On March 1st, 2010, my friend Walter and I set off on an adventure with my Arabian horse, Sojourner. I rode Soj across America and Walter drove our little truck (with no trailer). The trip began in Los Angeles, California and successfully ended in Bath, New Hampshire 8 months and 14 days later. It was a 3,700 mile ride.

We rode in celebration of family and as an outreach to those dealing with divorce-related depression.

This ride tells a tale of love in many forms - through the people we meet along the way, our connection with the horse, with the land, and with each other.

As this blog goes on it gets more and more in depth with tons of photos and experiences. Snuggle in with a cup of tea and read this like a book. I have switched the blog around so it reads start to finish so you don't have to read backward (except the first entry).

Here is our story...

Moodys, OK

7/21/10

The butterflies took rides on our hats today. We seem to always have some sort of butterfly or grasshopper taking a fast ride on either us or the dashboard or hood of the truck.


We have been fortunate to have Micki's house to come back to after riding so I have been able to bathe and rest up as this rash heals. This will be our last night here though. Soj is at a lovely family's home in Moodys, OK. We only rode about 18 miles today, but yesterday we rode 25.5 so he's about an hour from us now, but in good hands. This is the first time we have ever been so far from him, but this is the best way to allow myself to heal up and continue riding.

It's hard to ride longer days in this heat. This part of the ride is the real test. I mean, we've gone through a lot of obstacles, but this heat is killer. We've been in it a good 6 weeks now and my blood ain't thinin'!! The alarm goes off at 3:45am which I can't seem to get used to and then we pack everything up and head to Soj.

Once we get over daydreaming about sleep, though, it's actually really nice riding in the early morning. It's still pretty warm and humid, but with the sun down it is much more comfortable and we can enjoy the land we're riding through. We have been on some really beautiful roads.

A police man helped us over a bridge again.
Can you see the deer in front of us?
I hate to cut this short, but I think I am going to go lie down for a little while. These super early mornings and really hot days wear me out a bit. I am happy to have the challenge, but I think this part of the ride is going to be a little less social because it takes a lot of our energy to simply ride these days.

We are all in good spirits and have our eyes set on the North though! More soon....

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4 comments:

  1. JackieBJuly 21, 2010 at 3:26 PM

    So glad you are doing well. And such a great idea to head back each of the last two days to continue to heal.

    I'm sure the heat is bringing you some form of enlightenment that the rest of us are missing out on. Or at least you should tell yourself that to help deal with it! For what it's worth, about 99% of the population wouldn't be able to handle it.

    My guess is that Soj hardly notices. His ancestors would scoff at calling this heat excessive.

    Don't worry about updating us. We'll be here when you are feeling better and the days get a little cooler. Just take care of yourself.
    Ride on!!!

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  2. Mochi74July 21, 2010 at 3:48 PM

    Do you know, butterflies landing on you are supposed to be especially lucky ?!?
    :)

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  3. M. Gray, Psy ABD, Certified Domestic CounselorJuly 22, 2010 at 7:56 AM

    If you want a beautiful ride...head over to OK10 and you can ride IN THE SHALLOW ILLINOIS RIVER. You can do that for approximately 15 miles. It's the prettiest there and keeps you in nature with lots of camping amenities there. I believe the River is probably at an acceptable level to do that right about now.

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  4. JeniJuly 24, 2010 at 8:32 AM

    I just did a google map of Moodys OK and let me just say how freaking amazing you are! It's impressive to see that little red marker in the middle of this huge country and look back to where you started. NH doesn't look all that far!

    I hope your rash is healing and you get some cooler weather with greener scenery soon! Soj looks fantastic and your posts are (as always)wonderful! :)

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