2008 Virgin Rim
Results
Photos &
Ride Report &
Poem
Click for ride entry submission
page!
Region: Mountain,
Utah
Name: Virgin Rim
Ride I & II (50/50)
Date: September 19 & 20,
2009
We made some big
changes last year. The
first day was a loop ride in and out of the same camp. We camped
north of Navajo
Lake and rode to Webster
Flat on the Marathon and Virgin Rim
Trails. The Virgin Rim Trail overlooks Zion National
Park and all of southwest Utah. The
views are truly outstanding and the fall colors are usually at their
best. The following day
we rode from the Deer Valley camp to Mt Carmel
Junction using the eastern portion of the Virgin Rim trail and then
an old XP trail down Muddy Creek. We will make some small
changes this year that will make the second day a little
easier. As this is
always a small ride we will be able to assist those without drivers
in getting a rig moved. We will finish at the XP Barn in Mt Carmel
and riders are welcome to come early and stay late. The management,
unlike the AERC Board of Directors, is able to differentiate between
an endurance ride and an endurance race. If you are into endurance
riding you will probably enjoy this ride. If you are a real
competitor and are looking for a race you are likely to find the
lack of structure here to be an abomination. This is an old time
endurance ride, like we used to have when you could print all the
AERC rules on a single page.
Back in the good old days we used to ride more and read less.
Those were better times.
Base Camp: Is along
the south side of Deer
Valley on Cedar
Mountain. Although the area is very
scenic but there are no facilities in camp other than horse water
and some outhouses.
Horses will be tied to trailers or in small corrals. There are some services
available in Duck Creek Village, about 7 miles east of
camp. There are restaurants there and may be a few motel rooms
available at a bed and breakfast. The final camp will be at
our barn in Mt Carmel. All services are available there, including
two restaurants and two motels. CERTIFIED WEED FREE HAY IS REQUIRED
by the Forest Service. We will
obtain some for you if you call or email us. Annie may prepare an
evening meal on Saturday night if you make reservations ahead of
time. We will either have a barbeque at the barn or will meet at one
of the restaurants at the end of the ride.
Directions from
Highway 89: BE SURE TO ENTER THIS RIDE
SO THAT WE CAN SEND YOU UP TO DATE DIRECTIONS ON CAMP LOCATION - IT
IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
2009 Directions: Will be added later. Be
sure to enter this ride so that you will get the information you
need!
2008 Directions: Turn
west on Hwy 14 and go approximately 18 miles to MP 23. At mile 23.35, just past the
Iron
County line,
turn left onto the Deer
Valley Road # 055. Go about a half mile
to the camp. Don’t pull
into the meadow on your right, but anywhere on the left of the road
will be fine.
Directions from
Cedar City,
Utah: Go east on Hwy 14 for 22.6
miles and turn right on the Deer Valley Road # 055. Go
about a half mile to the camp.
Don’t pull into the meadow on your right, but anywhere on the
left of the road will be fine.
Trail: The Virgin Rim
ride centers around the Virgin Rim Trail, which is a single track
trail designed for horses, hikers and mountain bikes along the rim
of the Virgin River and its many tributaries that join together to
make Zion Canyon in Zion National Park.
Awards: Individual
daily awards are available for the first to finish and the horse in
the best condition. Daily participation awards will be given to all
riders.
2005 Ride Report
This is to
thank Karen Chaton and Anne Sands for babysitting me at the Virgin
River Gorge Rim Trail ride the weekend before last. At the
end of August
right before the midyear board meeting I had a
bout of atrial fibrillation and
ultimately had to be knocked out
and defibrillated before I went to San Antonio.
(And again
last Sunday.) Anyway, my cardiologist said right in front of
my
wife that he didn't want me riding alone off in the middle of
nowhere. I
guess the concern is about internal bleeding
from a fall from all the blood
thinner I'm now loaded up
with.
So I skipped Bryce but didn't want to miss the Virgin
Rim ride. I'd done it
nearly ten years ago, thought it was
gorgeous, and didn't know when it would
be run again. My
son Will drove most of the way which was wonderful. When I
got to camp, I asked who would be riding slow and who might ride
with me.
Karen and Anne volunteered. They were very
patient and attentive both days.
Everytime I would get off
to pee or adjust an easyboot I would hear "John, where
are you?
are you OK?" Very sweet!
We had to walk a lot through
the rocks, so at times the ride seemed endless.
Still, we
had a great time discussing everything from the latest AERC
controversy to favorite horse trailer recipes and enjoying the
incredible scenery and
perfect weather. Remington's new
shoing regimen (much shorter, squared off
toes and slacker
angles) based on before and after x-rays at Alamo Pintado
worked
great so I was happy to have him be his old self again. I
thought 23 year
old Mistral, 2,000 mile plus in a season again
Chief, and almost 9,000 mile
Remington (he needs 30 more) all
looked really strong. As much work as he has
done, I think
Chief looks even stronger and more confident than last year.
He
is still pretty young, so I think he is still maturing
physically and mentally.
The best thing is that Karen took a
trillion pictures of us all together and
posted them on the
internet. That meant I could show my wife proof positive
evidence that I really did follow doctor's orders!
John
Parke
Vestal Virgins in Paradise
Subtitle: Never Mind, We’re Still Looking for
Them
The
Virgin Rim ride is a wonder to see
Offered to all by the Duck family
It
crosses high ridges all covered with Pine
And
follows the waters and flowers so fine
But
wait just a minute!
There’s something quite silly
This
ride’s name would prick the ears of a
filly
Aren’t we in Utah where folks are so
prudish?
And
here is a river with a name so lewdish
Well, “What is a virgin?” you maybe would
ask
To
define this term is not a difficult task
It
has to do with coming of age
At a
time when our hormones are all in a rage
I
was a virgin at the age of ten
The
age when boys are on their way to be men
We
still played like children with a holler and a
hoot
But
those tomboys grew curves and
were sure looking cute
Before long we functioned, but Lord what to do
Like
stallions we nickered and nuzzled and cooed
The
girls were all thinking “Should I do it or not?”
The
guys knew they shouldn’t, but thought “Man, they’re so
hot”
In
the end, as always, it all sorted out
Much for the better if you had any
doubt
And
by the way…
Vestals were girls that priests threw in a pit
Kind
of like Dave when he’s having a fit
At
Webster Flat we’re gathered, rider and crew
A
great ride for virgins and non-virgins too
But
if virgins were all that were allowed, no joke
Dave
and Annie would be leaving here
broke
