Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Pullman native Laurie Christean, of Ravensdale, cools off her 4-year-old horse, Grace, upon arrival in Tekoa on June 4.
TEKOA – "My horse and I are tough enough."
That was the mantra of John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders who completed the grueling 200-plus-mile, two-week trail ride on June 4.
The wagon train and horse riders started at a farm in Easton and rode daily until they reached the Idaho border.
"My brain I half-dead," an exhausted Rachel Miller, of Peshastin, said as she reached Tekoa. "In normal years, this would've been the end."
But because riders were denied an opportunity to complete the trek and promoted the John Wayne Trail – the name has been changed to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail – they opted for an additional 12-mile, round-trip ride to the Idaho border on June 5.
Initially, 59 riders signed up for this year's event. But as "the coronavirus lost its grip," the ranks swelled to about 120 participants, John Wayne club president Tom Short of
Woodinville said.
Short has been involved with the group for more than 40 years.
"We make the ride to promote the trail," he said.
Over the last year, he noted several upgrades have occurred.
Riders and waggoneers were able to work out an agreement with area ranchers and TDH Properties to cross Cow Creek. The Rosalia Trestle is being upgraded and the Beverly Trestle, which spans the Columbia River high above the water near the town of Beverly, began receiving decking.
The areas were highlights of the route for some of the riders.
Other highlights were nights in Lind, Malden, Rosalia, and Tekoa.
Gail Farrar, of Ellensburg, said the Malden community was exceptional this year, despite still trying to recover from the Babb Fire that burned a majority of the town on Labor Day 2020.
"They were very, very nice to us," Farrar said. "They provided dinner, entertainment, and a pie auction."
Short noted the auction raised $2,300, adding that two pies sold for $360 each. Funds are being used by the Malden Eastern Star chapter with rebuilding the community.
Rider Laurie Christean, of Ravensdale, said she couldn't believe the hospitality of people who had lost so much.
"It was amazing," she said of Malden folks. "We talked to residents about the fire. It was really touching and heartbreaking."
Christean, a Pullman native, said the ride was her first trip home to Whitman County since she was a little girl.
"(The Palouse region is) gorgeous," she said.
While here, she took some time to visit Colfax and other nearby cities to get reacquainted.
Farrar noted stops in Lind, Ralston, Rosalia, and Tekoa provided food and fun for tired trail trekkers. She credited the Lind and Ralston communities for providing enough water for horses.
"The horses go through a lot of water," she said, noting that water is scarce along much of the route.
Not everybody rode a horse.
Byron Scott and his wife, Lynette Scott, of Arlington, completed the trek in a carriage with a two-horse team. And Les Myers, of Chewelah, traveled in a smaller carriage pulled by his mule, Helen.
Gaylord Perkins, of Granger, and his wife rode the trail on power-assisted bikes, which are bicycles with electric boosters to make pedaling easier. Perkins said cyclists joined the ride on and off for two weeks.
Pedaling becomes quite a challenge in areas of the trail with large rocks, he said.
Riding horseback wasn't a picnic either, Nancy Balin, of Woodinville, said.
"It's not a vacation," Balin said.
She and her horse, Sebastian, completed the ride for the first time.
Like others who rode the entire trail, she received a white "my horse and I are tough enough" scarf during a celebration on June 5.
In all, 27 people rode the entire route every day.
"It was challenging and amazing," she said. "I have a whole new appreciation for the farmers over here."
Byron Scott, however, traversed the entire route in his carriage.
"It's easier for the horses," he said. "It's been a very comfortable ride."
Every day and every portion of the trail offers new vistas and challenges, even though he's taken the route for decades with the club, he said.
"Next year, will be even better," Short said,
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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