August 2008 XP
Newsletter
New
Procedure for Newsletters: We
introduced a new method of XP Newsletter distribution last year.
Instead of pasting the entire body of the newsletter, we will just
send a link to the XP Website. Most newsletters will not be password
protected. Riders unable to receive email will be able to go to the
XP web site and keep up on XP News.
Apologies
and sniveling: It
has been over a year since I have taken the time to put out an XP
Newsletter. The reasons
for the omission are many. Those riders who are aging along with us
can appreciate how time flies by and it sometimes seems like our
lives are, in the words of Willie Nelson, “are hopelessly out of
control”. I often
wonder how we were able to do so many rides and be some active in
this sport while raising a family and running a veterinary
practice. We have
projects on the table however and have made some changes for the
coming years and I will try to be more attentive to keeping everyone
informed.
News of General Interest
·
Updated
Web Site
We
still have lots of work to do with the web site. It is still a work in
progress and Karen is great about making the changes as soon as I
get them to her. The
look is still basically the same but some of the old and outdated
material has been corrected.
I hope to work on it some more in September.
·
MexiCan
Ride Perhaps
the biggest news is my decision to cancel our plans for the MexiCan
ride. After several years of investigation I have come to the
conclusion that I do not have the energy and time to pull off a ride
of this magnitude in the manner in which I would care to do it. There are several issues,
which I could not resolve to my satisfaction. The first and probably most
important is the climate.
The only feasible corridor for this ride to be a scenic
journey is by starting in Arizona
or New Mexico and following a route
paralleling the continental divide towards Canada. Unfortunately the climate of
the lower Sonoran desert is vastly different than that of the
western mountains. It is therefore impossible to time an event to
start late enough in the year on the Mexican border and find open
trails through the mountains.
The alternative of going up the plains east of the mountains
would be more boring than I could stand. I did come up with a general
outline that I really liked and had hopes such a trail would be
feasible if we broke up the ride into two sections. However, in
talking to the government officials that regulate the public lands
and wilderness areas that we would cross I would go away severely
discouraged. After serious discussion with the family we have
decided to abandon the project. I know that this will come as a
disappointment to those who were looking forward to such a trip,
especially those who have donated time and thought to the endeavor.
·
XP
2011 Part
of my decision making process in canceling the MexiCan Ride was that
I have no expertise and no historical ties to an unknown and
uncharted trail from Mexico to Canada. However I do have a strong
tie to the Pony Express Trail and my family’s association with it
has defined a good part of our lives. While I could never promise
that I could pull off a MexiCan ride, I can be quite confident in
doing another XP ride on the Pony Express trail. In fact, I can do
another big ride on that trail and make it better than those that we
did previously.
Therefore, I have committed to doing an XP 2011. This ride will be similar to
the XP 2001 ride with approximately half the entries. Further information will be
available in the coming months. A formal announcement will be made
on New Years eve in Death Valley. Entries will be accepted at that
time. Those dying for
information can extrapolate from the XP 2001 ride.
·
On
line entries
We
thank you for the continued use of our online entry system. The
online entries really help us to prepare awards and plan for the
rides. If you are having problems making the entry work, a simple
email with the basic information is all that is needed.
You
can either email duck@xprides.com,
annie@xprides.com
or Karen@xprides.com
.
Results
We try hard to keep the results
accurate, but we sometimes make mistakes. On top of that, riders often
fail to make changes from what they put on the entry cards. On most rides we are able to
post the results the evening of the ride and it is easy to make
changes at that time, so please take the time to check the posted
results before you leave the ride. Spelling of names is not
important to AERC if the numbers are correct.
·
Fall
2008 XP and Sunrise Ranch Ride
Calendar
Randy Coleman Memorial XP Ride
Paunsagaunt Plateau at Bryce Canyon,
Utah
August 28th through September
1st
The Paunsagaunt XP was Randy Coleman’s favorite ride.
Randy, a long time XP Rider and a friend to everyone who knew him,
peacefully passed away while attending the ride in 2006. We have
dedicated future Paunsagaunt rides to his memory. Last year we
moved the camp across the Kanab Creek road. The new site offered us
privacy that was unavailable at the previous location. We hope that
you can come and join us for a beautiful ride on the edge of Bryce
Canyon National Park.
Virgin Rim Ride
Virgin Rim trail on
Cedar Mountain, Utah
September 13th and
14th
We made some big changes
last year. The first day was a loop ride
in and out of the same camp. We camped north of Navajo Lake and
rode to Webster Flat on the Virgin Rim Trail as well as a loop
towards Brian Head. The trail overlooks Zion National Park and all
of southwest Utah. The views are truly outstanding and the fall
colors are usually at their best. The ride this year will be
similar. The following day we will ride from the Deer Valley camp to
Mt Carmel Junction using the eastern portion of the Virgin Rim trail
and then an old XP trail down Muddy Creek. This second day will be a
little shorter that last years ride. As this is always a small ride
we should be able to assist those without drivers in getting a rig
moved. We will be finishing at the XP Barn in Mt Carmel and riders
are welcome to come early and stay late.
Grand Canyon XP
Ride
North Rim of the Grand Canyon,
Arizona
October 8th through the
12th
We will be able to return to the Dry Park Camp again this
year. Two years ago it was anything but Dry and one wonders how it
got its name. The forest service was surprisingly and pleasantly
quite reasonable about the assessment of damage to the area. They continue to be pleased
with our restoration work. We do have plans for an alternate
campsite in a gravel pit where rain and mud would not be an issue
with environmental damage should we ever need it in the future. Both the Forest Service and
I feel that the 2006 storm was an aberration that is unlikely to
occur again. As always however, there is nothing we can do about the
weather. We have moved the dates up slightly this year which will
hopefully allow for more of the spectacular fall colors.
·
Fall
Rides: Anyone
interested in staying over in southern Utah is more than welcome to
camp with us between the rides. We can also offer our corrals at Mt
Carmel Junction for anyone wanting to leave horses between the
rides. There is someone there to feed them and might even be an
experienced rider to exercise them. Interested parties can contact
us via email or by calling 907 209 8881 or 435 648 3825. The fall rides are basically
unchanged from last year. We do intend to make the point to point
ride on the second day of the Virgin Rim trail a little shorter this
year. Remember that the
first day of this ride returns to camp!! The point to point on the
second day was an easy move for the rigs and the few people who did
the ride enjoyed the experience.
·
2009
XP Calendar:
Eastern Mojave Scenic XP - 155 miles
Eastern Mojave National Preserve, Mountain Pass,
CA
February 14th through 16th
Cuyama Oaks XP – 155
miles
New Cuyama, CA
March 21st through 23rd
Mt Carmel XP – 155
miles
Mt Carmel Junction, Utah
May 9th through 11th
Fort Schellbourne XP – 250
miles
Schellbourne,
Nevada
June 1st through 5th
Randy Coleman
Memorial XP – 250 miles
Paunsagaunt Plateau, Bryce Canyon,
Utah
September 3rd through 7th
Grand Canyon XP – 250
miles
North Rim Grand Canyon, Arizona
October 7th through 11th
·
2009
Sunrise Ranch Rides Calendar
Death Valley Encounter – 200
miles
Death Valley, California
December 28th through 31st
Lost Padres –
100 miles
Santa Margarita Ranch, Santa Margarita,
CA
April 25th and 26th
Virgin Rim – 100
Miles
Virgin Rim Trail, Cedar Mountain,
Utah
September 19th and 20th
·
Additional
Rides
We help Grit Jones with the Bar H ride
in the end of January. Ride is Sat and Sunday Jan 31 and Feb 1 in
Gavilan Hills, CA
In April the Duck vets the Color Country
ride in southern Utah for Marion Parker. This is one of the first
AERC endurance rides and Marion has converted into a three day
pioneer ride.
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