SALTGRASS TRAIL RIDE

I traveled down to Texas to join the Saltgrass Trail Ride (saltgrasstrailride.org) on February 19, 2010.  The ride lasts from Friday (Feb 20, 2010) to Saturday (Feb 27, 2010).  It starts on the Wittenberg Ranch near Cat Spring, TX and ends in a parade through downtown Houston, TX.  The ride covers approximately 90 miles with stops at parks and pastures along the way.  The purpose of the ride as stated on the website is "To stimulate and encourage the love of horses, riding, and good fellowship, and to perpetuate the memory of the original riders of the Salt Grass Trail and to further stimulate, promote and encourage the best interest of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Inc., and of Agriculture raising and marketing".

The ride is organized into wagons, 28 in all.  The wagons are similar to old covered wagons (no rubber tires) as would be accompanying a cattle drive back in the 1870s.  The wagon I was with was Wagon 8 or "Lazy 8".  This wagon is headed and organized by the Parmley family, in particular brothers John and Steve.  Their father, M.S. "Dude" Parmley was one of the original founders of the ride back in 1952 and Wagon 8 is the wagon used on that original ride.  John's daughter, Jody, and son Mark participated on the ride.  Jody brought her son John Sam Elliott out on some evenings.  John's plan is to keep the ride active for his grandson.  Steve's son had participated on previous rides.

The ride is not particularly challenging.  It is more or less a 90-mile party along county roads (mostly paved) and Farm to Market Highways until entering the suburbs of Houston.  The ride is on city streets the remainder of the way.  The exception is a pass-through of the 7IL ranch south of Bellville, TX (see photos).  This was also our lunch stop on Sunday's ride.  Not many hardships are experienced on this ride.  Trains of port-a-jons accompany the ride for the comfort and privacy of the riders.  Many riders are now traveling with RV-style horse trailers and some wagons hire professional cooks and camp movers.  Each rider is responsible for moving his rig to the next campsite before the ride begins in the morning.  Riders range in age from 5 to 85 with a prize awarded to the youngest and the oldest.  Parties complete with music and dancing are common throughout the wagons most every night along the way.  Residents in the small towns along the way enjoy the passage of the riders even though traffic is disrupted for a considerable time.  Schools along the way bring the children out to see the impromptu parade.  In general, a good time is had by all.

Look for my next posting.  Meanwhile, visit my online saddle shop at http://rockyknollranch.com/home.