Friday was kind of an "up in the air" day for me. I had come up to Tevis to crew for Suzanne Hayes again (redemtion for last years fiasco); but before leaving Montana Suz had said she had lots of people to help her and if I wanted to do something else I could. I decided to wait until Robie to talk with everyone as to whether I was truly needed. If not, then I would become a "Roving Reporter" for the Internet Gang.
I 'roved' most of the day Friday until late afternoon when I went to Suzanne's trailer and got together with her very experienced, but Tevis shy, crew. It was decided I would draw a map of the Robinson Flat area to guide the 'troops' through there and I would go to Foresthill first thing in the morning and stake out a good spot by the out-timer. Preferably one with shade. Then the troops would join me after Suzanne and Jerry (Mrs. Tankersley's ranch foreman ... Al-Marah Arabians) passed through Robinson. I wasn't even needed to drive the truck and trailer back to Auburn.
I slept in a motel Friday night!
Becky Hackworth dropped me off at Foresthill just before 8:30 Saturday morning. I loaded my little cooler,book, and wallet onto my chair with wheels that Lynne Glazer bought for me the night before and started touring the Foresthill site.
Huge area. Already filled with all manner of vehicles and not a soul in sight. All these people were in their cars sound asleep! I went to the out-timer area and found a really good spot that would have plenty of shade in the afternoon. The problem was it was bathed in sunlight now and not a soul was around ... and I was lonely. I went back up to the parking area and found a spot where I could overlook my 'spot' and low and behold there were a couple of people sitting out talking. I asked if I could join them and we began a 3 1/2 hour gabfest. I haven't a clue what their names are!
Along about noon we finally started seeing the cars coming in from Robinson. My hosts were doubly disappointed with their Tevis attempts when their second horse came walking up the road. Pulled at Robinson for lameness. Their other horse vetted through Friday fine, but during the pre-ride meeting had rolled and caught it's leg on the trailer wheel-well and cut himself pretty badly and had to be pulled before the start. They are from just north of San Franciso if that rings any bells for anyone. Their day cut short, they decided to load up and head for home.
More cars were coming in now and I saw a group of people eyeing my 'spot'. It was time to go down and claim my side of the tree. A woman was standing in the shade of the tree and I asked if that was the side they had decided on. When she said yes I said good, I'm taking this side over here. I mentioned the shade coming my way and she corrected me. She said the shade was coming her way. I LOVE correcting people. A look of scepticism crossed her face and she asked who I was crewing for. Suzanne Hayes, I replied. NO, she said, I'm crewing for Suzanne. To make a long story short I'm standing there bantering with Baisey Tankersley about which side of the tree Suzanne will be standing on when she arrives! The rest of Suzannes crew arrived and I now recognize people and everything was moved over to my side of the tree! It's not that I won the arguement (if you could call it an arguement) even though the shade did go the way I predicted. It's because there was more room on my side of the tree for the two big canopy tents that were going to be purchased in Auburn and brought out to us!
I had learned that Suzanne and Jerry made it into Robinson just after 9:30 and were in great shape. I told them to expect Suz to arrive in Foresthill around 4 PM. We arranged the goods and set up the canopies and sat and waited.
I can't remember exactly when the first rider came in ... right around 4 ... but it was Potato Richardson. I'm partial to mules and was elated to hear one came in third. We heard that Suz was in Michigan Bluff at 3:30, but she never showed up. Something was wrong. She arrived in Michigan in 10th place, but 24 people were into Foresthill already when she finally pulled in. She was having a bad day. Kooter lost both front shoes within 5 minutes of each other not long after leaving Robinson. Then when they got into Michigan her refused to eat and she hung around for a long time there trying to entice him into eatting something. Well, whatever was wrong was over because he was scarfing down pretty good while he was getting new shoes put on. Jerry came in and Suz decided to wait for him and rid the rest of the way with him. They left in 25th and 26th place and we packed up to go to Auburn.
I stopped at my motel and showered and changed into long pants. Grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the fairgrounds about 9:30. And we waited and waited and waited. The race had definitly slowed down. Potato didn't arrive until 11 PM. In less than an hour the top 10 arrived. Every few minutes another couple of riders would come in. Then, about 12:30 AM, three riders pulled up and there was Suz and Kooter in 16th place. Those shoes and the food gave Kooter a new lease on life and he just kicked in and tore up the trail. She left Jerry in the dust hours before.
I have no idea when Jerry came in. I was probably in bed. Motels are so nice! Kooter breezed through the final check. Since Suz was done and there were so many people already waiting for Jerry willing to walk Kooter to keep him limber I decided it was time to say good night.
I'm off to watch the best condition.