Wild Pink Yonder -- the wagon train

Jane Hurl · Wild Pink Yonder -- the wagon train

Thanks for the request, Felix. (It's another emotional issue, Britz, but I think you'll approve of this one! *grin*)

As Felix knows, I am organizing a PINK wagon train that will travel around Alberta in a quest to raise a significant amount of money for breast cancer research, education and victim programs. I am a survivor. (Gawd, I hate that term! It sounds like I managed to escape Auschwitz!) The medical profession and the breast cancer specialists did an excellent job and saved my life. For that, I decided to give them one year of my life ... and believe me, this event is going to take every minute of that year!

We are leaving a place in southern Alberta called Lethbridge on June 20th (after a blow-out fundraising party the night before). We will travel back roads to The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth (aka The Calgary Stampede) in time to be in the Stampede Parade. From there we head north again, not stopping 'til we get to Edmonton, the capital of the Province of Alberta.

Who's coming? Anybody who either rides or drives. I hope to get at least 20 wagons though, as this is a re-enactment of the year 1874 (the year the North West Mounted Police came to Alberta ... to Lethbridge to run off the whiskey traders) and most people moved from place to place in wagons. We are limiting it to 100 riders/drivers at any one time ... but we are going 600-ish miles over a period of 5.5 weeks, so there will be lots of opportunities for riders. (I can't imagine anyone in their right mind coming with us for the entire trip!)

So I expect riders to drop in for a couple of days or a week.

While they are with us we will feed them three meals a day, provide a tent and air mattress, feed and water for their horses ... and entertainment every night. (Plus a small scale saloon called "Little Saloon on the Prairie". It will be a PINK stock trailer with pink LED lights and lawn chairs for its patrons. *grin*)

So every day we'll ride/drive anywhere from 9 miles on a short day to 30 miles on a long one, moving from small town to small town.

MEANWHILE, each little town will vie for the title "Pinkest Little Town in the West". How do they win? By raising the largest amount of money (on a per capita basis) to be presented to us when we hit town ... and by showing their "pink spirit". Pink spirit can be anything from planting nothing but pink petunias on main street for the summer of '09 to everybody in town wearing a pink cowboy hat ... or ... or ... or. (One town is going to serve pink pancakes that day to everybody in town! Another is having a baseball tournament: pink ball caps against pink T-shirts! One town was talking about having everybody paint their car tires pink, but I really have to wonder about that one! *grin*) The winning town gets a FREE concert with a country singing star (ideally Terry Clarke, or some other country star from Alberta). The winning town can do ANYTHING it wants with the concert. They can throw open the doors and have a free concert for everybody in town ... or charge $20/head and use the money to build a new playground. Whatever.

Riders/drivers will have to get pledges from their friends/families/employers to the tune of $200/day to participate. At first blush, you might think, "Jeezuz! $200 a day to ride my own horse?" But wait! That $200 gets you EVERYTHING you need (other than your tack and your clothing), plus you are entertained every evening right there in camp. It is going to be one huge party that starts June 19th, 2009 and doesn't end 'til the dust settles 600 miles later on July 24th! (How much will you pay to attend a party this New Year's Eve? I rest my case. *grin*)

So ... you coming?

caliber

WOW! Jane! I take my hat off.

Question? Do you have a logo yet made with contact information ? Pasos involve in this main event! Count with PasoVoice and my support, you know the crap also as bitten twice someone very close to me.

Jane Hurl

Yes, Felix, we have a logo (though it hasn't been to a "real" artist for final rendition).
We have our name ("Wild Pink Yonder") registered for a website, but we're so busy with other things that the site is not up and running yet.

We are now a registered not-for-profit charitable society.

Yes, Pasos will be involved, though not in any organized manner. My own two Pasos are coming, 'cuz if I'm riding, I'm riding a Cadillac. *grin* Also, an Internet friend of mine from New Jersey has offered to bring her husband and the two of them will ride with me and work the WHOLE event. All 6 weeks of it! (I can hardly believe someone is daring enough, or maybe crazy enough *grin*, to want to do this with me!) At home, they both have Pasos. They're not bringing theirs, but will ride mine.

I am sorry that someone close to you has been struck with breast cancer, Felix. Unfortunately, it is not a rare happening. I don't know if it is becoming more prevalent, or just that we're better at diagnosing it, but it seems to be EVERYWHERE. I even have a Wild Pink Yonder silent partner (a man) who is being tested for it right now.

I will be taking 6 of my horses along. Two are my much adored Pasos. Two are my new driving team of Norwegian Fjord geldings. (They are awesome! So calm. So responsive. I'm ALMOST not terrified to drive them. *grin*) Plus I will be taking along a Walkaloosa and a Polish Arab that will be the "spares" in case I have more Americans who want to join us for a few days and can't bring their own mounts. I wish they could be Pasos too, but I don't have any more!

I will be delighted to have your support, Felix. Thank you.

So ... being as it looks like I won't be making it down your way this winter after all (durn! durn! durn!) ... how about coming up and riding one of my Pasos for a few dozen miles next summer? We'll ride. We'll camp near the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We'll sit around the fire and be entertained every evening.

britzlove

Keep us posted, I'll never have time to visit two countries next year, but maybe I could send a donation.

Jane Hurl

We will be having a "soft launch" in January ...
IF I get my sponsors in place ...
IF I get our website up and running ...
IF I can figure out how to put a realistic looking old time cover on my spiffy new wagon ...
IF I can drive my new team of Fjords well enough ...
IF I can contact all the riding and driving groups in the three western provinces.
IF ...
IF ...
IF ...

*sigh*

Nope, Jane! It is not "IF". It is "WHEN".

I'll keep you posted. *grin*