Robert Bischoff and the Fisher's - Linda,Taylor and Samantha. Photo by Lynne Glazer.
New: 2011 Bar H Ride Results.
Bar H Ranch Elevator Ride,March 3 &4,2012
Gavilan Hills,California
Photos from Lynne Glazer Imagery. Lynne will be shooting this ride again in 2012!
Weather for the weekend calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid sixties for next weekend. We are receiving some nice showers on Monday and hope these will bring some green grass and wildflowers by weeks end but they will ensure great footing if nothing else.
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 don’t want your dogs bothering them. There is a small market on Gavilan Hills Road near Lake Mathews Road for those who forget to bring something. There are no restaurants,hotels or motels in the immediate vicinity,but there are lots of them in the surrounding towns about 15 minutes away if you drive like a redneck. Most folks around here do. 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 don’t 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. Most people are surprised that so much open land is surrounded by major SoCal freeways.
Ride Rules are generally the same as AERC rules as interpreted by Grit and his advisors. 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.
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.
GPS Recievers are a useful tool and will become a thing of the future. If you have a Garmin GPS receiver and would like to download the tracks after the ride meeting we can accommodate you. There are some things you should know about the benefits and limitations on GPS devices and we can talk about those at the end of the Friday night meeting. I have yet to find a wrist band receiver that will import tracks,but if you have one and have what it takes to connect to a USB port on my computer I will give it a try. During the summer of 2011 everyone on our 2000 mile ride learned to use GPS receivers quickly and they were able to ride across the country and never get lost. The most popular models last summer were the Oregon,Dakota and eTrek series,however I prefer the 78CS for its push buttons over touch screen and its marine application. Its really all personal preference.
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. At approximately 3.3 miles after the turn off Lake Mathews Drive you will see the Bar H sign on your left,jam on the brakes and turn left on the really wide dirt road (Windford Road (unmarked). We might have some ribbons there if we can remember. Continue 0.2 miles until this dirt road ends at the orange grove. Turn right and go 0.2 miles to the first 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 first street. Turn right on Lake Mathews Road and go exactly1.8 miles to the camp entrance on Winford Road(unmarked). There is a big Bar H sign at the turn. 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.
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. When selecting which ride to enter,be sure to click on the dot to the RIGHT of the ride name.