Pony Express Re-ride continues into Nevada

With storm clouds not far behind, Pony Express re-riders not only made up two hours crossing the Sierra but arrived in Woodfords about 20 minutes early.

California rider Denise Luckart rode Chip into Woodfords at about 12:40 p.m. after a run down Woodfords Canyon.

“He did a good job,” she said of her steed.

National Pony Express Association President Pam Dixon-Simmons said there was some trouble with the tracker on Wednesday night and the rider came in late to Folsom.

East Valley resident Kirk Muller, riding Bud, took charge of the mochila for only the second year in a row and rode out of Woodfords on the way to Genoa. Wife Irene served as groom and support for the ride.

The ride up Foothill Road along the base of the Sierra was accompanied by thunder and lightning, but made solid progress, arriving in Genoa around 3:30 p.m.

Riders transferred the mochila 6 p.m. in Carson City before heading east into the desert.

Flooding around Fort Churchill prompted the re-ride to divert north up Highway 50 through Fallon before continuing east to regain the trail.

As of 9:45 a.m., Friday, the rider was approaching Middlegate on the way to Cold Springs and was on time.

The riders will take today and Saturday to cross the rest of Nevada and are scheduled to turn over the mochila to Utah around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The ride will continue across the country to its destination in St. Jo, Mo., on June 17.

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The Pony Express re-rider arrived in Woodfords about 20 minutes early after the Californians made up a two-hour delay crossing the Sierra.

Rider Denise Luckart rode Chip into Woodfords after a run down the canyon at about 12:40 p.m.

Getting the mochila transferred didn’t take very long, but there might have been some work on the GPS device used to track the horse.

National Pony Express Association President Pam Dixon-Simmons said there was some trouble with the tracker on Wednesday night and the rider came in late to Folsom.

However, the riders managed to make good time, getting to Picketts Junction by noon, about an hour before rain started falling in Hope Valley.

Nevada re-rider East Valley resident Kirk Muller took charge of the Mochila and rode out of Woodfords on the way to Genoa.

As of 1:30 p.m., the re-rider was on Foothill Road just south of the Nevada state line. The re-rider takes about two hours to get from Woodfords to Genoa.

Riders are expected to transfer the mochila 6 p.m. in Carson City behind the old St. Charles Hotel at Curry and Second Street.

The ride will continue 24 hours across Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas to its destination in St. Jo, Mo., in Missouri, with an estimated arrival of 7:30 p.m. June 17.