We were thrilled to be in the Tonto Basin Area for the annual Hash Knife Pony Express ride. The Hash Knife was a large cattle ranch in the late 1800's, there are many stories about the Hash Knife cowboys, some including rowdy brawls in the Holbrook area where the ranch was located. The Hash Knife brand continues today. The Pony Express ride has been a continuous ride for 50+ years, thousands of letters are carried on horseback from Holbrook to Scottsdale AZ, a distance well over 100 miles. The riders and horses switch every mile. Approximately 30 riders make up the pose. This is a unique ride in that it is sanctioned by the USPS, the riders are sworn in before the ride. The photo above is the group arriving at the Payson Post Office.
 

Welcoming ceremony at the Payson post office. The cowboys signed bandannas with the AZ flag design. I particularly liked this rider, his name was Walter, he had a beautiful  horse. He's the only rider I asked to sign my bandanna. It was fun watching all the kids, they looked to these cowboys like rock stars, waiting in line trying to get all their signatures.  

After the ceremony the riders rode off, down the middle of the street... images of the old west. 

They spent the night in Payson, the horses were put up at the fairgrounds. 

Interesting side note...the pony express was successful in carrying mail and critical news to the west coast but only lasted 18 months due to the telegraph coming into existence. The fastest ride from MO to CA took 7 days, most rides being 10-13 days. 

Our last weekend (Super Bowl weekend) saw Tonto Creek flood. We watched the two trucks go thru the first water and waited to see if they were going to attempt the next which is deeper, wider and swift. They did not, turned around and came back. Smart. The white seen in front of the mountains are houses, people living there had what's known as "creek days".
That about wraps up January, my next post will be the start of February and our new campground. I haven't yet figured out how to fix the dates on my posts. It automatically dates the post when I add it. Our first month was amazing, the time flew by. We feel so lucky to be on this adventure.