V169: The Pony Express Re-Ride at Fort Churchill, NV

This past Thursday, my parents and I ventured out to Fort Churchill, Nevada, to see the Pony Express Association’s annual re-ride event, in which riders travel the same route, in the same amount of time, as was done 152 years ago.

We decided to go in costume – and were the only ones – to lend some 1860s flavor to the gathering.  Here are some photos from the evening:

This was my dad’s first-ever event.
I opted for no-hoop, although it was hot
One of the riders being sworn in just before taking off on her leg of the journey
My mom telling jokes behind her fan
Did I mention it was hot?
This was the rider coming in, from Carson – she was pretty beat, and had ridden two legs that day instead of just one.  Riders had and have to travel an average of 10-15 mph on horseback.
Two minutes are allotted for changing horses and riders.  During that time, the 30 lb. mochila has to be taken from one horse and loaded on to the other, then off they go.
The fans were furiously flying in the Nevada heat

Mom, Dad, and me – now just have to coerce my brother and sister-in-law to join in :-).

17 Comments

Leave a Reply

Discover more from American Duchess Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading