It’s been 20 years since the Eye Reckon Freedom Ride left Bandera to blaze a historic trail to Calgary, Canada.
To commemorate the ride, founding rider, Mary Schenk, wrote an account of their many adventures — good and bad — in her book, “Riders of the Storm: The True Story of the Eye Reckon Freedom Ride,” under her nom de plume, Mary Allyce.
Mary rode the entire way with her long-time partner, the late Hoot Gibson. She will honor the anniversary and Hoot’s life at the Frontier Times Museum on Saturday, Jan. 20, by sharing her memories.
On Jan. 20, 2004, the trail ride left Bandera and on July 8, five months and nineteen days later, it rode into Calgary Stampede Headquarters, receiving international media attention and becoming a sensation throughout Canada.
It was an incredible adventure, though at times, a logistical nightmare.
The characters who made up the ride often made the trip a soap opera on horseback. One insider even dubbed it “Days of Our Ride.”
It was so cold, wet, and muddy, the riders said it singlehandedly brought a seven-year drought to an end. Their adventures made the riders celebrities and they epitomized the portrayal of Riders on the Storm.
Mary’s book imparts vivid descriptions and candid revelations about the modern trail ride. Hoot kept a journal throughout the ride and she uses his entries at the beginning of each chapter to convey an authentic cowboy spirit to the book.
“We rode 2500 miles in five months and 19 days from the ‘Cowboy Capital of the World’ to the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” the Calgary Stampede.,” Mary said, “As a horsewoman, my proudest achievement was that every horse & mule who made the ride with us came home in better shape than when we left Bandera. Telling the story of the ride through my eyes was the gift of a lifetime to a writer.”
The program will take place in the museum’s Doane Western Art Gallery and will start at 1 p.m. Wine and refreshments will be served.
The book is available for purchase at the museum’s gift shop and will be available for purchase during the event.
This event is free with museum admission and is open to the public. The museum is located at 510 13th St., Bandera, Texas.
Come and take a seat and let Mary take you on the cowboy ride of a lifetime.
