But,
the Phoenix JC Comancheros do, and have been doing
it every year for almost 20 years.
The
group was asked to make the run in 1976 to commemorate
the nation’s bicentennial. The first event started
in Prescott and came to the state capitol in Phoenix
during February. After the initial ride, the event
was abandoned until 1990, when it was resurrected
and has continued every year since. In 1998 the
route was reversed, starting in Phoenix and ending
in Prescott. The time was also changed, moving from
the cold of early spring to the searing heat of
summer.
The
Comancheros are a dedicated group of civic‑minded
gents who make the ride as a fundraiser for about
72 Valley children’s charities, notes Jim Beuerlein,
trailboss for this year’s ride.
“There
were 36 original riders. We still have a couple
of the original riders.”
Each
year the Comancheros choose a disabled or physically
challenged youngster to start the
run.
“I’ve
been with the Coman‑cheros for 10 years,”
Beuerlein said. “The Comancheros adopt a child and
make him a cowboy for a year. I joined after they
chose my sons to start the ride. They both have
muscular dystrophy. I can’t tell you how impressed
I was with the club. I love what they do. It’s all
for the kids.”
This
year’s ride started at 6 a.m. June 28 at the Boulder
Hills postal station at Cave Creek Road and Rose
Garden Lane. The ride headed northwest to Carefree
Highway at 14th Street, north to Cloud Road and
west to 7th Street, then north through New River
to the Roadrunner Restaurant & Bar and beyond.
Day
one took the riders to Crown King in the Bradshaw
Mountains, and day two took them from Crown King
to Prescott for a grand entrance to the Prescott
Frontier Days Rodeo.
Each
rider’s leg of the run was from one to two and a
half miles.
“We’ve
shortened the legs,” Beuerlein said. “They don’t
have to ride in the snow and ice any more. We do
it in July now when it’s 110‑115 degrees.”
The
men do the riding, but it takes a lot of time and
help to make the event a success each
year.
“In
this day and age, it seems strange that there is
still something out there that is solely a man's
game, but this is,” said “Mo” Loper‑Littleton,
a ride volunteer. “I have been involved with this
organization taking pictures for the guys for many
years. I am on the trail for the two days, and I
cannot begin to tell you what a thrill it gives
me every year. I simply love this ride.
“My
unwavering passion for these guys and what they
attempt to do can’t be denied,” she added. “I cannot
find enough time to do all that I wish to do for
them.”
Funds
are raised through the sale of commemorative letters
that are sent all over the world.
“We
have our own postage stamp and cancellation stamp,”
Beurlein said. “Each letter sells for $5, which
was the rate per half‑ounce on the original
Pony Express in 1860. Each rider must have at least
one $200 sponsor. Some have 10 to 15; others have
just one for $500 or $1,000.”
There
were 69 riders in this year’s event covering 72
legs on the trail.
“The
oldest rider was 83, I believe,” Mo said. “And the
youngest is 10 or 11. He actually was a ‘Wish Cowpoke’
for the Comancheros. As part of being a Wish Cowpoke,
he was made an honorary lifetime member and he sure
does his part to help out. This was his second year
on the ride. As a matter of fact, he rode with one
of the original riders from 1976.”
Plans
are underway for 2008 that will celebrate 20 years
of the Comancheros’ Pony Express ride. The event
is sanctioned by the United States Postal Service,
and for this brief but historic ride all riders
are sworn mail carriers.
For
more information about the ride or the Comancheros
organization, visit www.officialponyexpress.org.
