The ride is just east of Laramie Wyoming, beautiful country, here is a brief description of the Happy Jack Area:
West of Cheyenne and east of Laramie along Middle Crow Creek is an isolated area of two billion year old granite outcroppings, evergreen forest, and meadows known to early explorers as "Skull Rocks." To later settlers it became known as "Happy Jack" after early lumberman and hay contractor Jesse S. "Happy Jack" Hollingsworth (1832-1909). Hollingsworth received his nickname from his habit of singing while he worked. Happy Jack was originally from North Carolina. By age 21, he was a bull-whacker for Steele, McCord & Co. which between 1850 and 1857 was engaged in trailing cattle, mules and other livestock from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento where the animals would be sold at a high profit. After one such journey, he remained in California. He subsequently prospected in Lassen County, California, the British possessions, and Idaho. About 1865, he trailed a herd of horses from Oregon to Wyoming. In Wyoming, he became a hay and wood contractor for the Army. With the Black Hills gold rush, he returned to prospecting at Deadwood and Custer City. In 1879, he moved to Colorado at first ranching and later growing apples.
In the late 1920's, the name "Vedauwoo" began to be applied to the area, the name taken from the central character of a play written by a University of Wyoming drama professor who took the name from the Arapahoe word bi-ito'o'wu meaning "earthborn".
Rejis (the new guy) had the normal newbie jitters at the start. Lynn had to dismount and walk him until she got him settled down. We pretty much decided to just have a great trail ride at that point as we where 1 to 1/12 hours behind the main group. We were enjoying the wonderful views and loving trotting down the trail, when I noticed a shift in Smoke. Smoke is pretty competitive and he suddenly changed gears. There was a couple of hikers on the trail so I ask them when they last saw horses go by, they said about 5 minutes! That was when I started thinking that we might just be able to complete this ride. Sure enough when we got into the vet check there were still riders waiting to go out on the second loop. The horses vetted in with great heart rates and after our hour hold we had 2 hours to do 10 miles. There was a lot of rock and climbing but the last 3 or 4 miles we were able to fly. We came in, pulsed down right away and had 40 minutes to spare. Rejis passes his Vet check with rave reviews, and Smoke was his solid self. Both horses had all "A's" and great recovery rates. Wow how a day can change! Happy Jack made us very happy. Great Ride!
