Long Rider
4 years, 20,000 miles, 48 capitals — all on horseback
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
AUGUSTA — Nearly 20 years ago, Gene Glasscock rode a horse from the arctic circle to the equator, still the only man believed to have accomplished that feat.
Gene Glasscock was in Augusta on Monday to meet with Gov. John Baldacci, part of a four-year, 20,000-mile ride on horseback through 48 state capitals. Augusta was the 13th stop for the long rider, a name given to those who take long-range horseback rides. Glasscock is believed to be the only person to ride a horse from the arctic circle to the equator. click to enlarge
Now he's on the trail again, riding to the capitals of the lower 48 states to raise money to send students to college from his adopted home of Paraguay.
Monday, he was in Maine's capital to meet with Gov. John Baldacci, in the 13th state on his expected 20,000-mile, four-year trek.
Baldacci was only the second governor to make time to meet with Glasscock personally and the first chief executive to accept his invitation to mount his trusty steed, Frank.
"I started out in Denver (Sept. 17) and I'm going to all 48 state capitals, and as I go along somebody from the governors' offices come out to meet with me," explained Glasscock, who looked every bit the cowboy with a weathered face, dusty clothes and a well-worn felt hat. "I don't always get to meet the governor ... This will be the second governor I've met. I've met a lot of first ladies and a lot of lieutenant governors."
Glasscock expects to travel just over 100 miles a week, riding 15-20 miles a day. He sticks to the back roads where his two horses, Frank 7 and George 6, can walk more comfortably on the softer earth and grass to the side of the pavement. Most nights he accepts the hospitality of people along the way who open their homes to him.
"I'm always invited into homes. I've never slept out on this trip, although I have slept at motels a few times," he said.
Lynne Richards of East Winthrop and her husband, Sam, got a call from a friend in New Hampshire only last Thursday asking if Glasscock could stay with them. He ended up being a guest at her home for several nights.
"It's been a great experience for us," Richards said. "The kids have gotten to hear about all different parts of the country from him."
DC Vision, another long rider who lives in Stonington, came to Augusta Monday to meet Glasscock at the State House. Vision is one of four founders of The Long Riders Guild, an organization that publicizes and promotes long-range horseback rides like the ones he and Glasscock have completed.
"There's only 17 of us around the world who have ridden more than 10,000 miles, and you've got one in Maine," Glasscock said pointing to Vision. The guild has an Web site —www.thelongridersguild.com —documenting the feats of the long-distance riders.
Vision, 38, rode back and forth across the United States between 1991-95. Unlike Glasscock, Vision did not use his ride to raise money.
"It was to prove to myself I was still alive," said Vision, an Internet writer and teacher. "I got tired of the rat race. I was looking for the meaning of life and you see it easier when you slow down to that 3 mph.
"I've never written about my trip, though. It was a very personal experience for me. It's not meant to be written about."
Born in Texas, the 68-year-old Glasscock was raised in eastern Oregon and worked in construction for more than 20 years in Alaska and the Seattle area before moving to Mexico and then Paraguay. In Paraguay he was a teacher in a private school system where completion of sixth grade is considered the norm. Before going to Paraguay he was a volunteer literacy tutor, but his teaching efforts have been cut short by the loss of hearing in his right ear, he said.
Along the way Glasscock gives out envelopes printed with: Philip Scholarship Fund at Pensacola Christian College, 250 Brent Lane, Pensacola, Fla., 32523 . Donors make their own decisions about contributing and he doesn't even track his progress. Money raised from his ride goes to needy students from Paraguay who must sign a contract to return to their home country to work after graduation. The name refers to the Biblical Philip, he said.
"I know how much publicity you get from making these long rides and it was as good a way as I could do to raise funds," Glasscock said. "I don't know how well I've done raising funds, that's between the Lord and the people who find out about it.
"When I finish this trip I'll go back to Paraguay. I don't think I'll be able to teach, but I'll be able to help the kids who come back from Pensacola and help them start a business or whatever they want to do."
Gary Remal — 623-3811, Ext. 518
gremal@centralmaine.com