Champion Trail Ride

Champions are ready for rain even as they glory in the beauty of early autumn. It may be, because of the lack of rain, that things just go from green to brown. Still when the light hits just right there are dazzling yellows, surprising oranges, a rare red, and purple. Who thinks about purple? But the dogwoods do and so does random sumac. A knowledgeable Champion says sumac is kin to the cashew and they may both be in the poison ivy family. We might look it up. “Anyway,” as the Prominent Champion often says, one is pretty, and one is tasty. We will not worry about the ‘family.’ It rarely does any good.

Wednesday’s Champion Trail Ride was an unqualified success. Twenty individuals mounted up, nineteen on horses and one on a mule, which is reported to be for sale, according to Trail Boss Andrew Harden. He says mules are always for sale. Recovering nicely from having been seriously thrown in February of last year, Karen Brown, was happy to finally make this ride. Her accident had been catastrophic and but for the intrepid first responders of the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department, she would likely have not fared so well. She had been looking forward this ride since arriving in these parts five years ago. She said it was a lovely trip including the sighting of a couple of bears out on the small trail on the Shannon Ranch, probably a mother and baby. Several of the riders have been making this trip for many years, going back to the early days when Bud Hutchison was leading them all into fun and excitement and Wilma was lining them up to take their picture. Don Hamby reported on the ride to friends and reminisced: “Bud grew up in the Champion community and always liked and rode horses. He told me of a mare he had when he was young that would kick straight back with both hind feet when he would flank her. This was ideal for a teenage prank during a church meeting. Bud admitted that the story was true of him backing his mare up to the church building and flanking her and she kicked the building with both hind feet during the church service. Bud was a good friend and a good man and in later years went inside of the church houses. This story and others are treasures and Bud shared many of his stories while we rode the roads near Champion in years past.” We can only imagine the stories being retold by the old timers to all the new folks joining this traditional escapade. To folks who have never been on a horse, the sight of teenagers comfortable in their saddles makes them think the future is in the hands of some well-grounded young folks.

A bunch of road warriors turned on to Fox Creek Road at Denlow on Saturday and toured all the way around down past Wolf Pen Hollow on Cold Springs Road a couple of hours later. They may have met the pavement at Cold Springs on 76, or perhaps they arrived up on C Highway somewhere south of Skyline. There were four or five side-by-side four wheeler outfits, some flying flags, and a little jeep bringing up the rear. The leader, a handsome white haired gentleman, beamed, “It’s a lovely day for it!” He had a wide smile and a hand or foot light enough on the throttle to be able to enjoy the sights without throwing up much dust for those behind, riding drag. It seemed like a perfect Saturday.

Thursday had been nice too. At the jam, some regular players were absent from the circle, but some seldom seen ones, including Jim Orchard, Mark Eldringhof, Keith Turner, and various others sat in, along with some very newcomers, well welcomed. It was unusual not to have a bass fiddle or bass guitar in a circle of a dozen bluegrassers, but they persevered with some serious foot patting. It was a farewell evening for Idaho Upshaws who vow to be back in May to Vanzant, to Denlow, and to Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

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