06/16/2011

Posted on by
Dennis Dubois (63): Minneapolis, MN
 
Folks, I was pleasantly surprised last night when I got a Face Book invite from Dennis Dubois. When I last talked to Dennis he did not have a computer or email. Now he has both and Face Book too. How well we all remember Dennis being the Basket ball star that he was of our days. He was two years ahead of me, but I remember him so well.
 
 
2007
Dennis Dubois (63) & Lee (Leland) Stickland (64)
 
2007
Dennis Dubois (63) and Phyllis McKay (65)
 
 
 

To: Brenda & Cindy Hoffman

From Kay Hosmer (‘77): Crown Point, Ind

 

How I remember seeing this beautiful wedding photo in your home up at the San!! Happy anniversary to 2 lovely people.
 
Alice and Harvey Hoffman
 
 
 
 
 
Round Barn
Reply from Neola Kofoid Garbe: Minot & Bottineau, ND
 

To Angela Berube Malget,

 

You are so welcome for sharing the clipping of “the round barn”. You would be surprised how excited I get when I think I have found something I think Gary might want to share with his readers. :) I, along with everyone else, look forward to his daily newsletter. :)

 

Neola

Neola, Your dedication of contributions for this daily blog are so very much appreciated. You have contributed so much history and pictures from the past that are of interest to so many of us. They bring back so many good memories. With the changes of modern times, much of what we discuss are only memories for this day and age. Your contributions have brought back so many of those good memories that we as a group can share together. When I hit the send button and this stuff is distributed to Dunseith folks and others all around the nation and world, it gives more meaning, in my mind, that this stuff is being shared together at the same time by all. Your contributions of modern news worthy items are greatly appreciated too.
 
Neola, you are a saint and we so very much appreciate all that you do. Gary
 
 
 
Round Barn Dances
Reply/Story from Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND
 
Gary and Friends,

It’s good to hear so many stories about the Cote-Berube-Myer round
barn and the dances held there. I had no idea the dances were ongoing
until 1982. I attended a few in the late ’60s and they were memorable
times to say the least. At the top of the stairs and on the left there
was a small kitchen area. Bertha Myer was the one who was always there
selling lunch with other gals. The place was usually packed with
dancers and folks who came to watch. One of the last times I was
there, there was an incident I will always remember. I was standing
near the lunch counter (Imagine that) and four young local rough guys
came up the stairs together. They had the intention of starting a scrap
with the first available person they came to—it was very evident to
me. They just happened to walk up behind a young fellow from Bottineau
who was standing there talking with Tom Berube. They sent one guy up to
start the fight and then they planned to jump in and clean house. The
lone hooligan put his hand on Sam Wood’s shoulder and spun him around.
That’s the last thing he remembered doing for quite a while! With all
the guys at the dance to choose from, he picked a fight with a Golden
Gloves boxer! I was told that Sam was a Golden Gloves boxer later,
although I don’t know that for a fact. Anyway, Sam knew, in half a
second, what was about to happen and he gave the guy about three good
pokes to the nose before he could even blink. He went down face first
on the floor and his tough buddies just slid him off the dance floor and
carried him down the stairs and out the door and the dance went on. I
will never forget thinking, what were the chances for them to pick a
fight with probably the only actual boxer in the place filled with
people. Sometimes things just work out for the good guys! Thanks Gary!

Dick

 
 
 
Replies to the Round Barn Square dance picture
 

 

From Jean Nicholas Miller (66): GLENDALE, AZ

 

Gary,
Re: the square dancers, the woman facing forward on the left is Florence Conroy and to her left Ed Conroy? I will never forget Mrs. Conroy, she was my fourth grade teacher and was a very good teacher. I remember going to a couple dances at the round barn in the late 60’s with Lea Rae Parrill.
Jean

 

 

 

From Lloyd Awalt (44): lata@utma.com Bottineau, ND

 

Hi Gary The dance group I know 2 of them you probably know them too Willie & Maxine Hiatt middle of picture.Lloyd

Lloyd, Willie and Maxine Hiatt instantly came to mind for me too when I saw this picture. I have cropped out who I think they are below the picture. From what Jean thinks with her comment above, who I think may be Maxine, she thinks may be Mrs. Conroy. If memory serves me right, I think Willie and Maxine Hiatt belonged to a square dance club? The group listed in the picture is the “The Turtle Mountain Twirlers”. Were they a Bottineau group/Dunseith group or combination of? Gary
 
 
 
 
My guess and I think Lloyd Awalt’s too?
Maxine & Willie Hiatt
 
 
 
 

The Equine Nomad girl

Trish Larson Wild (73): FORT COLLINS, CO
Trish, I totally missed your pictures with the first posting of this message, so I am reposting to include the pictures. My apologies for this oversight. Gary
Hi Gary,

I’m writing with an update and photos from the Pacific Crest Trail, for those readers of your blog that may be interested but don’t have access to Facebook or my blog.

I started out on the PCT at the Border of Mexico on Friday, the 13th of May. My riding partner and I had taken a good deal of time to shop for a good saddle horse for him and had finally selected a beautiful tall white Arabian – 16.1 hands tall. He named him Clover.

We had some wonderful adventures on the trail. The beauty of the PCT between Campo and Anza was spectacular. The trail runs high above the Anza Borrego Desert Park. The views pan away to vista after vista of that desert and the Salton Sea, Palm Springs, and other small oasis towns far below. We camped along the trail, finding rivers and other water sources for the horses, and usually pretty good grazing. We also carried alfalfa pellets and a senior feed.
 
We went slowly for the most part, as the Arab was getting used to life on the trail and we wanted to break him in slowly. My horses carried most of the weight in packs – including feed for themselves. Up to 220 pounds each when fully loaded. That weight would decrease as they ate their way through the feed – 24 pounds a day.
 
Water was an issue, but we managed to find enough. One of our stops for water was only a cache placed by “trail angels”. Jugs of water in cases by the trail. It was funny to see the horses guzzle from a jug, but they drank well and each downed four gallons before they were through.
 
Only about 10 days into the trip, one of the new steel shoes on the Arab’s front feet came off. I carry everything I need to trim and shoe, so was able to replace those shoes right away, but I was concerned to see that his hooves did not look great. The hoof wall was weak and separated from the sole in places, and chunks had broken off – especially the right front.
 
I was glad to get him shod, but didn’t shoe the hind feet as the steel shoes were still intact and the day was hot, the trail narrow, and it was time to move on.
 
I would come to regret that decision.
 
We kept on moving over rocky, steep terrain, enjoying the views and all the horses seeming fine. After about 140 miles, one of the back shoes came off, and before we noticed, most of his left hind hoof wall crumbled, down to the tender sole. I had nothing to nail to in trying to replace the shoe, and we were miles from the next town of Anza. Besides that, the horse would not tolerate my efforts to hold his foot and kept trying to kick – not me – but just would kick kick kick. I was worried he might injure me by mistake and I couldn’t get any hoof wall to nail to anyway.
 
My friend Chance took a backpack and ran down the trail into the small mountain town of Anza, while I stayed camped with the four horses. We thought it might be an overnight run/hitchhike to Temecula (50 miles away), but when he got into Anza (about 6 miles each way), he managed to find a couple of mounted Sheriffs heading to a parade. They gave him two easy boots (a rubber shoe/boot that fastens onto the foot with velcro) and Chance ran all the way back. When he got back, he had run for four hours.
 
We were able to get the horse safely back to Anza with the boots on, and found a place for him to recover with some friends. We started looking for a new horse, but after 3 days, realized that it was impossible to find a horse in condition to take on the rigors of the PCT without proper conditioning. At least not in our price range.
 
So my partner gave up on the ride, and suddenly departed. I bought the Arab from him, and I haven’t seen him since. I caught a ride back to Altadena to get my truck and trailer, and drove to Anza (3.5 hour drive) to pick up the horse. I took him to the farrier to have Eponashoes nailed on his rear feet. The shoes are fantastic – they are a thick polycarbonate shoe with a gel pad under the frog. He was comfortable right away, and the swelling that had developed in his leg started to reside right away.
 
Once we had him taken care of, I returned to Altadena with all four horses. Since my “partner” took off with critical safety gear like a water filter, maps, GPS, etc, I am now having to resupply to continue without him. It’s my own fault for taking a novice on a ride like this. I thought we’d be ok if we took it slow at first, but I was wrong. This trail is trecherous in parts, and requires an experienced rider AND horse. From now on, I’ll be riding solo.
 
So we are back in Altadena, and my good friends that live here (good North Dakota people!) have asked me to house sit while they take a trip to Arizona for a couple of weeks. They raise canaries and the baby birds are still hatching, so there is a fair amount of care involved. They also have a dog and cat I’ll be feeding.
 
The time here will give me the opportunity to get my 2002 Chevy truck a tune up, replace the windshield (I took a rock on the highway a month ago), repack, and gear up to head north. Also, it gives me a chance to get the Arab in better condition. He’s doing really well in his new shoes and easily did a three hour ride in the desert a couple of days ago.
 
I ride all four horses every day and there is a spectacular canyon with trails and a challenging ride to a waterfall right from the stable where I board, so it’s a good place to keep the horses in good condition.
 
From here, I plan to skip the Mojave desert leg of the PCT north of here and head to Lone Pine, an “Old West” town where a lot of Hollywood movies have been filmed. I hope to continue on the PCT as a solo rider. There are parts of the trail that are not passable by horses, and I plan to trailer around them. Not many people have completed the entire PCT on horseback, and several horses have been killed in the effort. My main goal, as always, is to keep my horses and myself healthy and injury free. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, and the chance to live 24/7 with the herd.
 
This kind of life is not for everyone, but I am loving it 100%. I met a person who rode the entire length of the PCT (2700 miles) a few years ago, when he was 72 years old. His method was to put his horses at the place where he was starting, in the care of someone who could be trusted. He would then drive his truck north and cache supplies for himself and his horse, leaving his truck and trailer at a place that he would then ride to over the next few days. He traveled light, and did not take a pack horse. He tells me there are portions of the trail too dangerous for a pack animal. I’ll be taking his advice and will avoid those spots.
 
I plan to use his method of shuttling the vehicle and caching supplies, but because I have pack horses, I will carry more food and camping gear, and will be able to stay on the trail for longer stretches. I won’t be able to ride as far or fast per day as he did perhaps, but I’m not in a hurry. For me, it’s all about just being in the wilderness with my horses. The pleasure of riding and packing is hard to describe, but it’s a healthy way of life, and only a horse crazy person can understand the desire to travel this way. There are many other rides I want to take besides the PCT – including trails in Kings Canyon, Inyo, and Yosemite.
 
It’s the fulfilling a lifelong dream for me, only it’s better than I dreamed it would be in so many ways. The biggest thing for me is that my horses love the lifestyle so much. They seem to really enjoy being on the trail and having a job to do. We grow closer and stronger every day, and more cohesive as a herd. My mare is definitely in charge, and the 3 geldings are so in love with her, that they can be trusted to stay close behind her on the trail or in camp. It makes it easy to keep it all together.
 
Anyhow, I thought there might be someone out there interested in my crazy nomad lifestyle stories. I’m always happy to hear from anyone “back home”. I never get lonely, because I have my best friends with me, but sometimes it’s nice to know that people are rooting for you somewhere…
 
Thanks for the networking you do to make this all possible, Gary. The people from North Dakota are the best!
 
Trish Larson (73) Wild
The Equine Nomad
970-219-9154
trish.wild@yahoo.com
trishwild.blogspot.com