-- Sanctioning directors must have the patience of 10 saints in dealing with new ride managers (thank you Dr. Baldwin!).

-- Four weekends are not quite enough time to find, cut, mow and mark 25 miles of trail unless you have the help of the best park ranger in the whole country. That would be Gary Simmons at John Redmond Reservoir in Burlington, Kansas!

-- Even a four-wheel drive tractor can get stuck in a muddy creek crossing if it's steep enough.

-- Really dry fields close to lakes become really boggy with just a little bit of rain.

-- Sometimes being in the trees in hot, humid weather is worse than being out in the sun where there is at least a breeze.

-- Endurance riders will try to go wherever you send them -- even through a hedgerow where you forgot to go back with the chainsaw and cut a path!

-- Most endurance riders are kind and patient to new ride managers and offer more praise than criticism.

-- When you seriously underestimate the number of volunteers you need, non-riding endurance riders jump in and help!

-- You can't possibly pay your vets what they are worth! (Thank you Dr. Frazier and Dr. Hauser.)

-- You can't control the weather.

-- Christmas in July in Kansas will only happen in October or November!

-- But mostly I've learned that there is no way to adequately thank all of the participantsÑriders, vets, volunteers, land owners, family, friends, park rangers and even the total strangers who stopped by camp with an extra horse tank. Thank you anyway!