On a sunny Tuesday morning, I rode out of Rivera with Cautiva and Andariega on route to Montevideo. The night before I was to leave, my new friend Mario Luna who offered his ranch to host Life and Doll, called me and said he would not let me continue alone.
“You have suffered too much brother, I will come with you and drive the support vehicle,” said the medical student and rancher over the phone.
I couldn’t be happier! Having the support vehicle with us would insure my new mares gained the weight they needed on the road. Because they had been living out in a herd, they were a little skinnier than I would have liked them to be.
With Nicolas Lanfranco and his wife taking photos I waved goodbye to the Brazil – Uruguay border. I was feeling relieved to continue the journey after being stopped for an entire month. Being back in the saddle made everything better, and entering the 11th country I would ride through felt amazing.
I enjoyed the morning breeze while observing the beauty of the Uruguayan pampas. Both sides of the highway stretched out in green pastures as far as the eye could see. European cattle grazing next to Criollo horses.
At noon, a Ford truck pulled up next to me and a nice gentleman invited me to eat lunch at his ranch.
“I am friends with Thiago Lima and he told me you would be riding through here today,” he said with a smile on his face.
My first day on the road and I was already getting a taste of Uruguayan hospitality. I untacked the mares and let them graze. We ate a delicious pasta soup or Fideo, as they call it here. While we ate I talked to the gentleman who worked on the ranch about my journey, horses and life in Uruguay.
I continued on during the afternoon with a wide smile on my face. Green grass stretched out for several meters next to the highway on both sides. And every 4 or 5 kilometres we crossed a fresh water stream. Making it perfect to ride.
In the late afternoon I arrived at the “Cia del Norte Cabana.” Pedro, the man who ran the ranch, opened the front gate for me and welcomed me into his home. He limped from a back spasm he had several months back. I rode next to a beautiful pond towards the main barn where I untacked the mares before giving them a bath. Walking past empty stalls I asked Pedro where the horses were.
“It’s very sad, this place used to be full of Criollo horses a few years ago, but the owner sold everything,” the Gaucho said with sad eyes.
Mario arrived just before the sun went down and we began cooking dinner. Our first night on the road finished with a plate of rice with beef jerky. It was delicious and having Mario’s company was amazing. We laughed with Pedro until the time came to lay down my saddle blankets in front of the fireplace in the barn and stretch out my sleeping bag.
With the fire crackling I said goodnight to Mario and thanked the universe for another day on the road.
