Pony Express - Day 1 - Through Black Canyon City

Joel Whitfield

As the trail continued we wound up at a hand off area again waiting for the Express to continue. It was here, on the east side of I-17, under a scorching 110 degree sun that we met Joel Whitfield. It was on his leg that we would cross I-17 one last time. Jason, took the opportunity to learn more about Joel while Debbie and myself walked a hundred yards or so down the trail to catch the previous rider coming over a hill. We saw the rider, snapped a few shots then waited, until he abruptly appeared about 100 feet away moving at a fairly fast pace. Debbie and I had little time to react, breaking into a full sprint back to the truck where we found Jason still chatting with Joel, who was yet to even be on his horse. There was only a slight momentary delay in which the blame jokingly fell to Jason. At least he was able to get a lot of good information about Joel for his writings.

Bradley Larch

Bradley Larch

At the end of Joel's leg it wasn't long to pass through Black Canyon City. Unfortunately there were a lot of changes to riders/legs so for most of this post I have yet to collect the appropriate names. Moving through Black Canyon City was a blast. Bradley Larch rode at a gallop through most of the town and north past it. It was an entertaining time, with Cody, our driver trying to match speeds while Debbie and I were trying for any shots that we could get of the moments that we were alongside the horse. We had yet to know what lie ahead as Cody, who was Debbie's son of 16, would be taking us at relatively high speeds through some mountain roads the remainder of the day, all while enjoying the music and girls in the cab with him.

Unknown

Unknown

We began our climb to higher elevations and to the town of Cleator. Several riders took us up through the hills and mountains. Many of these legs were of a much faster pace as the dirt roads allowed for more safety and comfort for the horses. The riders through this stretch really enjoyed it, and we even got from Cody that he was hoping for one such leg next year rather than having a leg that was all asphalt. The real show was the hand off between Dan Hamilton and Mike Hill. The two obviously practiced as they performed the hand off at a cantor and before he had the bags fully seated, Mike was off to a gallop. It was a beautiful and precise display, which I was happy to capture in a total of 68 photos. From this hand off, we had a few more legs to Cleator and a the final climb to Crown King.

Dan and Mike's Hand Off

Pony Express - Day 1 - Legs 1-13

Griffin Hurley

The excitement began as soon as Griffin received the mail bags. This being my first time on the Pony Express, I had no idea what was going to happen. All that I knew was that it was going to happen fast. Our task in the truck was simply to keep in front of the riders. Loaded in the back of the truck, we dove out onto the street and began our two day journey. The first several legs had us being escorted by local police up Cave Creek Road. On the asphalt the horses were unwilling to move too fast, but given the chance to get off the road, into the dirt, they were easily coaxed into picking up their pace to a canter.

Griffin

Griffin's leg was followed by Rick Pool, who informed both Jason and myself much earlier, that he would moving at a fast pace for his entire leg. He held up to his promise. For most of his leg it was a mix of him either being in front of, next to, or behind us. It was a difficult leg to keep pace as we were being restrained by the police escort and having a hard time matching Rick.

Rick Pool

The legs following Rick's traversed hiking trails and areas that we were unable to access in the truck. As would happen several more times on this day, we drove ahead to the hand off spot that Cortland Parks would be receiving the mail. These moments were quite enjoyable, as it gave us a break to collect ourselves in a fast paced environment and to talk with and get to know some of the riders. While Cortland was getting himself set up, I took the opportunity to take photos of his horse and trailer.

Cortland's Horse

Cortland's Trailer

After a twenty or thirty minute wait, we sighted Ty Shaffer coming over a hill and moving rapidly to hand off the mail. It was our second moment of trying to take photos then high tailing it back to the truck to catch the hand off and move on to the next leg. At this point we were sticking to small roads in an area somewhere between Cave Creek and Anthem. Our pace had quickened since the start of the day and we were on our way to meeting up with Steve Michunovich.

Cortland Parks

Cortland

We arrived at the hand off point after 15 minutes, to find that Steve wasn't there. News came down that they were delayed due to his horse having problems in the trailer. They arrived after only a five or ten minute wait. Steve's story was one of many that amazed Jason and myself. Being a double amputee, Steve needed the help of his wife and Larry to get up onto his horse. Once there however, he looked to be at home and eager to move out.

Steve Michunovich

Several legs later came Dusty Womack. Dusty struggled to keep a steady pace as he moved from asphalt to dirt and back again his entire leg. It was during one of these transitions that his horse lost its footing and fell forward leading to Dusty falling off. Dusty was quick to get to his feet and made checking his horse his number one priority. After making sure the horse was o.k., Dusty climbed back on and continued slowly forward for the horses sake.

Dusty Womack

There were a few more legs that took us up and across I-17 and on our way to Black Canyon City. We would cross the freeway a few more times before finding ourselves off paved roads and on our way to Crown King.

Sam Uptigrove

Pony Express - Day 1 - Horses Help

Aiden

Hello again. Today is the first day in which I will be recapping the Pony Express ride that was put on by the Phoenix JC Comancheros this past weekend. With all of the photos and so much to tell, I figured that it'd be best to just start from the beginning.

The journey for the Pony Express begins at the Horses Help stables. Horses Help is the group that the JC Comancheros donate the earnings from the ride to. The group in itself is amazing. They work with the special needs population by providing an extremely friendly and helpful atmosphere in which they provide "weekly sessions to learn riding/driving skills, receive therapy, and enjoy the freedom of activities with THEIR horse."

The really cool part of this is that the JC's give two kids the chance to carry the mail from the stables across the street to the Cave Creek post office. The two kids, Aiden (above) and Willow (below), are sworn in just like the JC's. The volunteers were amazing working with the kids and Aiden and Willow themselves were super excited to be part of the ride.

Willow

Larry Snipes with Aiden and Swearing in both riders

Once Aiden and Willow were sworn in and the mail bags were secured on Bree, Aiden's horse, the kids were off. Horses Help had its own small procession to cross the street, aided by local police cruisers and motorcycles.

Horses Help Procession

In just a short few minutes, we were positioned in front of the post office where Griffin Hurley was waiting on horseback for the hand off. In one of many such acts of kindness that the JC's extend, Griffin hopped off his horse and greeted Willow and Aiden, both thanking and congratulating them. After a quick moment to get photos with each of the riders, Griffin took the mail bags and was set for his leg. With only seconds to go, we raced to the back of our pick up truck and were off.

Griffin Hurley with Willow and Aiden

Phoenix JC Comancheros - Pony Express 2011

I've finally returned from Prescott after two days on the road, back roads to be exact. I can't even begin to explain how amazing this experience has been. Being that I am still exhausted from the trip I have only been able to glance at a select few of the thousands of photos that I took over the two days. There is no way that one post could capture the scope of the journey. So, over the next few weeks I will be chronicling the journey through a series of posts. Until then, enjoy this shot taken from day two, between Mayor and Prescott.