Wagons Ho! The El Dorado Roses Ride with Wagon Train 2016 from Pollock Pines to Placerville

Finally! Computer trouble all day. It took forever to load the pictures on here, and then they were all backward. The summer solstice was working against me.

The beginning of June I was lucky again to be able to ride with the Wagon Train. This time it was longer, we went all the way from Pollock Pines to Placerville.

My seatmates in the surrey with the fringe on top were the 2015 El Dorado Rose, Bonny, and her Court (Judy with Bonny above.)

I was told to be there at 9:00 am. Unfortunately, the rest of the group were told 7:30, so they waited a long while, since the Wagon Train headed out about 9:45.

I sat with Carol, on the right below. 

There is a lot to do to get ready, so as we waited we watched the wagon in front of us hitch up their horses.

In front of us on the surrey were two seatmates who are in third and fourth grades. They had a book they were sharing. They had just met the day before, but seemed to get along very well.

Annette (that is the back of her below) is the grandmother of one of the girls, and the other girl's mom was riding a horse a way in front of us.

Just like last year we had single riders who rode alongside and in front and back, watching over all the wagons and helping keep the pace.

We took several breaks, and the horses got water at each one. This stop below was at the Cedar Grove Grocery. I lived close to here for almost four years, so that was fun for me.

The day was perfectly glorious, in the eighties, breezy, it couldn't have been nicer.

After leaving Pony Express Trail we were on Carson Road and soon entered the town of Camino. We stopped right in front of the hotel for a break. There were many people there to great us.

Below Doc Davey Wiser and his wife bring their buggy to a stop for some R & R.

In front of the hotel were large plates of giant cookies, bottled water and other drinks. I chatted with our driver Annette's mother for quite a while. She has lived in Camino for about seventy years.

The people of Camino were very welcoming! All along the entire route the neighbors came out to wave, some could even wave from their windows! I saw several people I knew.

After our refreshments we moved on, passed High Hill Ranch where we had started last year, and came to our lunch stop at Boa Vista, where I think the tri tip sandwich and the blueberry turnovers were the popular favorites.

Then on the road again. In front of us was a small wagon, and the people riding in it had to sit on hard wooden benches, I was so glad to be in our surrey with padded seats and shocks! What luxury!

I had taken a picture of the house below last year. Since then, it has new owners and the yard is all cleaned up, and they were sitting on the porch waving. Not a lonely home any longer!

This is Ladybug, she was with us last year too but I didn't get a decent picture of her. Here she is sitting next to me ready to head into town. She was so good. 

We stopped for a while on Jacquier Road in Smithflat, I am not sure why, however, we stopped there last year also.  One of our single riders let his horse have a bit of appetizer along the side of the road while we waited.

Finally, after another break on Smithflat Road almost to Broadway, we began our trek towards downtown. I was getting low on pictures, so I waited to begin taking more until we were closer.

Kicking back in front of the soda works, above, and scooting by the Chamber of Commerce, below.

Again, my friend Marilyn, who I worked with at the Heritage Museum, was out to greet us. I threw her a kiss as we went by.

I always have to get a good shot of the Courthouse, I spent a lot of time there (working) and I love that old building.

This lady (I didn't catch her name) was a sort-of portable MC as we neared the bell tower.

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 Bell Tower now in view! It only took about six hours to get here!

When I was young we watched the much bigger Wagon Train parade from our doctor's offices, which were in this building above the theater. It was a great vantage point!

The bell tower was where the action was, and I spied some familiar faces in the crowd. My El Dorado Rose Court ladies, Anita and Suzanne were there sitting on a bale of hay. (I missed getting their photo), and below a family I well know, with little Dax getting his first gander at the Wagon Train.

The bookery workers and their families gathered near the door.

My final shot of the day was well dressed ladies on the balcony of the Cary House welcoming us to town.

It was a very fun trip, quite long compared to last year, but we rode in comfort. The surrey owner and driver, Annette, does not charge the Roses for the ride, and it costs her quite a bit to bring the horses and surrey to town for the trip. She is not sure if she will continue to drive it next year. If she doesn't, I doubt if I will be along for the ride, but I am very thankful I was able to ride along for two years!