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2021 President’s Ride Summary
Steens Mountain- Whorehouse Meadows Frenchglen, Oregon


President: Peter Hall
Vice President: Dick Noble Secretary/Treasurer: MacGregor Hall Dates: August 4-8, 2021
Caterer: Mundo Catering
Wranglers: Chinook Pass and Jason Fargher Cost of the Ride: $600.00


The 2021 ride was in the most beautiful location Oregon has to offer- the same meadow complex as our 1972 and 1999 rides. Landowner Dan Jordan of Burns was very generous to let us visit his beautiful property once again in 2021. There were a number of Members present that remember the 1999 ride, for its sudden snowfall and cold temperatures. 2021 was quite different- after a few days of hot weather with thunder, lightning and rain, the skies broke for the first official day of the ride, with spectacular weather through Sunday’s finish. The 2021 roster boasted nearly 90 very enthusiastic cowboys and guests.


A lot of preparation went into this ride! We scouted the meadow in both June and September 2020, as we had heard the sheep & cattle trails were very overgrown with Aspen groves, and horse access might be a problem. A month before the ride, a small group of us came back to clear several good routes out of camp. After some trail work, we had direct access to the higher ridges above McCoy Creek and up to Kiger ridge, and north towards Pate Lake and beyond. Horse water was plentiful everywhere on the mountain, even in a dry, hot year.


The riding on Steens Mountain is absolutely second to none, with few fences and massive views. You can go where you want to go. After the rides, some of the boys would swim and fish for trout in Fish Lake just below camp, and also higher up at Wildhorse Lake, near the summit, a few thousand feet above Wild Horse Ranch, the one where Sheriff Dick Johnson used to live.


We didn’t have a serious accident in 2021, although we had numerous incidents caused by bee stings to both riders and horses. Marty Gelbhard and the wrangler Jason Fargher both got dumped twice in one day in the midst of wild and crazy hornet swarms. This was very embarrassing to their horses, who kept a low profile the rest of the weekend.


The Long Branch Saloon ran like clockwork until the tequila went dry, then the grumbling started. It seems that tequila now outpaces whiskey in our cowboy camp, which is likely another symptom of global warming. Secretary MacGregor Hall commanded another run be made to the liquor store in Burns, solving this critical problem.


Mundo Catering really delivered this year by bringing a mobile smoke cooker, essentially a gigantic Traeger. We had steak and ribs cooked over mesquite wood several nights. Kurt Silva, Cheyenne, and Jim Goodwin orchestrated the musical performances, along with several STR Members and guests. And we even had a guest appearance by Pablo, the one-armed fiddler from Jordan Valley, who played a rousing version of the Orange Blossom Special. I can see a tradition for “high jinx” building in coming years as a result of Pablo’s performance.


Your El Presidente’ provided two gifts in 2021. The first was a custom monogrammed deck of STR playing cards; the second a high-quality walnut picture frame to commemorate this year’s ride, and in which to place the finest photos from this ride. We also made a generous cash gift on behalf of the members of STR to the Frenchglen Education Foundation, to help support the small K-8 school at the bottom of the mountain.


We honored two fallen riders in 2021. Eric Hoffman, Jr. 63 passed away after attending quite a few rides between 2000-2018. He left behind many friends who are members of STR. Bruce MacGregor Hall, age 95, also passed away. He was a member between 1990-2020, and one of the original 10th Mtn Division STR Members. His sons MacGregor & Peter, and grandsons Mac Hall, Hayden Hall, and Liam Maher all attended the 2021 ride.


All the best,
Peter Hall President

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