The Bicentenial Wagon Train - Part Next

In 1976 I rode on horseback across New Mexico - south to north.

 In honor of the nation's 200th birthday, several  "reverse-commute" wagon trains traveled east to Philadelphia.  Each State hosted the train as it passed through their jurisdiction.  My father was the route coordinator (or Trail Master) and spent over a year doing the advance work - locating each night's encampment and determining which roads would be used for the month-long trip through the State. 

Did I mention it was February?

I was a an unruly 18 year-old truant interested only in horses with a side-helping of boys and rock and roll.   My parents negotiated  my early release  graduation from high school so that I could ride along on my Arabian mare Shama.  She was calm, small and gentle.  

Dad rode the certifiably crazy Arabian gelding we called Saudi. He thought the ride would calm the extremely high strung horse down.  It didn't.  He piaffed across the entire State and, one day, freaked out at something and ran straight up a highway embankment.  I half expected the horse to sprout wings, but he fell.  They both tumbled down backwards and the horse rolled over my father twice.  At the bottom they both stood up.  He was still holding the reins and remounted as if nothing had happened.  Stunned silence and horror gave way to hoots and applause.  They were both sore that night but didn't miss a day.

They made an impression - a gray cowboy, in a gray cowboy hat on a dancing white horse at the head of a large wagon train on the side of the freeway.  It was like riding at the front of the parade in a crazy vintage phaeton.