Details, Details

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The 2008 Owyhee Canyonlands Pioneer started yesterday. Alas, I spent the day in front of a crowded meeting room, trussed up in a suit and heels, earning a living while all those other riders were out there living! Ah well, Saturday will come...and next year, between Aaruba and Consolation, I'll do some multi-day rides myself.

This year, I'll ride on Saturday, then stick around to volunteer on Sunday. The ever-organized folks in Oreana have posted trail maps for each day's ride at endurance.net, giving me plenty of opportunity to examine the Day 4 map. It seems that Aaruba's and my 55-mile race will consist of a 17-mile loop, then 22, then 16. All holds will be in camp, which is a blessing because I'll be riding crewless unless some generous soul steps in. (Somebody? Anybody??)

Aaruba will have company this time, in the form of Consolation. I hope her presence will help him settle instead of pacing and banging around in his pen like he usually does, but my primary motivation for bringing Consolation is that she's on her way to becoming my next endurance mount. This will be an excellent opportunity for her to experience ridecamp without the stress of competition. I might even be bold enough to ride her around a bit.

For weather, we're looking at classic Idaho autumn: sunny days with highs in the low 80's, and nights in the mid-40's. This is good news for those of us without the luxery of living quarters in our horse trailers! I don't fancy waking up with frost on my sleeping bag like I did the second morning at Old Selam. As a bonus, we're almost down to a new moon; the stars should be spectacular.

Is it Saturday yet?