FROM THE DESK OF JOHN AILPORT, GOH TRAIL BOSS: March 2026
Well folks our annual GOH banquet is just around the corner, March is here!
Our banquet is scheduled for Saturday, March 14th 2026, at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, just north of Sandpoint. Arrive around 5 pm for our social hour; dinner is scheduled for 6 pm. After our meal we will have a raffle, possibly a silent auction, and discuss our plans for the upcoming year. If you have any items that you would like to donate to the group for our raffle, please let me know. Thank you to all that have donated items in the past, this has always been a great event!
Menu: Beef tri-tip and chicken will be the main course along with salad, potatoes, a vegetable side, and desert, so bring your appetite! Cost for the dinner will $40 per person. (Plus a tip for the great service that we always receive!) There will be a selection of beer and wine also available for purchase ($5), and everyone will be able to pay for dinner at the event.
Please RSVP to me by Tuesday, March 10th. To RSVP simply, reply to this email. Some of you have already let me know you are coming, and I will count you in, just let me know if anything changes. Since the lodge is cooking dinner specifically for us, they need to make sure there is a place for everyone to sit and that there is the right amount of food for everyone. If you know someone else that is attending, and they don’t do e-mail, you can pass that on as well. Thanks, and hope to see you all soon!
Several of the guys are staying at the lodge and like to make a weekend out of it, so typically on Sunday morning many of us meet up for breakfast the morning after the banquet extending the conversations and comradery. If you’re still interested in staying over the weekend at last check it looks like they still had availability for a cabin or two, but all the rooms inside the lodge were full. I also heard that Lee has a cabin and there may be some extra room there if someone is interested in sharing. If you haven’t been there before, this is a treat to have all of us together in a comfortable log cabin setting that is reserved just for our group. The directions and contact information for the lodge are listed below, make sure you look them over since it is a little way off the main highway.
If anyone is traveling up and not planning to stay at the lodge but is looking for a place to stay, let me know and we can make some recommendations.
As discussed, our Men’s Ride this year is planned for Sunday June 14th through Friday, June 19th 2026. We are planning a trip to western Montana and heading to Clearwater Crossing, southwest of Alberton, MT. As I mentioned this is the first time since I have been riding with the group that we will be heading east into Montana for our ride. Great opportunity to explore an area new to the group, this will be one not to miss! These trails are well developed and have been used for decades for horse packing, so trails are well marked and we have several maps that we can share with the group. There was a fire in the area in 2015 that burned down some USFS Cabins and corrals. Since that time they have been rebuilding the cabin and continue to maintain the trails in the area, and there are some new corrals that some of our group can use during the ride. Trails are in good shape, but always with fire areas some clean out of trails may be required. We are working with the USFS and they should be sending crews down the main trails prior to our arrival, and a few of us may go up a little early to check some of our alternate routes so things should be in good shape for our June ride! Also, at the banquet we will be discussing the possibility of an overnight pack trip on the last night of the ride, which will be exiting opportunity for those who like to do a little fishing or just relax at a high mountain lake for an evening. A good reason not to miss the Banquet or the ride this year!
Also, our Fall Men’s and Ladies rides have been quite popular over the past few years, and we will be planning a ride tentatively Friday September 25th through Sunday September 27th, so save the date! Look for more details as the year progresses.
If anyone has any ideas for future ride locations or would like to host a ride, let me know and we can discuss at our banquet.
Look forward to seeing everyone at the banquet on March 14th!
John
GOH Trail Boss
Directions to the Ranch
Getting to Western Pleasure Guest Ranch is a beautiful scenic drive through the Selle Valley to the foothills of the Cabinet Mountains. From I-90 either east or west, take the US-95 exit # 12 in Coeur d’Alene and head north to Sandpoint. Before arriving in Sandpoint, you will cross the Long Bridge. After crossing the Long Bridge, continue North on 95 until the HWY 200 exit. Take the HWY 200 exit to the right then continue on HWY 200 for 6.1 miles until you reach Colburn-Culver Rd. Turn left on Colburn-Culver and continue for 4.0 miles to Gold Creek Rd., turn right and continue for 2.8 miles to Upper Gold Creek. Follow Upper Gold Creek 1.5 miles to the lodge (Watch for the blue Western Pleasure Guest Ranch signs along the way).
Address
1413 Upper Gold Creek Road
Sandpoint ID, 83864
Phone: (208) 263-9066
Gentlemen on Horseback 