Sunday, June 20, 2010

Retracing route shows bond between horse and rider, endurance of Old West story

Billingsgazette.com - Full Article

RUFFIN PREVOST Gazette Wyoming Bureau | Posted: Sunday, June 20, 2010

CODY — As the night wore on, the pale sliver of crescent moon slipped away, leaving the horsemen barely able to pick their way through the darkness along the remote trail. But they pressed on, determined to deliver a pouch stuffed with urgent messages.

Worried that he would be late in delivering the mail to Sweetwater Station, rider Mike Strain urged on his mare, Willow, anxious to hand off his precious cargo to new riders.

Strain, a South Fork Valley ranch manager, is one of more than 600 riders participating this month in a re-enactment of the Pony Express, 150 years after it was created as a way to connect the growing state of California with the rest of the nation.

But unlike most modern riders who cover about five miles or less while retracing the nearly 2,000-mile route from Sacramento, Calif., to St. Joseph, Mo., Strain wound up riding 31 miles Tuesday night and Wednesday morning...

Read more here:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_fa55d056-7c21-11df-8100-001cc4c03286.html

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