LOCAL
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A3
Headed for the Patagonian hills
Wallowa County
equestrian will
participate in
endurance race
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — If
enthusiasm had a scale
from 1-10, then Brenda
Johnson would be at about
a 12.
Johnson is preparing for
a 10-day endurance horse
race, called the Gaucho
Derby, that takes place
in Argentinian Patagonia
March 3-13. Participants
ride for 311 miles, using
seven diff erent horses,
relying on a map and a GPS
tracker, and must fi nish in
10 days. There are no trails.
The race is a test of
horse and rider endurance,
navigation and survival
skills.
Johnson is in an elite
group. There were over
more than applicants and
only 35 were chosen to
compete.
So why is she doing it?
She laughs at the question.
“Because I’m crazy!” she
said.
She explains, more seri-
ously, that she has always
wanted to do it and is “just
doing it to do it.”
There are riders from
around the globe, including
Europe, the United States,
South Africa and Australia
participating.
The experience is
costing her a great deal
of money — more than
$14,500. In addition, there
is airfare, gear, food, a tent
and sleeping bag. Special-
ized gear for the weather
she will encounter all
had to be purchased new.
Since she will be going in
March, and since Patagonia
(located in South America)
is in the Southern Hemi-
sphere, its climate now will
be close to Wallowa Coun-
ty’s September or October.
“It could be 20 or 70
degrees,” Johnson said.
She also had to commit at
least $1,000 to charity just
to enter, but has raised and
donated $1,500 to date.
Her chosen charities
were Safe Harbors in Enter-
prise and Shotzy Sanc-
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photos
Wallowa County resident Brenda Johnson prepares for the Gaucho
Derby endurance horse race in March 2022.
MORE INFORMATION
To donate to Johnson’s char-
ities, for Safe Harbors use the
shelter’s website at www.
wcsafeharbors.com. For Shotzy
Sanctuary, checks may be
mailed to 75506 Robinson
Road, Elgin 97827, or by using
PayPal at Shotzy08@live.com.
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photo
Brenda Johnson is set to compete in an endurance horse race called the Gaucho Derby in South America’s
Patagonia from March 3-13, 2022.
tuary in Union County, an
animal rescue and domestic
violence organization.
Donations are still being
accepted, and Johnson asks
anyone who wishes to sup-
port her challenge to donate
to these charities. She spent
a year training and pre-
paring for the event, and
appreciates the support and
donations of local busi-
nesses and individuals who
contributed to her endeavor.
A rare race to ride in
This is only the second
race of its kind. The fi rst
was held in 2020, and the
world shut down during the
race due to the pandemic.
The second race, which
would have happened in
2021, was canceled due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said she was ini-
tially drawn to the race by
the story of Bob Long, a
70-year-old Idaho man who
won the Mongol Derby,
which is 1,000 kilometers,
or 622 miles.
“I thought the story
was inspirational,” she
said. And, she added, “I’ve
always wanted to go to
Patagonia.”
In addition to special-
ized gear, there is a strict
weight restriction. Riders
can only weigh 187 pounds.
Supplies and gear — food,
fi rst aid kit, tent, saddle-
bags and sleeping bag —
cannot exceed 22 pounds
for 10 days, with 4-pound
food-resupply bags stra-
tegically placed along the
course.
“They are very strict
about weight,” she said.
The body weight restriction
also includes clothes and
helmet.
The race has an exten-
sive veterinary support
system for the horses. Vet-
erinarians are at horse sta-
tions every 40-60 kilome-
ters to check the horses’
heart rates, respiration rates
and to make sure they are
not being pushed too hard.
Each participant rides a
total of seven diff erent
horses, said Johnson, but
each horse is only ridden
once.
The race supplies the
horses. There are three
types of horses used. A Cri-
ollo, “like our mustangs
here,” she said. Arabians
and Percheron crosses are
also part of the mix. The
saddle is modifi ed for the
race to be light, “like a
cross between a Western
and English,” Johnson said.
Riding can occur only
between the hours of 8 a.m.
and 6 p.m. Riders who vio-
late this rule run the risk
of penalty and possibly
disqualifi cation.
The terrain is diffi cult.
Johnson said riders “have to
fi gure out on your own the
terrain, gates and fences,”
and how to contend with
them. In places, riders may
have to backtrack, since
there are no trails. It’s a
point A to point B to point
C type of race, beginning
to end. There is also “lots
of water. Water could be
my deterrent — bogs and
swamps,” she said.
It is also fi re season
there.
“You can’t have fi res,”
she said. If a person must
start a fi re, “it better be to
save your life,” she said.
There are medics available.
“Horse and people are well
taken care of,” she said.
The lay of the land
The terrain in Patagonia
is a desert and steppe-like
(terraced grass plateaus). It
is bound on the west by the
Andes.
“We’ll have various
sections of the race in
the mountains. They said
our max elevation will be
around 8,000 feet,” Johnson
said. The Colorado River
is to the north, the Atlantic
Ocean on the east and the
Strait of Magellan to the
South. The region south
of the strait, the Tierra
Del Fuego — which is
divided between Argentina
and Chile — is also often
included.
It is desert and semi-
desert terrain and treeless
plains. The relatively fl at
tableland rises from an ele-
vation near the coast of 300
feet to about 1,300 feet at
the junction of two rivers,
then to 3,000 feet at the
base of the Andes. Another
tableland region rises to an
elevation of 5,000 feet and
more. The area is also rich
in volcanic activity.
Johnson is originally
from Minnesota and had
always wanted to live in the
mountains. She’s lived in
and loved Wallowa County
since 2012. She has a grad-
uate degree from Clemson
University in South Car-
olina in aquatic ecotox-
icology. She works as a
farrier and a veterinary
assistant at the Enterprise
Animal Hospital. She is
also a caretaker for a local
ranch.
For more information on
the race go to www.eques-
trianists.com.
“I also have a website:
www.brendasadventure.
com,” she said.
Johnson’s progress will
be streamed in real time via
her GPS. Riders will also
give interviews along the
way.
Truckers plan long drive of freedom La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR
Freedom convoy
travels through
Eastern Oregon on
way to D.C.
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
PENDLETON — A
nationwide protest will
travel through Eastern
Oregon this week.
According to a fl yer
shared around social media,
the American Freedom
Convoy will make its way
from Troutdale to Wash-
ington, D.C., stopping at the
Arrowhead Travel Plaza,
Pendleton, on Tuesday,
March 1, for the night,
before continuing on to the
nation’s capital. The convoy
will contain a mix of vehi-
cles, and is not limited to
semitrailers.
Local residents will be
able to show their support
for the convoy on March
2 as it crosses Union and
Baker counties on Inter-
state 84.
Paul Veluscek, a strong
supporter of the convoy
from Creswell, said the
spirit of the convoy is about
Hosted by the
Island City Lions
Club
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Trucks stuck at the Flying J Travel Plaza on Jan. 5, 2022. A nationwide
protest called the American Freedom Convoy will make its way from
Troutdale to Washington, D.C., starting Monday, March 1, 2022, and
will pass through Eastern Oregon.
freedom, citing mask and
vaccine mandates as the
cause. The protest comes
just after the Centers for
Disease Control announced
on Feb. 25 that it was lifting
its recommendation for
indoor mask mandates.
“It’s all peaceful. It’s all
legal,” Veluscek said. “They
pulled permits or rented
huge areas, venues where
they can park along the way
of these routes. It’s almost
a humanitarian eff ort.
They’re saying when we
get to D.C., let’s spread the
love. Let’s try to take care
of people.”
Masks, vaccines and
social distancing have
been proven to be eff ec-
tive at curbing the spread
of the virus, according to
numerous scientifi c studies
and virology experts.
Veluscek said he’s
looking forward to the trip.
“I wish it had happened
earlier,” he said. “I just want
to see people stand up and
do something. It’s been too
long.”
The convoy will pass
through La Grande and
Baker City before briefl y
Locked
&
Loaded
2022
Gunshow
La Grande
La Grande
Sat. March 12 • 9 to 5 & Sun. March 13 • 9 to 1
@ the Blue Mountain Conference Center • 404 12th Street
Background checks will run and ATM on site.
Breakfast and lunch to be served Saturday.
In Memory of Shelia Evans who did so much for our community.
Sponsors & Vendors call Kayla at 541.786.7210
stopping in Boise and
continuing on to Little
America, Wyoming.
Joining the convoy will
be country music singer
Jessie Leigh, an Estacada
native who was fl ying back
from Nashville to join the
protest, along with car-
rying a special American
fl ag, given to her by a close
friend, that she hopes will
inspire people on the road.
“The goal and mis-
sion is to have this partic-
ular fl ag used for unity and
to be touched by as many
Americans as possible and
to unify people,” she said.
“Despite what side of the
aisle, it doesn’t matter.
We’re all Americans. We’re
all human, and we all stand
together. And for at least
a moment, we can stand
under the fl ag and sing a
song together.”
Leigh said a break in her
schedule allowed her to join
the convoy.
“We have these open
dates on the schedule and
they reached out to ask if
we would be the caretakers
of the fl ag on this convoy,”
she said.
975-2000
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
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