Some of you might remember my encounter with “long rider” Mark Ryan last month as I was bicycling along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in the Cascades [“Riding along with Mark, Festus and Mister Doodles”].
The Associated Press tracked him down and now his story is spreading across the country [“Man rides horse 2,000 miles across the West”]. The article says that he reached his destination but is stuck in Wyoming after a truck he bought to get home broke down.
When I ran into Mark in early October, he was nearing the end of his 2,000-mile horseback ride from Kingfisher, Oklahoma, to Ferndale, Washington, to visit a friend. He had set out on June 2, and he had ridden Mister Doodles the entire way. His mule, Festus, carried the supplies.
He was extremely happy to be on the old rail-to-trail that runs through Iron Horse State Park. Much of his horseback riding had been on road and even interstate highways, and he'd been worried about the increased traffic as he neared Seattle.
I was struck at the similarities between his journey by horseback and a bicycle tour. He carried everything he needed with him, had to deal with bad weather and traffic, but was repeatedly helped by strangers who offered support and a place to stay.
After I left him, he followed the trail to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, another rail-to-trail project that took him north toward Duvall. He reached Ferndale to meet his friend about Oct. 23, when his story appeared in the Ferndale Reporter.
Mark stayed with his friends in Ferndale for a few weeks, but had to leave before the real cold weather set in. It was too cold to ride back, so he bought an old truck with a horse trailer for Mister Doodles and Festus.
Unfortunately the truck broke down in Wyoming. His wife, Eva, told the AP:
“He doesn't have the money to buy another or fix the engine. He's waiting there for a ride. If he wants to ride back, he'll have to wait till spring.”
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