“Ride Across America”
The Purpose Of Our Coast-2-Coast Ride Is To…
- Raise awareness and financial support for the Grand Opening and daily operations of Hearts Up Ranch.
- Accomplish a God given childhood dream of crossing the country by horseback.
- Inspire others to follow their hearts and accomplish dreams despite personal circumstance or negative influences.
- Discover and bring to light the true spirit and kindness in the hearts of American people.
Inspiration…
The inspiration for our coast-to-coast ride started as Jeannette’s childhood dream. The vision stuck with her into adulthood, where she realized it was God-inspired and meant for a purpose. Jeannette knew she would always regret it if she did not pursue this dream.
Richard offered to accompany Jeannette on this trip when she met him in college- before they realized they were destined to be married. Richard has kept true to his word and adopted the dream as his own.
In creating the plans for Hearts Up Ranch, it became obvious that this dream was the perfect opportunity to provide funding to turn the vision of Hearts Up Ranch into a reality.
Sea To Shining Sea…
We are riding our horses, packing our gear on packhorses, and camping across the country from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean during 2010. Our pack trip follows the American Discovery Trail, which starts at Point Reyes National Seashore in California and ends at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. The route will take us through key historical points including parts of the Pony Express Trail, Dodge City, ghost towns, and National Parks.
We started on March 4th, 2010 and expect the trail to take roughly one year to finish. Our goal is to ride an average of 20 miles per day with regularly scheduled rest stops of 2-3 days each. At this speed, it will take us approximately one year to ride the 5,057 miles of the trail. During this ride, we will be using many venues to raise funds to open Hearts Up Ranch.
We excitedly anticipate meeting many interesting people, especially those whose homes border the trail. As we we ride across the country, we hope to inspire people into accomplishing their own dreams, as well as prove that America is still full of kind and generous people.
Our Horses
Apache is a 13-year-old Appaloosa who has been in our family for four years. He was not trained to ride when we bought him. However, he is now a fantastic trail horse who willingly tackles any obstacle or terrain. He is Jeannette’s buddy and the leader of the herd. Apache has a gentle, friendly and confident demeanor with a small streak of feistiness. He is so trusting that we can use him as a couch while he is laying down, a very unusual trait in a horse.
Satchmo is a curious 5-year-old Half Draft who is the baby and the powerhouse of the group. His lack of maturity often gets him into mischief. He is brave in most situations but shy around people. His history before we got him is unclear. He has been Richard’s “little boy” for two years and the two of them have grown tremendously together. Satchmo has taught Richard to be more gentle and Richard has encouraged Satchmo to be more brave.
Tiska is an Icelandic mare and is the most affectionate of the group. Even though she is the smallest, she is not the weakest, as Icelandics can carry one third of their body weight. She is gated and walks very fast. Tiska is 14 years old, energetic, feisty at times, but very lovable. She also has an unusual trait as she can often be seen grooming Richard like a horse as he pets her neck. Tiska is our packhorse as well as Jeannette’s alternate riding horse.
Fiddle is the steadiest of the group. In her 16 years of being a pack mule for a guest ranch, she has seen many situations and a variety of country. The thousands of miles she has walked and her steady demeanor makes her a valuable addition to our herd. As a Belgian Mule she has an extended working life span, which is longer than a horse. Fiddle has come to appreciate affection, is willing, and can be counted on in scary situations. She is primarily a pack mule, but is also Richard’s alternate mount.
The Trail Quick Facts…
Trail Name: American Discovery Trail << “click the link to see the trail“
Start Point: Point Reyes National Seashore, California
End Point:Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware
States We Will Go Through: CA, NV, UT, CO, KS, MO, IL, IN, OH, WV, MD, DE
Mileage: 5,057 Miles Plus Detours To Post Offices & Grocery Stores
Speed: 20 Miles Per Day Average With Regular Rest Periods of 2-3 Days
Biggest Deadline: Crossing The Continental Divide In Colorado By August
Scheduled Stops: To Be Determined
Media Exposure: Internet, Newspapers, Magazines, Television, Radio, Talk Shows, and Word Of Mouth
Tracking Us: We Keep A Daily Journal That We Use To Update Our Website Blog Periodically At Libraries Along The Trail, As Well As Live Tracking Via “SPOT” On Google Maps
Financial Goal: 2 million in one year
Cities And Towns We Will Likely
Go Through Or Near
| * California San Francisco Oakland Walnut Creek Antioch Sacramento Auburn Forest Hill Truckee Tahoe* Nevada Carson City Virginia City Eastgate Ione Moses Station Duck Water Preston Baker* Utah Garrison Milford Beaver Circleville Torrey Hite Moab Cisco |
* Colorado Loma Grand Junction Redstone Crested Butte Buena Vista Leadville Georgetown Evergreen Denver Palmer Lake Colorado Springs Cripple Creek Canon City Pueblo La Junta Holly* Kansas Coolidge Syracuse Kendall Garden City Cimarron Dodge City Kinsley Larned Great Bend Lyons McPherson Council Grove Burlingame Overbrook Lawrence Eudora Overland Park |
* Missouri Kansas City Independence Lexington Marshal Boonville Columbia Jefferson City Hermann Defiance St. Charles St. Louis* Illinois Prairie Du Rocher Chester Old Shawnee Town New Haven* Indiana Mt. Vernon Evansville Boonville St. Meinrad Corydon New Albany Madison Friendship Lawrenceburg * Ohio * Kentucky |
* Ohio West Union Sinking Springs Chillicothe Logan Chester Hill Belpre* West Virginia Parkersburg Ellenboro Clarksburg Grafton Scherr Greenspring* Maryland Oldtown Harpers Ferry Brunswick * Washington D.C. * Maryland Bowie * Delaware |
