner760-932-7716
Barbecue
is always an informal get-together of good friends at Trilby's. Just
bring a pot-luck dish and the club
provides
the rest. For those new members who might not know the way to Trilby's,
she is at 20535 Rome Drive
which
is just before you get to the little town of New Almaden. She can
give you better directions than i can so call
her
at 408-997-7500 if you are in doubt.
Speaking
of Trilby, she is still trying to find her two favorite chairs
that she lost at the Moonlight Ride. They were
green
folding canvas chairs from Costco's and her name is one the tag on them.
She thinks someone grabbed
them
in error, but she sure wants them back. Please call her if you have
seen them.
Jan Snyder has a new address. She is up in the Gold Country that seems to attract so many of our Quicksilver members away from the Almaden area. Her address is 4000 Buffalo Road, Auburn, CA 95602. All of QUiCKSILVER wishes her well in her new home.
Quicksilver
members Pat and Bob Verheul
are having a super trip in Europe. A July 15th e-mail says
“We are in southern Germany today. We spent five days in Holland
with my cousin and her husband.
They
took us around the north part of Holland. Tell Nancy (Twight)
we went
through
Freisland where we saw Freisian horses everywhere. They are used for carriages,
are solid black, and have beautiful long black hair on their lower legs.
We later saw some horse that looked just like Captain Midnight, with white
blazes on their faces, but my cousin did not know what breed they were.
We are on our way to where we used to live to have dinner tonight with
an old German friend and then it is off to join our tour tomorrow”
I think Berlin and Warsaw were next on the schedule. Bob retired
and they haven’t slowed down for even a minute. Bob is studying geology
at Cabrillo College and while Pat endurance rides, he walks around collecting
different specimens and learning more about his new interest. Bob formerly
worked for Lockheed and the Hubbell Space Telescope project.
A hearty QUICKSILVER WELCOME to our newest member,
Kathy Webster.
Kathy
lives at 542 Wurr Road, in Loma Mar. Most of us know this beautiful
area as Swanton Pacific Territory.
And a second hearty welcome to the bay filly that Becky Hart and Judith Ogus just welcomed into the family. The handsome Dad is Copper, the stallion that Judith and Becky have just sold. And the pretty mother is Skip Lightfoot’s mare, Spirit. Mother and child are flourishing.
Versatility is what it is all about. So how about our Quicksilver junior who grew up to be a veterinarian and a true athlete? Melissa Ribley completed a triathlon of a swim, bike ride and run. The swim was the hardest part she said.
Congratulations to Valorie Weizer on her nice 3rd place finish at the Bandit Springs 100. Oh, yes. Copper gets some of the credit tool!
Treasurers Report
General
Account $727.32
Ride
Account 2167.13
Junior
Account 756.32
Trails
Account 836.36
TEVIS 2000 through the eyes of Steve Lenheim
This is the granddaddy
of all endurance riding events. For some of us our whole year is planned
around this one
event-to finish is
to win. This year our club had Gloria Vanderford, Nancy Twight, Carolyn
Tucker, Mike Tracy, Julie
Suhr, Michelle Shaw,
Steve Lenheim, Rick Gomez, Mark Falcone and Ken Cook riding. In the end
we finished
Michelle on Robin
Hood (13th), Mike Tracy on Moon(45), Nancy on Tonto (61), Steve on Ibn
Saam (84), Julie Suhr
on Razznan (114),
Mark on Narev (119), and to be mentioned, Skip Lightfoot’s horse, Split
(4).
Heather Bergantz also
rode, but she paid her dues late, I think, so I missed her the first time
around. From the club
crewing or just helping
out I saw a lot of of faces. If it was a rock band you could call them
fans because they were
the cheerful ones.
Hey, maybe they were happy because they were not going to ride. Anyway,
Pat McKendry was
working for Tevis,
Robert and Melissa as Vets, Steve Shaw for Michelle, Maryben for Ken, Bob
Suhr for his lovely
wife, Karen Dockendorf
for Tevis, Nancy Elliot as a Vet., Judy Etheridge for ?, Traci Falcone
for Mark, Joyce Gomez
for Rick, Judith Ogus
for Julie. Skip Lightfoot was seen in the area, and others unknown to this
writer with a short
memory.
We all had a great
time! Tevis this year was very reasonable. Not the years of the past with
the 110 degree heat
or strange happenings.
The trail was quite well marked and except in the wilderness, had reasonable
rock cover.
Water was everywhere
and if you rode alone could stop and give the horse a drink on single track
trails. Those that
tried with a train
behind sure got yelled at. Holding up 30 people in a line causes remarks.
Anyway, it
was no big deal as
I experienced it. For the first time Tevis may have figured out the start.
They let everyone string
out over a 1/2 mile
and asked the go-fast folks to ride up to the front to start. Yes, it was
dusty but no problem with
go-fast and go-slow
people as they were not mixed in. I picked the middle and just set out
for Squaw. At the
Highway 89 crossing
we cut along a new trail (narrow) rather than going through the town. Here
I came across a
rider without a horse.
First accident.
Left her with out a way to get to Auburn. Up an over the top! Down in the
Wilderness. Five hours
and here we are in
Robinson Flat. One hour hold and go, go, go. But on my heels none
other than Julie Suhr and
Barbara White. I hooked
with Hal Hall and got an education on the many years he has been down that
trail. You feel
a lot better when
you ride with the great one! I heard that later he, Julie and Barbara rode
to finish arguing over
what of the 68 (?)
buckles between them was the hardest to earn. What a threesome. Dusty Corners
was Great! The
weather was 87 degrees,
the watermelon very sweet, and the horse in good spirits and not lame.
I got pulled here in
'97', lame on the left front. You do not want to get the truck ride in
from here. It's a long way;
shorter to walk the
trail. Anyway, Yahoo, here comes Julie and Barbara so I better move on
into the canyons. The
canyons were not the
Ogre (folklore: a man-eating giant, hideous and cruel) of past trips. The
breeze was sweet and
cool and except for
the good old swinging bridge, no big deal. Take it easy, go up slowly and
save your horse for
the victory lap.
Into Pacific Slab Mine
I rode where the first face I saw was Heather's. She thought she might
ride out bareback as
Red was lame and pulled
(by the way, Heather, I thought were going to take it easy, I saw your
picture on the net
and I think you were
5th). This is a great rest and vet check area. Slightly crowded as they
were taking a
long time to vet but
worth it as the horses were all gobbling down hay, and riders, watermelon.
Oh, Oh, here comes
Julie so I better
get out of here.
Deadwood.
Deadwood is dead wood.
Just the normal vet check an into the El Dorado Canyon. Good trail down
and a good trail
up. I rode with Matt
Medeiros and got a lesson on the finer points of mule shoeing. His wife,
Tamara, was riding an
ex-club member, Miss
Scarlet O'Hara. We rode almost to Michigan Bluff. I slowed way down going
up an out,
simply because a fellow
in front had a horse that went dead stop for 10 minutes and Matt, being
in front of him,
kept going. No big
deal but it sure was a interesting discussion. Oh, well it will be continued
later. This year I liked
Michigan Bluff. It
was a quick 15 minute hold. The horse went through really fast, 56/56,
and, of course, the
weather, maybe 85
degrees. On to Foresthill the make or break point. Oh, oh, here come Julie
and Barbara. Keep
Moving.
Night was falling as
I went into Foresthill, an eerie glow of late sunset, high clouds and chance
of rain. The moon
was bright and big
but every now and then slipped behind the clouds. I fear Foresthill. No
reason, except I'm tired,
it's dark, and all
my gear is there for a chicken out. I went to the vet check and zipped
through, now the
1 hour wait. I look
over my shoulder, and oh, oh, there she is....... As I left in the dark,
a lonely voice spoke out behind me..'do you know the trail?' and of course
I said 'yes' A fellow rider was on her first Tevis and needed a little
companionship. No problem. Besides, I had a secret, Matt was going to catch
up after his wife got pulled and we
were to o go on to
Francisco's. Three minutes later here comes Matt on his stallion and off
we go thru town
shouting at the bar
patrons and just causing a nuisance. We were both loud. Zoom into the California
Loop. Matt
jumped, no lights,
no nothing but pure trust in his steed. It was great, probably the most
fun, if such a thing exists
on Tevis. The gal
riding with us stuck to us and in turn Matt protected her by shouting turn
signals and obstacles
as they jumped up.
Matt can RIDE! It didn't
take long for us to start passing slower horses in the dark on zig-zags
at speed. Whoever
she was, she kept
up with us and we even picked up on others. Some people have no brains,
me included. Alas, the fun ended when we came up to a 20 horse train at
a walk. No passing here. Later it improved when the leader
of the 20 horses admitted
she was scared to jog in the dark. Matt to the front. Yahoo! 30 horses
jogging to Francisco's.
What a view, Full Moon,
Horses, Glow Lights from Space, Jogging, The River Below, Mountains Above,
Hoof Beats,
Clanking Equipment
and Dust. Some fun. When I went into Francisco's, I had a real upbeat feeling.
There's a bridge you cross in your mind when you see the lights, knowing
that you just might make the finish line.
Francisco's stands
as a lighthouse, a safe spot in the night, the only light of everything
is ok for horses and rider.
What a crowd! Everyone
was there. There must have been 50 riders just standing around. It was
crazy. I went fast
to the vet line and
got lucky, two horses ahead, then boom 15 behind me-- wow! One minute makes
a difference in
24 hours. All was
well so it's time to have a drink, let the horse eat and enjoy the scene.
It was almost a party. Kids
holding the horse
for you, food everywhere, faces you haven't seen since Robinson Flat, such
fun. Then, oh, oh,
there's Julie and
Barbara, better get going. I left Francisco's with Mike Tracy and we did
the little on, little off
shuffle. Soon we caught
up to Matt who was riding with someone now who needed company Mike wanted
to hurry
on so I let him go,
opting for the walk to Auburn. Why screw up now? 3 hours to go and 10 miles.
I can make it,
Yahoo.
If you have ever ridden
Tevis at night you would have an indelible memory of the glow of the Lower
Quarry. It's as
surreal as a Van Gogh
painting. Vision flood lights against the jagged mountainside, causing
300-400 foot shadows
and bright spots, river roaring white cutting below rugged rocks and flat
grassy plateaus,
nothing short of a
wake up call, 'Is this for real?'
.
The lights are there
for the Vet check, the last one, go or no go. Many a rider gets pulled
here. Get in, get checked,
get out of there!
I dread The Quarry, I'm almost there, now, no, no, please, just the finish
line. All is well, less than a
minute to meet 68,
a 15 minute hold and on to the finish line. As I left, Matt and I missed
signals and we left
separately, both walking,
lots of time to go, no big deal. I met a couple of riders and went across
no-hands bridge
and on up to the finish,
but at a walk. Why do something stupid now? It's been a long day and to
finish is to win.
Right?
Going across the finish
had to be the best. There's Judith Ogus and a couple of members to cheer,
that's what we
want, someone to let
us know we are done. Horse is healthy, trots with ears up, not bad. Over
to the stadium, one
last check, then the
victory lap. That got interesting on the outside turn going for home. Remember,
Ibn is an
ex-race horse and
still had it in him. :( see additional notes, page 7)
Other notes from Steve Lenheim on Tevis 2000.
A horse went over the
edge outside of Deadwood and was thought dead. Next day they found him
alive
and well against a
tree and quite happy. With a little work, they built a trail and walked
him out. The winner, Judy
Reems is a local and
a good friend of many club members. Her horse, Benji likes some of us.
The Haggin Cup for
the Best Conditioned
Horse was won by Elise Geske riding Ravi Das owned by Jazon Wonders.
259 started, 126 finished,
49% Over 25 horses treated for metabolics, very high.
I'VE
GOT TO RUN
by
Marvin Snowbarger
No, I'm not late, in a hurry, or compulsive. It's just that, to run
50 miles(and get ready to run a 100 miles), I've
got to run a great
many training miles and finish 3 qualifiers(50 mile runs completed in less
than 12 hours). That's
more running than
I ever realized. With my sights set on next year's Western States
100 Mile Run(the Tevis trail for
the horse people),
I've got to get my qualifiers out of the way.
This is the story.
Last year at this time I had 2 of the 3 qualifiers "in the bank".
I had finished The American River 50M in 11:42,
and the Quicksilver
50M in 11:47. Then, in September '99, I finished the Sierra Nevada
Double Marathon(52.4 miles) in qualifying time.
But qualifying is only 1 part of the requirements for the Western States
Run. Additionally, my name would have
to be drawn in the
November '99 lottery. Well, it wasn't and I was both relieved(because
I didn't want my try to be in 2000) and pleased(because, having not been
drawn in both the '98 and '99 lotteries, I would be a guaranteed
selection in the 2000
lottery -- for the 2001 WS Run).
So, as I write this, now, at 35K feet in the air on my way to the Elk Valley
Endurance Ride(horses) and Endurance Run(people) in Grant, Pennsylvania(3
hours northeast of Pittsburgh) on Sunday, July 9, I'm in a bind and trying
to
get out. I've
run four 50M events this year and failed to qualify in all of them: American
River, Quicksilver, Bishop
High Sierra, and Salt
Lake City Squaw Peak.
Obviously, I'm running out of time(unintended, but, nonetheless appropriate,
pun), which explains my trip to Elk
Valley. Hopefully,
this will be a successful effort and I'll get my first qualifier behind
me.
My overall plan is to complete the qualification runs, send in my entry
to Western States, and, then, in November, await my automatic inclusion
into next year's WS Run. If I retire from San Jose State at the end
of
January, 2001, I'll
have about 5 months to prepare for the Run, which will be held in June.
I hope everything falls
into place because
I see my training and 100M Run as the equivalent of a Rolex Watch.
Isn't that what you get
when you retire to
your rocking chair and begin bouncing your grand kids off your knee?
editor's
note: All of Quicksilver is rooting for Marvin. See
next page for more.
ELK
VALLEY 50M RIDE/RUN
by
Marvin Snowbarger
I've had this event on my calendar for a month or more because I was looking
for a mini-vacation and a 50M
Western States qualifying
run. Besides, with summer school classes ending on Thursday, July
6, I was free for 6
weeks.
The Endurance Ride/Run was held in Grant, PA, about a 3 hour drive northeast
of Pittsburgh. Even without the
run, the trip through
Pennsylvania would have been worth it because the country-side was lush
green, heavily
wooded, and liberally
patched with a light blush-colored ground cover -- a beautiful sight.
Sometimes you get
doubly lucky.
Actually, triple lucky: the event, the drive, and the weather, which
was perfect. The forecast for Sunday, the day
of the Run, was for
thunderstorms, but they held off until I sat down after crossing the finish
line. Literally, that's
when the rain started.
The endurance ride had about 50-60 horses(both days), but could have been
40 horses larger had there not been private property problems. The
endurance run had about 20 runners. Both events covered the same
4 loops, all in
a clover-leaf pattern,
and all returning to camp after each loop. I appreciated having the
company of the horses on
the trail(as did the
other runners). Although the horses traveled faster, the vet checks
and lunch hold kept us
somewhat together.
The runners don't get breaks like that; we are on running-time(an
apt description, I might
add).
As for my effort, I did make the 12 hour cut-off(11:51) and got the first
of my 3 qualifiers that I'll need for the
Western States 100M
Run next year. But let me tell you, it wasn't easy, and I wouldn't
have made it had not Joyce
unexpectedly met me
at the last aid station(mile 43) and coaxed me in(actually, she offered
to let me ride in the car
-- we got a laugh
out of that and it(the laugh) definitely helped). Until I saw her,
I had pretty much written off a
successful run.
The difficulty of the course had taken its toll and I was one discouraged
runner want-to-be. Of
course, my eventual
completion wasn't helped by the Elk-cow and her baby who blocked the trail
about 3/4 of a
mile from the finish
line, and, as my time was expiring. The situation was tense for a
minute or two, but I finally got
her to move, and that
was without her charging me! After that incident, and with an adrenaline-high,
I had it made.
I'm headed for the Mt. Hood area of Oregon in mid-August for qualifier-attempt
#2. I've got a month, now, to
increase my training--which
has its consequences: no endurance training on my horse, minimal-to-zero
weight
training, a life-style
commitment to extended run-training, and for me, personally, a 10 to 15
pound
negative-fluctuation
in my weight. But, you know what, I'm always hungry!
_________________________________________________
OUR CLUB IS RED HOT!!
---When you're good, it's hard not to brag---
50,000
miles. But did she quit! Not on your life. Trilby's lifetime
achievement of 50,000 miles was not enough for
this
indomitable spirit. Going now for 51, it is sort of like Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire. You can quit or keep
going.
And no one has to guess the answer with this gal. She's
keeping going.
Ken
Cook's Rocky showed everybody his pretty grey tail at both
the Cooley Ranch Ride and the following week at
Oakland
Hills. Two great performance put a smile on Ken's face that was hard
to wipe off.
Skip
LIghtfoot and Ride and Tie partner, Tom Johnson, walked off with
the National Ride and Tie Championship
held
in June. Skips good horse, Split, was the third member
of the team and he really proved himself that day.
(Also
on Tevis day when he finished 4th with Tom Johnson aboard.
Mark
Falcone ran the 100 Mile Western States Run and then turned around
three weeks later and rode the same
trail
on Tevis Cup Day. This time his good horse, did the foot
work, but everyone knows there is far more to the
Tevis
Cup Ride than just sitting on the horse. To my knowledge, this
is a first for a Quicksilver member. Congratulations Mark!
Lori
Oleson's Kassiq who everyone had given up much hope of ever returning to
endurance work after a severe
illness,
made us all eat our words by completing all five days of the 250
mile Ft. Schellborne Pony Express Ride.
See
page 7 for Lori's story. which includes the other Quicksilver members
who completed all five days.
Nancy
Elliot has been chosen as the head veterinarian for the United States Endurance
Team going to France for
the
year 2000 World Championship. Another Quicksilver member that
is excelling.
A
gem from the Internet--sung to the the tune of
"The
Impossible Dream"
To
muck the unmuckable stall.
To groom the ungroomable horse.
To
sweep the unsweepable floor.
To jump the unjumpable course.
This
is my quest ...To follow my dream
No matter how silly or stupid it seems
To
fight for the right
With a pitchfork and rake
To
get to those shavings
Before it's too late.
And
I know if I don't lose my mind
Between 7 and 9.
They'll
let me go home when I'm through serving my time.
But I know that the barn will be better for this.
That
one fool, scorned and covered with grit.
Still strove .. with one last ounce of courage.
To
muck the unmuckable stall!!
Published by the Quicksilver
Endurance Riders Inc.
P.O. Box 71, New Almaden,
CA 95042
Julie Suhr, Editor
TEL and FAX 831-335-5933