These old-timers now and then got a few laughs from the weekend cowboy crowd. We could afford to laugh back as the most we paid for any saddle was $35. And, we had something designed for long hours of riding through rough country. Besides, I enjoy riding history.

We saved the most money by making our own pack gear. For less than $30 each, we better than duplicated pack saddle and pannier outfits (pack bags or boxes that hang on the sawbuck) that retailed for not less than $170. This did take many hours of hard work and a lot of thinking, for we made many improvements over the commercial models.

About two months before our scheduled departure I had a long distance phone call from James Miller, a teenage boy who had worked for me the summer in Alaska. Our family had 'adopted' him, and the last time we had visited in Portland, I had suggested that if his real father would allow him to temporarily drop out of school, he was welcome to come along. It was an offer made that was not expected to be accepted. Nevertheless, I was quite happy to say, "Sure," when he called to ask if we were serious. His reply told me what plane to meet.

James was a good looking seventeen year-old, but at that time maybe a little over—large. He also was slightly uncoordinated, which was accompanied with a bubbly good humor. At school he was known as a fat clown. In Alaska his nickname was "Crash," from the time he almost fell out of the helicopter when landing and the pilot was so mad he made James walk back to camp. The boys made up a song to fit the tune, The Daring Young Man On the Flying Trapeze that went, "he trips over tree stumps to land on his knees." I only mention this as James' first words at the airport were, "You know that I have never really ridden a horse before?"

Whenever we had a chance during the unseasonably heavy rains that greeted his arrival, it was riding lesson time. If our adventures had ended right there, I still would have had something to chuckle about all my living days. James outdid his Alaskan debut with an encore that included every classic known to Abbot and Costello, or Laurel and Hardy . The first time he mounted, over he went off the other side to land in a mud puddle. Then, after learning to lope, we were busting along a forest path, and he didn't duck for an overhanging branch. When James' rider-less horse passed my by, I looked around to see a pair of boots hanging down out of a tree. I thought he was hurt until I heard that laugh we were going to know well and enjoy so much. Good humor and equipment taken care of, we concentrated on what I thought would be our last two problems. acquiring additional horses, and our route.

Checking with trucking firms, I was stunned to find that everyone wanted about $100 per head just to begin loading. At this time we had four horses—that together had cost $245—and needed, with James, a total of twelve for the trail. Our budget, sans trucking, could only cover an average price of $125 per four hoofs. I decided that maybe our old pick-up and ancient horse trailer could make two round trips to the border, and the long range wishing was that we could buy the rest of our needed stock in Old Mexico.