This year, despite the drought, the lousy economy, and California's darling democrat governor Gray Davis predicting the imminent destruction of every bridge in the state, we had a bountiful turn out for our meet. In addition to all the people, we were particularly delighted to welcome our special guests, the hounds of Santa Fe and Los Altos Hunts. Special thanks to Master Terry Paine of Santa Fe, and Masters Wes & Cindy Martin and Keith & Melinda Baxter of Los Altos for sending hounds. As we've seen before, hounds from all three packs threw in together and enhanced each others strengths in our big high desert country. Not only members and staff, but Masters as well from all six of our district hunts filled the fields of over 75 riders each day. Masters included Lynn Lloyd, Marshall Ward and Scott Tepper (Red Rock) Terry Paine (Santa Fe), Wes & Cindy Martin (Los Altos), Steve Lyons (Santa Ynez), Mitch Jacobs (West Hills), and Mike Wager & John Brooks (Woodbrook). In addition, we were pleased to welcome members from hunts as far afield as Connecticut, including Fairfield County Hounds, Waterloo Hunt, Mission Valley Hunt, High Country Hounds, and Bijou Springs. We even had an overseas representation, with two delightful Englishmen joining us... Although conditions were dry, huntsmen Lloyd, Paine, and Carothers managed to give the field at least one blistering run on each of the meet's four days. Hounds all worked earnestly and cohesively, so let's skip the deadly blow by blow recount of hounds finding and hounds losing and talk instead about the day John Schafer stopped the wagon train.

We hunted Bedell Flats on the meet's second day. Normally, parking is at a cattle water tank readily accessible by good quality dirt road. Unfortunately, with the drought conditions, cattle had been pulled off the Bedell allotment early, and our usual water tank was dry. Lynn and Gayle Horn had done some reconnaissance in Gayle's Lexus the week before the meet. It was their determination that the road to a full water tank a few miles south of the usual parking area was reasonably passable. Arrives the day to hunt Bedell. The first five rigs, carrying Red Rock and Santa Fe hounds and staff, make it to the destination uneventfully. Along comes Red Rock member, whipper-in, and occasional huntsman Mungo John Schafer in his Subaru Outback station wagon. Leading the wagon train of some 35 remaining rigs, John's dream day of hunting halts prematurly when one of his front tires blows out. Before he can say Mungo Mungo, John's car is stuck in the middle of the soft sandy road and no one can get by. Embarrassed, but never daunted, John jumps out and performs the world's fastest tire change while everyone politely waits. John pulls out and the wagon train of high tech, 4 x 4, turbo charged diesel dually's rev up their engines and prepare to follow. Not so fast. Having lost their precious momentum, a domino effect now occurs in which one rig after another wallows in the soft sand, digging in ever deeper the harder they try to escape. To make an ever-so-long story (you had to be there to believe it) short, the executive decision finally was made to bring Mohammed to the mountain, so the hounds were brought to the trapped rigs and off we hunted, leaving capable men folk behind to free up the vehicles in time for our return to hunt breakfast. Notably, there wasn't a grumpy face to be seen despite the delay - just another hunting adventure.