| Location: | Moab |
| Mileage: | 5,200 |
Would you believe that the Americans let a crowd of about fifty kids age 2 to 12 into a huge arena with three lively calves with red ribbons on their tails and told the kids they would win something if they pulled the ribbon off the calves?! The kids ran; the calves ran harder, bucked their back legs, kids fell over and finally three ribbons were retrieved. Then we had displays of kids under the age of 12, racing on horses around barrels and the lads being strapped to small bulls and practising their rodeo skills. How refreshing, considering many horse schools in the UK are closing because of so many claims and not being able to get insurance. The Cody Rodeo had other displays of bravery and sheer madness. Cody is true cowboy town and everyone got into the mood of “howdies” and soaked up this last frontier atmosphere.
From Cody it’s a 400 mile riding day to our next destination. The team are coping with these longer days with remarkable ease. Most are eager to set off early and relish the ride through the amazing back roads and small town America. The final run into Moab blows everyone away. The transformation of landscape to the deep burnt red cliffs, the lovely twisty road alongside the Colorado River and the weird shapes of the rock formations (“looking like Gerald’s fingers or knobs” says Karen), are breathtaking. (To explain, Gerald has big hands and big fingers and when someone winds him up, his centre finger curls uprights to the word “tossers” in a deep Devon accent – we all double up laughing; it’s all good banter).
