Couple riding across country

A couple riding their horses from coast to coast bedded down in Douglas County for a couple of days this week.

Jeannette and Richard McGrath saddled up and said goodbye to the Mack Ranch on Tuesday.

Going has been slow for the couple, who are raising money to open the Hearts Up Ranch, which is a haven for helping people who've suffered emotional trauma through faith.

They set off from Point Reyes, Calif., on March 4, and took until May 18 to cross the state line at Highway 88. They rested their horses at the Mack Ranch while Jeannette attended her brother's wedding in Connecticut.

"It's taken us two months to get this far," Jeannette said on Monday. "We've been going eight miles a day, and have been able to go a couple of days in a row, but there have been a lot of logistical issues."

The couple are following the American Discovery Trail, but the snowpack in the Sierra forced them to cross at Carson Pass instead of following the trail north of Lake Tahoe.

"We're pretty excited to get the Sierra behind us," she said. "We had to go around because every trail on the other side was completely snowed in."

They were hoping to make 20 miles a day, with a few days off every so often. At that rate they would get across the country in a year.

"Things are smoothing out," she said. "We expected challenges from riding day in and day out, so we've got a slower timetable than expected."

Jeannette said raising money has been a little difficult, though the couple has appeared on a couple of television stations.

"We've made a lot of really good contacts," she said. "I can't say there has been a tremendous number of donations so far, but we've been on television a couple of times, which helped. We have quite a bit of money to raise."

To follow the couple as they cross the country, visit www.heartsupranch.com.

The Pony Express is expected to ride through the Valley just before the polls close on Election Day. Typically the ride goes 24/7 across the country, but in observance of the 150th anniversary, they are only riding during the day so people along the way can host special events.

According to the schedule, the rider will arrive in Woodfords at 4 p.m. and arrive in Genoa at 6:30 p.m. June 8, where they'll spend the night, and leave early on June 9 for Carson City. For more information, visit www.xphomestation.com.

Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.