"The Journey"
and
"Riding the
Pacific Crest Trail"

      (Pat)

 My father can be held accountable to this day for my love and fondness of the outdoors and our equine friend, the horse.  So where did the horses come from?  Well, I remember, at 12 years old, one horse excursion to the Eel River drainage, in California, where we spent a week deer hunting that went somewhat awry. On one of our rides, we rode out in separate directions to look for deer, only he didn’t come back that afternoon.  My dad had been riding along the top of a dry creek bed when the bank suddenly gave way, they tumbled down, coming to rest with the horse atop my dad.  The horse was stuck upside down, and it took Dad hours, after calming the horse, to hand dig enough dirt out from under himself, so the horse could roll over and get up. Luckily for Dad and the horse, neither had anything broken, and he rode into camp the next day, sore and hungry.  I helped make him comfortable while he recuperated, which took several days.  Dad got better and we made it safely home.  The remembrance is strong, and it still is a wondrous feeling to be one with the horse, riding the trails, then returning to camp and a healthy meal. 

Thank you, Dad, for taking me there.                                                     Pat & Cheyenne

     (Rhonda)

Being born in Alaska, I’ve always had a sense of independence. My parents moved to Anchorage, Alaska in the early 50’s. They were hard working innovative people who taught my brothers and I many skills that we have used throughout our lives.  After leaving the home nest in my later teens, I held a variety of odd jobs in Anchorage, then after meeting my husband Patrick, followed him to work on the Alaska Pipeline, in Valdez. After that, we started our young family while living on the Kenai Peninsula in our cabin that, through the years, evolved into a house.  Horses were an integral part of the family’s pleasure riding, 4-H and packing into remote areas to hunt Moose and Caribou.  We eventually left Alaska and worked our way south bringing the horses with us.  Now living in Central Oregon, Pat and I enjoy trail riding, packing and camping with the horses in this high desert terrain while being involved in various equestrian service organizations and volunteer activities such as trail clearing and helping with the maintenance of horse camps.

Life’s short, so ride as often as you can,                                       Rhonda & Liz