Mike's Manly Vacation, Day 2

We Spent Saturday night in Red Rock Canyon with my SCA friends Mark and Dianne. They own a 70s vintage A Frame house and a few acres in an old homesteading area about thirty-five miles north of Reno and about four miles east of California. They have five horses, which in itself isn’t particularly manly, but it’s what they do with the horses that is testosterone fueled in the best way. They hunt. They belong to a hunt called Red Rock Hounds, and, since there isn’t’ much Fox in that part of the country, they hunt Coyote. If that won’t raise the hackles of your average PETA Nazi I don’t know what will.

Their description of a coyote hunt on horseback is great. I’ve seen Coyote up close and personal, so I know they are about twice as smart as humans. The stereotype of the Wily Coyote is completely accurate. According to Dianne, when you set the dogs onto a coyote the coyote will run ahead for awhile and then wait for the dogs to catch up. When the dogs get close they run again for awhile and then pause waiting for the dogs. This goes on a couple more times until the Coyote decides the dogs aren’t going to give up. Then the Coyote disappears. It simply vanishes. The coyote will calmly trot over a ridge or behind a bush and when the dogs catch up it’s gone without a trace. No sign, no scent, nothing. In four years they’ve only caught three coyotes, and all of them were old and sick and wouldn’t have survived the winter in any case. The Indians are right about Coyote.

So, anyway, I got to ride horseback and get my SCA equestrian authorization (advanced). That means I can joust, but only at a trot. Jousting is very manly.

Later we went to fighter practice, which meant I got to hit people with sticks. I’d flown my armor out with me so I could cross swords with Duke Rolf in my 28 year quest to actually beat him just once. I still haven’t done it. Then we had a barbecue and ate steak. Red meat and friendly violence! What would be more manly?