Rode Walter mule from Mississippi to Duncan, Oklahoma, where he got injured in fence wreck. Spent 7 weeks in Duncan while Walter recovered. Rode Walter from Oklahoma to New Mexico. Walter mule still showing signs of hip strain, decided he needed to get home and rest, not to ride him over the mountains. Kyle trailered us from Clovis NM to midstate... rode Walter a little further... hauled with racehorses from Albuquerque to north end of Phoenix... rode another day... Randy and Tony gifted us with the blessing of a trailer haul to Tucson, dropped us off a couple miles from the stable... and Sir Walter and I rode into town as I had imagined we would, slowly savoring our lone quiet walk up the dry Rillito riverbed, climbing the access ramp to the road, and riding up the drive to Riverbend Stables.
Home.
Walter is in better shape now than the day we started. It was one of my goals. I'm proud of that.
[Postscript: Walter's hip strain healed up completely.]
Thank you to all who followed the ride for your support. I know there were times when y'all wrote wonderful comments on the blog and I could not reply, as I can't do comments from my phone.
But I want you to know that every word of support and encouragement from each one of you, whether comments on the blog, emails or phone calls, gave me a HUGE lift in spirits and morale - you have no idea how much it meant! Just knowing there were people out there who were sure we could do this.
When out on a Long Ride, if a rider gets lonely and discouraged they can stop thinking straight and make stupid mistakes, life-threatening stupid. Love and encouragement saves lives.
All of you helped keep me and Walter alive.
May all of you be showered with blessings, and may you enjoy many happy trails!
- Katie Cooper, Long Rider
(with a bray from Sir Walter the Red)
Few of Katie's readers realize that she is one of the few living Long Riders to be descended from one of the great Historical Long Riders of the past. In Katie's case, she is the niece of Merian C. Cooper.
ReplyDeleteThough he is most often remembered today as being the creator of the original film, “King Kong,” Merian C. Cooper led a life so filled with adventure that his story would have amazed anyone.
In the early 1920s, Cooper volunteered to fly in the Polish air force against the invading Soviet army. Shot down, the young aviator was imprisoned and nearly starved to death, before escaping his tormentors and fleeing back to Poland, where he was awarded that country’s most distinguished military medal.
He next turned his attention to film making, joining up with camera man Ernest Schoedsack and American socialite, turned military spy, Margurerite Harrison. The trio journeyed to Persia, where they met the Bakhtiari nomads. During the course of making his first feature film, “Grass,” Cooper swam raging rivers, climbed ice covered peaks and rode alongside the nomads from the Persian Gulf to the pastures on the far side of the Zagros Mountains.
Though Cooper went on to enjoy a successful film career, he fondly recalled his time as a Long Rider and often lamented not being able to return to Persia.
Many decades later, the niece of that remarkable Long Rider has successfully completed her own journey.
Two heroes in one family, keeping alive a rare family tradition.
Well done, Long Rider!
CuChullaine O'Reilly
The Long Riders' Guild