Retiree to jockey mule down Santa Fe

? A retired Hoisington preacher plans to silence skeptics who don’t think he or his 30-year-old mule can complete a 129-mile trip along the Santa Fe Trail.

The Rev. Dick Ogle and his mule, June Thunder, have a combined age of 102.

But when Ogle heard about the ride along part of the Santa Fe Trail, he wanted to be the first to sign up.

“I’m a 72-year-old kid who didn’t get a pony when I was 7,” Ogle said. “So I’m living it out now.”

The trail ride is a new event sponsored by Central Prairie Resource Conservation and Development. Riders will leave the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge in McPherson County on Sunday and complete their journey June 1 at Fort Larned National Historic Site.

Participants may join the ride for one or more days, said organizer Lynn Fryberger.

Ogle plans to make the trip from start to finish.

“I haven’t ridden much,” said Ogle, who retired earlier this year after 26 years as pastor at First Church of God in Great Bend. He’s been riding the mule six to eight miles a day in preparation for the trip.

Arlene Rankin wasn’t surprised when her former minister signed up for the ride. Ogle used to have a part-time job that involved climbing radio towers, she said.

“He’s been real enthusiastic from day one,” Rankin said.

The trail ride will include lunch and dinner each day. Ogle, who will be sleeping in a stock trailer, will cook breakfast on a borrowed camp stove.

Although friends may be skeptical about his ability to make the trip, Ogle voiced only one concern.

“I’m just a beginner at being a cowboy, and I haven’t figured out how to keep my hat on in this wind.”