In which the Cross State ride report continues: from Cle Elum to Thorp

Our second day on the journey was much less eventful than the first.

The routine is basically the same each day:  Before anything moves, riders and teamsters tack up.  At 6:30am, the parking committee leaves camp, followed at 7am by the bus and the rest of the convoy.

If you have a friend in camp (or a friend to drive the rig forward) you stay with your horse(s).  If not, you tie to something.

Camp in Cle Elum has very few trees available as hitching posts.

Most trees were at least double-occupancy

A while later (sometimes an hour or more, depending on the distance traveled and the complexity of the parking situation down the road) the bus returns with riders aboard.

Here comes de bus!

Since this is still an early stage of the ride, the teamsters leave camp first.

Fiddle was cautiously interested in the buggies and wagons

Tom's wagon usually has flags, but for the beginning of the ride he left them down to minimize excitement.

FINALLY the riders hit the trails.

So green!  Mostly because it's May.  In 2 months, this won't be nearly as lush.

Pit stop along the trail.  These became uncommon further along.

Darlene suffers from terrible claustrophobia, and was VERY afraid of riding through
the tunnels.  But she was brave and did it!

The tunnels on this leg of the journey were relatively short (57 breaths--I counted) but very dark. 

The trick we were taught is to ride side-by-side with a flashlight held at the riders' knee-level to shine on the ground ahead but not impede the horses' night vision.  It worked, we didn't crash.

After the tunnels, some trotting.

Darlene hopped off to walk a portion of each day.  With no guarantee of mounting blocks, I stayed up.

Camp in Thorp is a publicly-owned field that is mowed by the leadership of our ride.  No water available here, we had to haul it all in on the trailers.  But the grass was lush and (according to Fiddle) delicious.

In future years, the club wants to bring in water and hitching posts.

In camp at Thorp

Ride meeting in Thorp.  Tom Short (standing) always has a bit to tell us about the history of the places we visit.

At the ride meeting, we got details about the next leg of the trail:  about 10 miles to the city limits of Ellensburg, where the group would stage together and wait for our police-escorted "parade" through town.  This is necessary because the city is still using the railroad tracks that have otherwise been converted to trail, and we need to get safely to the rodeo grounds on the far side of town.

Onward!