Happy trails

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 Saturday, June 5.

The wagon train and horse riders started at a farm in Easton and rode daily until their reached the Idaho border Saturday afternoon.

"My brain I half-dead," an exhausted Rachel Miller of Peshastin said as she reached Tekoa on Friday afternoon, June 4. "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 Saturday.

Initially, 59 riders had 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 wagoners 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.

Those 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 structures 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 will be used to the Malden Eastern Star chapter with rebuilding in 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.

"It's (the Palouse region) gorgeous," she said. While here, she took some time to visit Colfax and other nearby cities to get reacquainted.

Stops in Lind, Ralston

Farrar also 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, too.

"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 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 – 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 Saturday night.

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.

Better next year

"Next year, will be even better," Short said, noting some of the improvements happening now will be completed.

He added that the group is working with landowners and the state to develop trailheads along the route to allow travelers to have one-day-ride stopovers.

But not everything is worked out, yet.

According to short, there are areas of Whitman County where details are still challenging. Those areas are near the town of Ewan and at Rock Lake.

"Rock Lake is the jewel of the trail," he said.

His group and the state are working with the Stephens family to come up with an agreement to develop the trail section that crosses their property.

The family is "reluctant," he said.

"There are two 900-foot tunnels there, and a trestle that hangs from a cliff wall," he said. "If the trail were open, it would bring people."

It may even be enough to help nearby communities attract entrepreneurs wanting to open small businesses.

The trail riders are also trying to convince the Dickerson family to open a one-mile stretch across their property near Ewan.

"They (the Stephens and Dickersons) have concerns about trespassing and fires," Short said. "They are good people, and relationships take time to build."

Not looking ahead, rider Isabela Mailman of Seattle said she thoroughly enjoyed this year, regardless of a few detours.

"It's beautiful; absolutely gorgeous," she said.

Along the way, riders helped return a lost dog home and raised money for local groups, she said.

For Rita Mullins of Cle Elum, the best part of the trail was crossing a "bridge with no rails" between Rosalia and Tekoa.

She also credited area residents for their hospitality.

"It's not being in the city," she said. "People were so friendly."

But the ride is more than just a challenge and friendship. It's also an economic booster for several communities.

In Lind, three churches combined to put on a dinner/fundraiser.

In Rosalia, several riders went downtown for dinner.

And in Tekoa, Calvin Chase and Donovan Chase, co-owners of C&D's Bar and Grill, catered the final two days' evening meals.

They provided a lasagna dinner for participants Friday night and a prime rib dinner Saturday night.

Eclaire's Coffee and Co. in Tekoa opened special hours to provide breakfast.

According to Calvin Chase, the ride provides an economic shot in the arm needed by all small communities along the way.

"It brings business," he said.

"The sheer number of people that come in a short time can be the difference between surviving and closing," he said.

The trip also brings in a weekend of fun and excitement, he said.

"They just want to have a good time," he said. "Besides, this is a nice place to end the trip."

Author Bio

Roger Harnack, Publisher

Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.

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