To catch up on the developments of the past several days, this will be sort of a catch-all post. Few pictures on this post, but I’ll get more up soon.

This past week has been a very full one. I finished all the projects I have been working on, made the last of my gear purchases for the trip and got to working on a pair of chaps for myself (I sold both sets I made earlier, as well as third set I made for the same customer) and got everything all packed up and loaded into the trailer.

I had planned on heading for Arizona on April 1st (appropriate, considering the undertaking at hand), but with all I had to get done in the last several days, I decided that I could really use one more day. I decided to leave on Thursday, April 2nd.

I got up bight-eyed and bushy-tailed (more or less) at 5:00 am on Thursday. My good wife made breakfast for me while I got the last of my gear in the trailer and went over my lists one more time. A friend came over to assist me in getting the horses loaded, so I could waste as little time as possible in that endeavor. We arrived at the place where my horses are boarded about 6:00 am.

Amazingly, the horses met us at the gate and offered not even the slightest difficulty in catching them up and loading into the trailer in the dark. I was on the road at 6:15 am.

The truck and trailer both functioned as expected and the trip went well. The horses traveled very calmly and made no trouble for me or each other. However, as I entered Arizona, the winds picked up and the farther south I traveled, the stronger they got. By the time I got to Chinle, Arizona, I was bucking about a 30 mile per hour side-wind. At least it wasn’t a headwind. I was pleased that my truck and trailer handled the winds very well, although my fuel mileage suffered. Since I was passing through the town, I stopped in Chinle to see an old friend I hadn’t seen in 38 years. It was a nice visit. I decided not to let the horses out of the trailer, because I was afraid that after several hours in the trailer, I wouldn’t be able to get them back in without assistance. I’m sure my short stop in Chinle gave them a bit of a rest.

A couple hours further along, just south of Sanders, Arizona, I heard what sounded like a shotgun blast and knew immediately it was a tire blowout. One glance in the side mirror told me the left-rear tire on my trailer had exploded. This was the second blowout on the trailer in less than 500 miles, which, incidentally, was a blessing in disguise, I suppose. Due to the previous blowout I was imminently prepared and had the tire changed in less than 10 minutes. However, it was a clear sign that even though my tires appeared to be almost new – almost no tread wear – they were past their safe useful age. As I got back on the road I called my nephew, who has an auto shop in Eagar, and ordered four new 10-ply trailer tires. They’ll be installed on Monday. Another unexpected, but necessary, expense.

I arrived in Eagar about 5:45 pm. Even though the horses had been in the trailer for almost 12 hours, they were still riding quietly. I pulled into my 20 acre parcel in Eagar and let them out of the trailer. I tied them up to the trailer to let them settle down a bit, brushed them, and fed them a little, then released them. They really enjoyed the freedom offered by 20 acres in which to run. They all took off at at gallop to explore the place. I enjoyed watching them go.

Dad had our new mustang corralled there, so I took a good look at him. He’s about 15 hands and stoutly built. Not the prettiest animal, but just what we need on this trip. He’s a mite skittish, so I’ve been working a bit on getting him used to being handled. The story behind him is that he is a 7 year old mustang gelding that was “cowboy broke” and acquired by a fellow here in Eagar. The horse was hard to catch and the fellow got tired of having to rope him in a corral every time he wanted to ride him. So, when he heard about our endeavor, he gladly donated him to the cause. Dad got a Bill of Sale for him in my name, got his Coggins test and vaccinations, had him shod, and so he’s added to the remuda. He’s called “Jimbo.” I’ve been working with him the last day or so, getting him settled down. We’re up to him letting me catch and halter him….as long as I have a bucket of grain in my hand. That’s progress enough for two days.

Yesterday I finished my new batwing chaps. I don’t plan to sell this pair. You might recall that I made a pair of chinks, a pair of batwings, and a pair of Arizona Shotguns, to see which I wanted to take on this trip. I had selected the Arizona Shotguns and so I gave the chinks to my dad as a birthday present last year. I decided to sell the batwings, so I advertised them for sale. A fellow responded and liked them, so he bought them and asked if I had any more for sale. I mentioned the shotguns and he wanted to see them. Long and short is that he bought them as well, then ordered another pair of batwings. It was nice to have the unexpected extra money for the trip kitty. I used some of it to buy leather for another pair of batwings – for me this time.

We also took a short ride yesterday. My brother-in-law took us up to a place known as Telephone Road, where we rode for just short of five miles. It was a pleasant ride. It gave me a chance to try Ranger on a snaffle bit, since I don’t want to ride him in a bosal for the pack trip. He did well.

I also used the ride for a test of the new function on westerntrailrider.com that allows my followers to view a real-time map that will show our location and progress on the trip. It worked like a charm. I was exceptionally pleased when I got back to my folks’ place to find a map of our recent trip on the website. Just click on the “Trail Map” button on the menu.

Today, Dad and I finished the fence on the property in Eagar. We stretched the last of the four barbed-wire strands, did all the wire ties, then installed the wire stays. It is a good-looking fence. I missed a real opportunity to get a good picture of my Dad building fence at 81 years old. I’m grateful to him and my mom (who held posts for him) for building the fence. The parcel makes the perfect place for all our horses to become acquainted and work out their pecking order before we actually start the trip.

Our farrier also showed up today and shoed all five of the horses, but we decided to leave the mule barefoot.

This evening I made arrangements to meet with a US Border Patrol Agent (I need to get permission to disclose his name), who will be riding with us for several days as we pass through the Chiricahua Mountains. He’s part of their mounted patrol and is very familiar with the trails in that area. I have no doubt he’ll prove to be a valuable friend and guide for us while he’s with us.

On Monday Dad and I will take a drive down to southeastern Arizona to take a closer look at some of the areas through which we’ll be riding next week. While we’re in the area, we plan to visit the USFS offices in Clifton and Douglas to see what intelligence on the trails we can gather. We will also visit the Douglas USBP office to let them know our plans and get advice on routes and water sources in that area. Should be a very full day.

We’re having a tough time picking out a route between Safford, Arizona and the upper Eagle Creek area.  The maps don’t show any designated trails that connect those areas. We’re pretty sure there are trails, but if they’re not on maps, we can’t find them or know where they lead if we trip onto them. If we don’t get further information from a reliable source, we may have to change our route slightly and follow the Gila River to the San Francisco River, then follow it to the Blue River and trail north up the Blue until we get to familiar areas, where we’ve packed before.  If any reader is familiar with the area between Safford/Morenci and the upper Eagle Creek area, we’d love to hear from you – tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com.

Several unexpected expenses have blown up my trip budget, so my funding has become very tight. We are concerned about being able to handle further unexpected expenses on the trail, such as extra feed (should there be less grass than expected), fuel for our drivers, vet care for emergencies, etc. I have started a GoFundMe account to try to raise a little buffer money. If  you would like to contribute, here’ s the link: www.gofundme.com/westerntrailrider .

Tomorrow is a “Day of Rest”.

Happy Easter, and may we all remember that it’s not about the Easter Bunny.