Today marks the 40th anniversary of the day Gizmo and I set off from the Pacific Ocean to make our way, step by step, to the other side of the North American continent. I spent the night of April 2nd, 1974 with him in a stall at the Ventura County fairgrounds. I didnt sleep a lot that night. Too excited. So I spent a good part of the time listening to Gizmos quiet breathing as he lay down next to me, asleep in the straw bedding. I could hear the waves breaking outside, and I wondered if we would ever see the Atlantic Ocean. Or ANY ocean, ever again. It was going to be a long ride, and I started calling it. The Ride. Nixon resigned that year. Vietnam was winding down and would officially end the following year. Patty Hearst was carrying around an M1 carbine, and Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman. Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run. It was the first year that answering machines were connected to home telephone lines. Smartphones were still a long way off. AT&T was broken up by the justice department, and Americans were allowed to own gold for the first time in 40 years. Looking back, two things strike me. During the ride I was often asked how I was able to take a horse from coast to coast (or, more aptly, how he was able to take me...). I responded that there was no real way to do it, legally. I was forced to break the law on countless occassions by virtue of traveling with an equine companion. There were too many fences to cut, too many places to go where horses were no longer allowed. But somehow, we were able to pull it off. The second thing that strikes me is this: it is no longer possible to make a ride like that AT ALL anymore. Technology that didnt exist then is ubiquitous now. Constant connection with the rest of the world is a given. As a long distance traveler youd have an digital umbilical. You could not disconnect yourself from the world, even if you wanted to. You could make a ride like that, but you wouldnt be alone with your thoughts, ever. You wouldnt wait several months to see a selfie you took... instant gratification nowadays. Hell, youd wait weeks for a letter. I feel lucky to have been young then, unplugged from the world. And to have had the good fortune to be a horse person. And triple blessed to have had a trail buddy like Gizmo. He was 4 years old then, and we were together until he was 22. Hes buried in the high desert of northern new mexico. I wrote a piece in my blog awhile back about it. I hope youll visit it here: johnegenes/wp/?p=253
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 17:31:28 +0000
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