Definition of a long ride for some might be 4 hours, 6 hours or maybe even 8 hours.   I thought I was pretty good doing a 3 day trail ride!  Imagine that 76 miles on a horse!  Well that reality has just been blown out of the water with a chance meeting of Bernice Ende, Lady Long Rider.  I am tempted to put extraordinaire after that but I will wait and let you make your own decisions.

A fortuitous ride last week with the usual lunch at the pizza place let to a chance meeting of a woman Leigh had known about and made contact with several years before but had no contact with recently.  As we waited for our pizza we happened to see 2 horses with riders making their way south on the highway.  As they came closer we were able to make out a rider on the first horse and a ………dog…… riding on the second horse?  As unusual as it is to see horses on North 14, it is really unusual to see a dog riding a horse down the highway!  About that time Leigh jumped up and tore out of the restaurant exclaiming it was the Long Rider he had been wanting to meet!  Sure enough when they returned with the report it was Bernice Ende on her third and longest ride of 7,000 miles that will take her 2 1/2 years!  Fascinating!  With no crew, no support system, no GPS or even cell phone this lady and her 2 horses and dog have been thousands of miles cross country!

It was truly amazing to hear her stories of how she survives on the road, letting the horses graze as they walk and finding water along the way; always sleeping out with the horses and her dog Claire.  True grit!   I am certainly an admirer and I will keep track of her as she puts on the miles and will update you faithful reader occasionally.

Lady Long Rider, my hat is  off to you!  Happy Trails!

A mid week ride to enjoy the beautiful weather was scheduled for this week in honor of our State Representative Kathy McCoy. Kathy was instrumental in the purchase of the land tracts for the Gutierrez Open Space. We invited Rep McCoy to ride with us through the Open Space to show our appreciation for her hard work in getting the project approved and making it happen so that now we have this beautiful place for riders and hikers for generations to come.

As is customary we enjoy a short break and lunch at one of the restaurants near the hitching posts on the N 14 side of the Gutierrez Open Space.  As we enjoyed lunch and conversation we had an exceedingly lucky break to catch a glimpse of the well known long rider, Bernice Ende, who is currently on a 7000 mile, 2 1/2 year ride.  Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture of her and her Thoroughbred but that will be remedied at the potluck in her honor this weekend! 

Thanks again to Representative Kathy McCoy for all her work in getting this fabulous Open Space!