Happy Anniversary to Bella!

Today, Valentine’s Day, is the one year anniversary of Bella officially having a family. It was on this date one year ago that, after three long days of her following us, she wiggled and licked her way into our hearts forever. Our lives have been forever changed and blessed by her presence. So on this Valentine’s Day, Richard and I have plenty to celebrate! Love endured the Ride Across America, and Bella is part of our family! May you have a richly blessed Valentine’s Day as well!

The day before the end

Excerpt from my journal: “It was totally crazy today! Phone ringing off the hook, crisis management, people vying for our attention left and right! Trying to get prepared for tomorrow- not enough time! We didn’t leave until 1pm again and that was even with throwing the packs in the truck and only putting saddles on!”

It’s a good thing we only had 5 miles of riding planned! We are falling apart at the seams. Chance was able to walk today- well at least he was ok to walk 5 miles. Now Apache is limping mildly. Tiska is groaning and it seems her back is getting worse. Satchmo is getting tired. So Richard decided to walk the whole way and I rode Satchmo  so he wouldn’t have to carry as much weight. I was just too tired to walk that far anymore- even with all the excitement.

We and our escort crew all let out a big whooping cheer when we arrived at the Virginia Beach KOA that was to be our last host of the Ride Across America! There were oceanfront signs everywhere and lots of people stopping us to find out what we were all about. Our KOA hosts were super nice and our cabin was absolutely lovely.

Mark came through yet again with all the essentials. He had set up a temporary electric fence outside our cabin for the horses for the night complete with hay and water. He is now known by us as “Mark the amazing and resourceful!”

As soon as we got the horses settled and our gear inside or covered, we were driven all around Virginia Beach by our special helpers getting last minute things done. Once we took a wrong turn and were heading toward the beach with only blocks to see it. Richard and I covered our eyes— no seeing the water before we get there!

We met with Pastor Bubba of the Rugged Cross Cowboy Church who would be hosting our benefit dinner tomorrow night. We planned our dinner decor and schedule for the evening on the spot. Thankfully, his experience was very valuable. We also ran to print off some photos of the ride and pick up some miscellaneous needed items for the dinner and ceremony at the beach.

By 9pm we finally made it back to the cabin where we had a wonderful reunion with our friend Judy from California who has been the only person who was able to help us for the entire two years of this journey! We all had lasagna that was kindly made by our KOA hosts and had a blast hanging out for a while. Finally, it was time to get down to business. Judy, several other special helpers, and Richard and I were all committed to staying up for the duration. We prepared donation buckets, signs, the program and plan for arriving at the beach and ensuing ceremony, signed picture frames for special people, etc. We were up until 2 in the morning when we found that we were being so goofy we weren’t exactly working anymore. So we wrapped it up and got some fast forward shuteye.

My journal entry that night ended with, “OH MY GOSH TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHH! “

Crisis prevention!

We made one really good decision as we neared the finish line. The last few days were to be very short mileage rides. Sure, we could have finished 3 days sooner, but the challenges that arose right as we got close to the end demanded endless hours on the phone putting out fires.

This was an 8 mile day that didn’t get started until after noon. One of the challenges of the morning was that the Virginia Beach Mounted Police were planning on escorting us on the last day. The ‘plug was pulled’ on that by the Virginia Beach Police Department due to budget cuts and concerns for appearing frivolous. The Sargent of the Mounted Police stopped by the farm in person to apologize about the change of plans. His genuine concern and humble apology were touching and it left no hard feelings on our end. However, the Mayor of Virginia Beach was later informed of the decision,  which he overrode and requested that the Mounted Police would indeed escort us. Kudos to the Mayor and to our special supporters who wanted to see us stay safe in a special way in those last few miles!

Then we had many phone calls concerning our route to the beach, if it was safe, if it was visible, if the city approved as well as us, if it did not allow us to see the beach until we turned down the last street, etc, etc. (We were adamant about not riding alongside the beach where it was visible but heading straight toward it where we could only see it the last few blocks!) Phone calls went back and forth several times until we all agreed upon the route. Then it was getting it in writing, getting it signed, getting it faxed to the right person, getting the permits signed…. lots of paperwork!

We had several changes of plans of where we were keeping the horses the night we finished due to more red tape in the city. Lots more phone calls on that subject. Thank God for Mark and the SEAT group as well as other special helpers who did alot of this legwork for us. We would not have stayed sane those last few days without their considerable time spent helping!

I truly lost track of how many challenges arose, phone calls were made, people were contacted, and plans were changed during the last few days. We barely had time to ride! We were exhausted from it all, but our poor helpers weren’t used to this kind of non stop logistics, dealing with people, and arising challenges of riding across America. It gave me a new perspective on how much stamina God really did bless us with. You would think naively that riding your horse all day would be fun and stress free, but after seeing how tired they were from dealing with things we dealt with often, I was humbly thankful for the endurance God gave us. It truly was not done on our own strength.

When we finally got on our horses for the day, Chance got one last “freebie” trailer ride and lead the procession, followed by us and the remaining four horses and Bella, our “CAUTION HORSES” tailing vehicle, and our lovely volunteer  ’pooper scooper’ ladies from SEAT. (It was required to pick up the poo within city limits. That consisted of all of the last 3 days.)

There were a few sketchy spots on the roads that were narrow and cars were trying to pass (unsafely of course- so what else is new!), but we got over and let traffic by as often as we could find a place to do so. Overall, it wasn’t too bad- just a couple miles of that. Shortly after we crossed over into the actual Virginia Beach city limits (WOOOHOOO!) ,we were pulled over by the Virginia Beach Police, who apparently had not been informed that we were coming through. After determining that we weren’t completely loco, they allowed us to continue on our own but did not offer an escort. We even got to see an “Oceanfront” sign! All these little things you don’t think about when you are driving, but I’ll tell you what, they were exciting landmarks for us! Soooo close!

The last mile got pretty congested and we got off the roads just before the main part of rush hour. We arrived at Virginia Beach Boarding Stable to the welcome surprise of lots of helping hands for unpacking plus a pot luck dinner in our honor in the barn with the owners and boarders! We were blessed by this sweet group of people who so warmly welcomed us to their barn, their  home, and their city.

“But I don’t care!”

This was an easy 12 mile day. One of the officers who escorted us the day before showed up again with great excitement to be helping two days in a row. Chance got the luxury of riding in a trailer once again. His leg had made tremendous progress and the swelling had mostly gone down, but he wasn’t quite comfortable enough yet to ask him to walk 12 miles. So we buted him (horse equivalent of Ibuprofen) as well as Tiska, whose back was causing her a little pain. Just a little longer guys… we can do it!

We had one brief bit of excitement during the day when we had to cross a grated bridge where you could see straight down into the water. It’s been since California that we’ve crossed one of those, but Satchmo has grown up alot since then and he braved it well. But I had Bella on a leash in the back with Apache (she had to be leashed the entire last week- rules of being in a city) and understandable, she balked at the idea of crossing the bridge. I wasn’t going to ask her to do it anyway since the holes were big enough for her leg to fall in. So I jumped off Apache, picked Bella up in my arms- and was promptly stopped by Mark and the officer! They thought I was crazy and insisted I put her in the police car instead. I guess I’m just so used to taking care of my own problems that it was a little weird to get used to all this help! One obstacle down, one to go.

The biggest ‘obstacle’ of the day was a drawbridge called the “Great Bridge Bridge”. I still have no idea why they say bridge twice! We were continually warned about how dangerous it would be and how congested it was. Undaunted, we pressed on. That’s what we have an escort for! It was only just over a mile of higher traffic, but ultimately the bridge was a piece of cake to ride and the congestion was certainly no worse than what we’ve dealt with many times in the past.  But we were photographed by the Virginian Pilot as we rode across the bridge. Which brings me to my explanation of the blog title.

First, I will say that we have a love-hate relationship with the media. Anyone who has ever been in the media on a regular basis can affirm that they rarely get the whole story right. But on the flip side, it does get your story and cause out there and even if it’s bad press, they say ‘there’s no such thing as bad press.’ So to preface my next story, I do have to give a broad thank you to all the media professionals who supported us along the way- and especially to those who tried really hard to ‘get it right.’

So anyhow, a nice horse enthusiast reporter from the Virginian Pilot came out and interviewed us while we were packing in the morning. She took down many quotes and used some of them. The article was well written, a bit edgy, but overall got the point across. And it covered a huge area of the population, so we were grateful for the exposure for Hearts Up Ranch.

However, our favorite mis-quote of the whole trip came out of this article! After asking about the progress of the fundraising for Hearts Up, she asked about our personal life. She assumed we were trust-fund babies being able to not work for two years, but we informed her that we were extremely dedicated, creative, thrifty, and sacrificed a great deal for 3 years for this trip. Richard stated of our current circumstance after 2 years without pay that “we don’t have two pennies to rub together these days, but I don’t really care because we trust in God to provide for our needs until we get back on our feet.”

What was printed in the paper was “We don’t have two pennies to rub together these days, and I don’t care.” !!!!!! Leave it to the media to leave God out of the equation completely! We DO care some, but it’s all about trusting God and not worrying. We’ve certainly learned that lesson on this trip! So now whenever something isn’t perfect, we joke and quote “but I don’t care!”

Our greatest excitement for the day however, was our first Seagull sighting! Now we knew for sure that we were getting close to the ocean!

We stayed that night with a sweet gal who was in the process of selling her boarding stable. She started a campfire, got together a little cookout, and we slept that night under a wood lean-to with the metal roof flapping loudly in the windy thunderstorm that came up during the night. But we slept with a smile on our faces knowing that tonight was the very last night we would have to sleep in a tent…. for the rest of the trip and, for that matter, indefinitely!

Newsflash- we’re NOT stopping 50 miles before the beach!

I have a feeling that finding the right words to describe the emotion in these last few days is going to be difficult at best, and more likely very lacking. How can I put into words how we felt on Tuesday morning as we were preparing for our last full riding day? We just had to get through 18 miles (my current thoughts were more like ’suffer’ through- read previous blog to explain) and then the rest of our days to the ocean would be short. It was exciting, surreal, and elating. Our last long day! Is this possible? Are we really almost done?! I can hardly remember when life was anything other than grueling days of riding, camping, and planning.

What added to the excitement was starting to meet people we had essentially made friends with over the phone- people who had helped us for months. We had met Mark over the weekend, and Tuesday morning while we were packing, we finally got to meet a gal who had been very instrumental in the last months with planning, organizing, logistics, and energetic and dedicated support and encouragement. She had driven far to help us in person during the last week, and she had brought her amazing  kids, Vickie and TJ with her. A huge yellow and black “CAUTION HORSES” sign was attached to the back of her car so she could follow us through the city, and Mark led the way with Chance in the horse trailer nervously looking behind him to make sure his buddies were keeping up.

Riding through Suffolk proved very easy and uneventful. There was only a short mile of busy traffic in town and then we were out on 460 again, only this time we had plenty of shoulder. The highway took us through the Dismal Swamp and it was the primary route between the coastal areas and Suffolk. You can imagine that this close to a major population center on an artery road that it was high volume traffic with lots of trailer trucks thrown in for spice. We were quite grateful for the wide shoulder and the chaser vehicle, though it was far less intimidating than the previous few days we had ridden on 460 with zero shoulder.

But the day held other emotions besides excitement too- such as anxiety, uncertainty, and feelings of ‘don’t you dare stop me now!’ Before we reached the Chesapeake City limits, we were contacted by the police. We had been in touch with them about our ride and our plans to ride through the city. Thankfully, Mark had done much of the leg work with the police departments for us, so we had reduced stress with the challenges. Understandably, the police department was highly concerned about 5 horses and a dog walking the streets of their city. We heard all about how many accidents and deaths they’d had in the last year, and how they didn’t want to include us in the count. Being unfamiliar with horses, we could sympathize with their concerns, but they did not return the understanding that we had just ridden across the United States- through several cities- and this was ‘not our first rodeo.’ Mark had submitted a route plan that we approved that skirted the center of the city, that avoided rush hour, and that utilized small side roads. But they determined that if we wanted to ride through their city, they were requesting us to purchase a police escort, which we felt unnecessary given that we had very noticeable chase vehicles. Ultimately, the SEAT organization did us a huge favor by pulling out the laws that proved that horses were legally allowed on the roads and there were no ordinances against them. Apparently some members had the law memorized for instances of harassment for riding horses on the road! After a short investigation delay, they determined that we were correct and they would allow us to pass through the city. What’s more, they through in a FULL escort for the entirety of each day we were in their jurisdiction! We were shocked at their 180 degree switch of cooperation, but I guess that’s a classic “If ya can’t beat em- join em!” But in all fairness to them, the Chesapeake police department did a great job keeping us safe. Their presence freed up our helpers during the day to get other preparations under way, and the officers who actually did the escorting were positively wonderful. They were supportive, friendly, and excited to be a part of the last few days of our journey.

We were treated during the day by Mark with ‘drive-by’ Subway (he held it out for us as we passed!) We made really good time that day, even with my powder stops! The ladies at the barn on Old Mill Rd. where we stayed helped us unpack the horses and doctor Chance’s leg. A local farrier gal stopped by who we really enjoyed talking with, and she ended up giving us some jeans to replace a couple of our thread-bare ones. Then Lisa brought us and our helpers inside for a warm meal, a hot shower, and a good night’s sleep.

“Monkey Butt” and other ailments

My last blog left off with us arriving at our hosts’ home in Suffolk. We spent three very full and busy days at Matt and Dianna’s lovely home that was a little slice of country on the edge of a city. It was hoof trimming time, so we strained our already exhausted backs in between the phone calls, trips to Staples, computer time, printing press kits and fliers, coordinating our final hosts, planning logistics for the last day’s festivities, getting permits signed, purchasing gifts, etc, etc, etc. Sometimes we are jealous of the horses for getting to rest! But we knew we were so close- if we could just endure, eventually life would normalize and we would have time to rest and recuperate.

The ‘to do’ list was too long, but we were making good progress on it. Then we had two serious setbacks.

We went out Sunday morning to feed the horses and Chance was dead lame. Here we were, less than 50 miles from the ocean, and he couldn’t walk. Upon closer inspection, his front left leg was badly swollen from hoof to knee and he was able to put almost no weight on it. We immediately got to work using heat and cold, massage, anti-inflammatories, epsom salt soaks, and wrapping his leg- everything we could think of to get it to heal as fast as possible. Having made a commitment to be to the beach on Dec. 10th, this was a bit of a blow. But I knew, I just knew in my gut that if nothing else, Chance would be able to walk onto the beach with us.

One reason we rarely set pre-determined dates on the entire journey was because of unknowns like this. Only once did we ever use a trailer to transport an injured horse forward- and that was for just a single day in Colorado when Satchmo pulled his leg muscle and we had imminent snow in the Rockies we had to race. So we rode the rest and met up with Satchmo that evening. But we found ourselves in need of that again when Tuesday morning rolled around and Chance was in no condition to walk our planned 18 miles. Normally, we would have waited for him to get better, but we had a date!

We called upon Mark Shackleford, president of the SEAT organization (South East Association of Trailriders) and the members of the club to assist us. We finally got to meet Mark, as he had been in touch with us for several months after he learned of our ride and plans to finish in his area. His advice and assistance had been invaluable for helping us plan, but the SEAT organization really shone during our last week. The help they gave us was way above and beyond the ‘call of duty’ and their assistance was priceless in the last week. It was these members that volunteered their time, gas, and horse trailers to help us get Chance from location to location until he was able to walk.  Had it not been for them, we would not have made our Dec. 10th plans. (And there were too many people flying and driving from long distances for us to not be there!)

The other setback was mine, and admittedly, a bit embarrassing. But what the heck, I’ve shared honestly and openly our experience on this journey, so why stop now?!

Have you ever heard of “monkey butt”? If you look at a picture of a baboon with a swollen red hind end, you can imagine that the term is fitting for the problem. It seems that the extreme humidity of the coastal area wreaked havoc on my hiney. I have never experienced such intense pain and severe itch caused by this swollen red and raw condition. It literally took my breath away. I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t use the bathroom. I sure as heck couldn’t sit in a saddle. It was pure miserable torture. I was using powder, but my nurse mom, who called me when I was in a fit of pain and short of breath, suggested that due to the humidity and warmth of the body region, it might be fungal. So I got out my horse supplies and started dousing myself with an iodine solution. Yup it stung like you wouldn’t believe. But it seemed to make an improvement.

Meanwhile, we noticed a similar problem with our horses. In all these months using Renegade and EasyCare hoof boots instead of shoes, we have not once had a problem with rubbing on their heels. But recently we had noticed this problem cropping up and it seemed that another heel was found raw every day. Well my older brother, who is not exactly a ‘horsey’ person, came up with a brilliant idea. He suggested applying the same powder I was using to the heels of the horses before putting their boots on so it would absorb the extra moisture. It worked like a charm and saved us alot of grief! Between me and the horses, I think we emptied the shelves at a local grocer of butt powder! But as my bottom began healing, it actually scabbed! It was only pure stubborn determination that got me on my horse Tuesday morning at the start of our last riding week!

Here we go!!!

I know you’ve been patiently waiting- so here we go!  That blogs with the stories about the last week of the Ride Across America and the ensuing weeks are coming out starting tomorrow. Enjoy and thank you for your patience!

Let’s see now, where were we….

First, let me apologize for so-called ‘dropping off the face of the earth’ when we reached the Atlantic. We’ve received many wonderful phone calls, emails, and blog comments- which we are still catching up on! It has been quite a whirlwind since we finished, including a trip up to New England to see family, planning logistics for how we were getting us, our gear, and our 4-legged heroes home, moving back into our house, and job hunting. We’ve hardly had a moment to breath (not to mention a lack of internet access), so please forgive the quite long delay on finishing the story!  I will be sure to tell you all about the final days and the trip home in the next few blogs.

And for the record, we do plan to continue periodic blogging (we are thinking once or twice a week at the moment) to keep you up to date on the progress of Hearts Up Ranch. We have developed such wonderful friends and extended family along this journey that we can not help but desire to keep you informed and in touch.

In the meantime, please know that we are finally back at home, getting settled in, and very much enjoying our Tempurpedic bed! All 5 horses and Bella are healthy and doing very well adjusting to their new lifestyle.

Again, words do not express our gratitude for the outpouring of love, support, concern, and excitement that so many of you shared with us in the last couple months. (It really has been that long already!) We love you, we appreciate you, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Oh- and there are potential plans for a book- or perhaps several books- coming in the future, so tuck that in the back of your minds and we’ll keep you posted on that as well.

WE DID IT!!!!!

We are so ecstatic! There are no words….. we are overwhelmed with joy!

We have so many wonderful stories, thoughts, and photos to share with you. Please forgive the delay while we visit family and friends who came from all over the country to watch us finish. When ‘the dust settles’ a bit more, we will be sure to share blogs about the grand finale of the Ride Across America. In the meantime, check out Facebook where many people have already posted pictures and the Virginia $ tally!!!!!

Finish Line and Benefit Dinner Details!!!

After a grueling 21 months and 4,000 miles, a dream is finally coming true!

Richard and Jeannette McGrath and their four-legged companions are arriving at the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach after traveling by horseback across America all the way from California’s Pacific Coast. Their purpose is to raise awareness and funds for Hearts Up Ranch, a charity that combines the benefits of horses and outdoor adventure with prayer ministry to facilitate emotional healing from traumatic incidents.

Please join us when they cross the finish line at the Atlantic and for a benefit dinner for Hearts Up Ranch as we celebrate with the McGraths the successful completion of this journey.

The Finish Line

On Saturday, December 10, 2011 the coast-to-coast riders will splash 4 feet, 20 hooves and 4 paws in the Atlantic Ocean! You are invited to celebrate with them as they cross the ’finish line’ at 1:00pm at the 17th St. Park in Virginia Beach. Parking is available at this location.

Benefit Dinner and Celebration:

Afterwards there will be a gathering of friends, family, hosts and well-wishers from across the country bringing donations and a potluck dish to share. There will be music provided by Andre Lopez and cowboy fare and ice cream provided by the church and members of the community.

5:00 pm
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Rugged Cross Calvary Baptist Cowboy Church
4832 Haygood Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
(757) 499-1572
www.calvarybaptistchurchva.org

Bring a donation and a dish to share!

If your last name begins with:
A-K bring a side dish or veggies
L-T bring a main dish for 6+ people
U-Z bring drinks or a dessert

Richard and Jeannette are filled with excitement and joy as they approach the end of their journey and can’t wait to share this special day with you. Hope to see you there!