Sunday, March 17, 2024

not related to cars except being in a photo with them, because, and here's where this story is in my realm of roads and stuff... Annie made a 2 year, 7000 mile trip on the roadsides to see the Pacific Ocean, by horseback, in 1954-55

 

Annie was just a kid who hated life on the Maine farm she was born on, so when she got old enough, she ran away from home and joined the circus as a bareback rider. She went home when she got a letter that her mom was sick.

She was 63 when her doctor told her she had 2 years to live. She’d just recovered from pneumonia when they found a spot on her lung. The doctor wasn’t sure if it was cancer or tuberculosis, but either way the prognosis wasn’t good.

Annie mortgaged her farm and used the money to buy a beautiful retired race horse named Tarzan. In November 1954, she pulled on men’s dungarees, packed a few clothes and set out for California with her horse and her little doggie.

She had nothing but a bedroll and some clothes. She hung pails of feed from the horse using twine and hoped people across America would be good to an old woman travelling by herself to fulfill her dead mother’s only wish.

She got sick of what life handed her, went on a 7000 mile journey and wrote a book about it.


Between 1954 and 1956, she pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by at speed. 

Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. 

Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher.




there are a couple copies on Ebay, but, nothing less than 50. 
On Amazon, a differnent book, NOT written by Annie, is about 20 dollars. 
The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts  
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7 comments:

  1. concrete4:05 AM

    Big thank you for that one Jesse. Somehow it reminded me of Freddie Hoffman and his bicycle adventures.

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    Replies
    1. Jesse6:28 AM

      you're sure welcome! I don't know why I've never heard about her before!

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  2. Flagg9:27 AM

    What a great story Sir! A woman of quality and vision. I would not have minded to have run across her if I was around in those days. Thanks for posting this!

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    Replies
    1. Jesse12:31 PM

      you're sure welcome. I wish someone made a website with similar incredible stories just about people and their adventures

      Delete
  3. Flagg12:52 PM

    I'm not smart enough to do that but then you probably already knew that!

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  4. Chuck B3:55 PM

    Perhaps of interest... about 20 years ago, I met a guy who was bicycling across the country. East to West. He was at the store next door to where I worked, getting lunch. He mentioned to the proprietor he could use a tube of silicone to fix his shoe. I butted in, no problem, come on over to the shop and we can fix it. Fixed it, wanted to know what he owed. Nothing. Wait a minute; I want a post card when you get to the Pacific ocean. Sure thing, gave him my card and promptly forgot about him. About a year later, I got a real nice letter. He didn't make it to the coast yet, he stopped to work for a while, fell in love, got married, and intends to finish his trip someday. Who knows, he might send a postcard. My address didn't change.

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