MARCH 12 & 13, 2011!
New: 2010 Bar H Ride Results. 50 Milers and 25 Milers.
Photos from Lynne Glazer Imagery. Lynne will be shooting this ride again in 2011!
AERC calendar information for this ride can be found at this link. Please note that the ride manager of this ride is Grit Jones. We are only putting an online entry here as a courtesy. You may reach Grit at the contact information at the above AERC link for now. You can enter this ride by going to the Ride Entry page on this site.
Bar H Ranch Elevator Ride
Gavilan Hills, California
Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13, 2011
If you get a copy of this through the mail you are really lucky cause I don’t often use the mail since they raised the price of stamps. The people who do this weird stuff all the time tell me its better to put everything on the internet, so I said go ahead, its your dime. This is the second year for my ride. I really liked last year cause Chris never let me run out of Budweiser. (I usually have to drink that generic beer, but he’s a big spender. Chris talked the vet into letting me put the entries online at http://sunriseranchrides.com/rides/entry.
We talked the vet’s wife into cooking on Saturday and Sunday night. If you want meals on those two nights you need to email her at annie@xprides.com so she can buy enough food. I don’t know what she charges cause I was having too much fun drinking last year to eat, but its probably worth it. I pasted the ride information on the ride so you will know what not to expect and will have directions. This is a low class, low budget affair. Garth Brooks wrote “I got friends in low places” with me in mind.
See yall soon, Grit
Base Camp is located on the Bar H Ranch, located at 2200 foot elevation in the horse friendly area of Riverside County California. There is probably enough flat space to park large rigs as the owner is a capitalistic pig and may own the biggest fuel hog of any endurance rider. (If you hear of a larger one, please let Grit know so that he can get his friend to get a bigger one). There is probably even room to put out your corrals. There will be some horse water there but it wont be where you want it. The potable water comes from an alkali well and has a funny taste. Cellular phone service sucks but sometimes works. Leashed dogs are tolerated; loose dogs are not. Loose dogs that are causing problems will be shot with a paint ball gun and the owners will be charged a fifty-dollar fee plus whatever it costs to repair the damage. The vets, as well as the residents on the ranch have cats that run loose and dont want your dogs bothering them. There is a small market on Gavilan Hills Road near Lake Matthews Road for those who forget to bring something. There are no restaurants, hotels or motels in the vicinity. Early spring conditions could range from freezing cold rain, deep mud and blizzard like winds to brilliant clear skies and moderate temperatures. According to Al Gore it may even be a heat wave. Registration will start at 3:00 on Friday if Grit is in a good mood and still sober. You can come earlier but you will probably get put to work. The corrals are filthy since the crackdown on the illegal aliens. In fact, the whole damned state is going to get pretty tacky, unless we get teenagers to start working for minimum wage. Fat chance of that. The vet check will start at 5:00 on Friday if the vet shows up on time. There might be a farrier but he drinks as well, so if you need him you should try for an early appointment. There will be a ride meeting around 7:00 each evening but dont ask any dumb questions.
The Trail has a lot of variety including fire roads, oak studded single track, dedicated bridle paths. The route winds through the flats and rolling hills of southern California and has a few steep climbs. There are some rocky spots that will require some hoof protection. Much of the footing is all weather granite. The trail is moderately difficult because of the hills, but can be easily completed on new horses ridden with care by good horsemen.
Elevator Ride: Riders will have the option to elevate from the 25 to 50 mile distance each day of the ride.
A General Description of the ride would be a no frills, low budget, relaxed training ride that will offer riders an opportunity to camp out with friends and ride around Grit’s neighborhood without offending anyone or acting like a jerk. You may remember a ride held here a few years back called the Bar H Boogie. There were a number of Boogiers who seemed quite unhappy with a number of things on that ride, even though a caring hard working ride manager put it on. Grit hates complainers and whiners and wants to give everyone advanced notice that this is a second rate event and that he doesn’t know beans about putting on a good ride. There is a reason that this is called the Bar H Ride instead of the Bar H Boogie. There is a difference between riding and racing. Some ride managers prefer races and are knowledgeable about how to safely conduct such events. Others, like Grit, are inexperienced, forgetful and generally uncaring. The only thing you would gain from coming to a ride like this would be a chance to ride your horse in a different place and hopefully have a good time. The faster you ride, the more experience is required and the bigger chance you take on hurting or killing your horse. There will not be a dedicated treatment veterinarian on site. The vets are there for AERC judging, not for diagnosing or treating animals.
Ride Rules are generally the same as AERC rules as interpreted by Grit and his advisers. Things like youth, beauty, big trust funds and his degree of sobriety can definitely affect his ability to be a just and fair arbitrator. Its best to keep a low profile and not worry too much about rules.
Directions depend on where you are coming from. The ranch lies between Interstates 15 and 215 in the general vicinity of Perris California.
- From I-15 exit Cajalco Road. Turn EAST and go to Lake Mathews Drive and turn right.It’s the only way you can turn as the lake is on your left. About 3.2 miles after the turn you will see the blue GOLDFIELD street sign on your right, followed by a white board fence with nearly dead aspen/birch trees along side. Slow down and turn left on the really wide dirt road. There is a small plywood sign on a phone pole at the turn saying 15650 Alto Logo. Continue 0.2 miles until this dirt road ends at the orange grove. Turn right and go 0.2 miles to the second left and turn into the ranch. Go north past the stop sign and the white fencing to the camping area.
- From I-215 exit Ramona Expressway/Cajalco Road. Travel west and turn left/south on Gavilan Hills Road. Go past the Gavilan Ranch Market to the T intersection sign. Turn right on Lake Matthews Road and go exactly1.8 miles to the camp entrance on Winford Road, which is 3/10ths past the El Modeno Nursery. Follow the above directions into camp.
- From the 91 Freeway exit La Sierra and go 5 miles south to Cajalco Road. Turn left/east for 3.2 miles to Lake Matthews Road. Turn right/south and follow directions above from the Gavilan Springs landmark.