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Show & fkfaraawti4 aiitt(i r,.ftjiiiTii1ffyitm niifJW w?1-- A THE SAN JUAN RECORD, Thursday, January 19, 1978 - Page 12 c Trail Ride Story Pictures tion Alvin Reiner by An & trail ride 80-m- ile was held in southeast recently Utahs picturesque Monument Valley. The ride, organized by Gouldings Lodge and Trading Post, attracted riders from New Jersey to California.. Gouldings manager, John Burden, said this was the first time the lodge had sponsored an event like this and that the are hoping to make it a early event. Tne lodge provided ever thing for the five-dafour-nigexpedition except for the horses and items, such as bedrolls. Trail boss, Pete Fletcher, recalled that when he first came to Monument Valley m the good ol da s horseback was the main mode of transy, ht pei-son- al portation and it was quite an undertaking just to get to Monument Valle, let alone travel travel through it. The weatherbeaten-face- d Fletcher was the physical epi- tome of a trailboss--tal- l, lean and rugged, attned m faded denims. The crows-fearound his ees were a testimonial to innumerable hours of suumting through the sun's iglare from western panoramas. As one watched him ride it appeared as if it was one being gliding across the Vaet lleys terrain. Alan movie and TV roles most assuredly wei e modelled after men like him. The riders were abruptl initiated the first day, as it was 13 miles to Al's Spring for lunch and then another eight to the evenings camp northeast of the Stagecoach. Als Spring features a huge rock covered with petroglyphs which many feel is equal to or surpasses Newspaper Rock. The main topics of conversa around that evenmg's campfire were the wonders witnessed that day and the condition of the posterior portion of ones anatomy . The following day, the party wound its way through mean- dering washes, across brush sage- and yucca flats, and plodded up and over sand dunes to Spearhead Alesa for lunch, and then on to Suzie Yazzies camp for the night. Suzie is probably one of the most photographed people in the world, as every day numerous sightseeing vans stop at her hogan to watch as she goes through procedures required to pioduce a rug. Airs. Aazzies rugs are m great demand, and when someone inquires about having one made, he finds out that she usually has a back ordei of four or more rugs. The third day found the group leaving its tracks around and Grey whiskers Alitchel while the fourth days Buttes, itinerary Valley and included Alysteiy Wethenll Alesa. the fifth day, when the party headed back to Gouldings, they had become accustomed to spending the better part of each day high m the saddle while they viewed with g, awe Monument Valleys infinite variety of By ever-changin- natural spendors. In addition to trail boss Pete Fletchei, there was another quite colorful member of the staff. This was veterinarian Dr. Alan Schaufflar of Window Rock, Arizona, who serves as a vet to the Navajo Nation. What distinguished the 53 -- year-old doctor from the rest of the group was that he jogged a good portion of the route. In 1976 Dr. Schaufflar iA ,v WS L - 4 -- y 1 V"! - f .? .7'- :. .... l 9 ( i . Si p Vi A 1 i '!'& -- "V. - v K&OiXF' "1 JLL IaL-- 1 dif L.V. -. The riders head across a section of flat, sparsely vegetated land towards a distant group of mesas and monoliths. covered the 26 miles ol the Boston marathon in about four hours, and he enters other races on a legular basis. He says he used to ie much faster, but age, plut a heart attack three years ao, have to lengthen lus combined times. Although the doctor was able to keep up with the horses, the going was tough due to the sand and uneven terrain, and thus he had to abandon his intention of covering the entire route on foot. The third staff members was the Navajo guide, Jack Cly, who provided many interesting anecdotes about Alonu-me- nt Valley and its denizens during the course of the hour-ne- y. Although a good part of the trip was cross country, Jack was able to zero m on of the locations the lunch breaks and evening camps with uncanny accuracy. Throughout the trail ride (Please imii to Page 13) 2 OFF Per Yard All Carpe in Stock (Installed) $1.50 1 per OFF on ALL CARPET ORDERS OFF on ail interior per Yard Gallon PRATT Ik LAMBERT PAINTS pH n M ii El The riders spent a night at the camp of Suzie Yazzie, one of the most photographed people in the world. Mrs. Yazzie is shown spinning wool which she will use for the rug on the loom behind her. Custom Drapes 55 North 1st West mm - Carpet Paint - Wall Covering Moab, Utah Linoleum 259-50- 07 i |