The Red Rock Ride

“So how long do we ride” I asked when told she had signed us up for the week long adventure in the Red Rock region of southern Utah?.

“Well, an average of about four or five hours, I suppose,” she replied.

“That’s about two hours longer than I’ve ridden in years,” I worried. “Wait a minute, if that’s the average, what’s the longest.”

“Um, oh, I don’t know, maybe eight hours.”

Okay, now that had my attention. Visions of being hauled out of a canyon thrown over the back of a mule came to mind. Then placed in a wheel chair on top of a soft pillow and put in the corner of a room moaning and groaning, waiting for the whiskey to take hold. 

“Is there an out if it gets to be too much for a city-slickers butt,” I wondered?

“Well, they take a wagon on that ride, so I’m sure you can ride that if you have to whimp out.”

The website video (https://www.redrockride.com) looked very enticing, with small cabins for lodging, and a very warm and inviting barn in which to enjoy meals and entertainment. Each day was a ride into a different national park and canyon, with all the riders smiling and laughing. I didn’t see anyone wincing or standing in their stirrups. Maybe I could do that. But that longest ride is more than twice as long as I’ve ever ridden before. 

Bonnie made our reservations some thirteen months ago, choosing the first of six dates available for the ride. The three in the spring and three in the fall all sold out within two hours of posting on the internet, as they do every year.

Two families, the Houstons and the Mangums, collaborated together some twenty five years ago to create this venue for experienced riders to enjoy Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks and the Grad Staircase-Escalante National Monument from their headquarters in Tropic, Utah. Robert Houston and Pete Mangum are both life long residents of the area continuing family traditions in their respective businesses, Houston’s Trails End Restaurant and Pitch Fork Farms, employing three generations of family in what is otherwise a very limited job market. The Red Rock Ride resulted from an idea of filling the off season with an activity that would utilize the otherwise idled assets of their businesses. 

They obviously succeeded, with demand for their trips far outstripping supply (they limit their seasons to avoid burn out and overextending their core businesses) because of their core competence in serving others, and a keen understanding of the history and nature of the region. 

Not only did I survive the rides, I reveled in the scenery and challenge of the trails. Fortunately, Pete placed me on an ideal, tall and beefy horse that took good care of me. Not to say he wasn’t spirited, but he knew when to take over and navigate the many narrow passages and steep drop-offs while I had my eyes closed. 

As I was being led for the first time to “Rooster,” Bonnie was waiting by the biffy next to the corral filled with horses following a long bus ride from Las Vegas. As she waited in line she heard another gal say, “boy, I don’t want to be saddled with that horse - look at how angry he is,” as the nearby sorrel pinned it’s ears back and looked as though ready to kick the horse next to it. 

Rooster and Spur

“And we’re going to be pairing you with Spur, because these two always ride together,” said Pete as Bonnie entered the corral. 

It was the very horse, who’s ears were pinned back very frequently through the next six days. He never acted out, but always looked agitated, keeping Bonnie on her toes. It turns out that Rooster was very much an alpha male of the herd as well, which made many of the other riders avoid our twosome, giving us plenty of maneuvering room. But both horses were very sure-footed, and obviously experienced in the terrain. For the rest of that week, we were confident in our mounts and in the entire operation to keep us safe and in one piece.

See Red Rock Ride II