A member of the Pony Express re-ride support team takes a picture at the Genoa Western Heritage Days in May.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
The annual Pony Express Re-ride is due in Woodfords 1 p.m. Thursday on its way from Sacramento to St. Jo, Mo.
Riders are scheduled to leave Old Sacramento 2 p.m. Wednesday
Estimates on the arrival of the mail can vary wildly depending on conditions California riders experience crossing the Sierra.
A waning gibbous moon will offer some light along the way, though clouds and trees often darken the ride.
If the rider is on time to transfer the mochila to the Nevada branch of the National Pony Express Association, the pony should arrive in Genoa at 3 p.m. and Carson City at 6 p.m.
An estimated 750 riders travel 1,966 miles across eight states as it travels east this year.
Visitors and residents line the route along Foothill Road in Genoa to watch as riders transfer the mochila, the pouches containing letters people purchased last month.
Genoa and Van Sickle’s Station are among the original stations in Carson Valley from when the Pony Express was operating in the 18 months between April 3, 1860, and Nov. 20, 1861, when it was replaced by the transcontinental telegraph.
The ride has been an annual event in Carson Valley since July 3, 1978, when two dozen riders participated in getting the mail across the state. There had been around 10 previous rides.
For more information or to track the rider, visit nationalponyexpress.org
