Cheese Crisp Party
THURSDAY NIGHT
Honkers host on the last night out — cheese crisps loaded with pulled pork and green chile, and most of the camp passing through.
THE CAMP
How they got here.
Honkers has been on the ride for nearly six decades. The way Robert Munne tells it, he found the camp by accident — a 2015 Tokyo business meeting where a colleague’s desktop wallpaper showed the man on horseback in the Sonoran Desert. The colleague was Scott Stevens, whose father Joe Stevens has become a fixture of the Honkers operation. When Robert heard the camp had a coffin-shaped bar, he was in.
The pre-ride goes through Joe Stevens’s house — substantial tequila, a Wickenburg orientation trip, camp festivities, an early-morning cooking shift for the DC staff, horse selection, then the El Presidente’s Party. New riders endure what the camp calls “the dating phase”: tenured riders from every camp size them up before the friendships actually begin.
Robert’s advice for greenies, in his own order: keep your flask a reasonable size; do not layer padded biking shorts under your Wranglers; when the trail narrows on a cliff edge, trust your horse and don’t look down. Honker for life.
— ADAPTED FROM NOTES BY ROBERT MUNNE.
What this camp brings to the week.
Every camp hosts something the rest of the ride looks forward to. Here’s what this one is known for.
- • The coffin-shaped bar.
- • Runs the Cowboy Carnival shooting competition at Cooper’s Ranch — revolvers and lever-action rifles, scored on speed and accuracy, custom trophy to the winner.
- • Greenie Party on Friday night at Joe Stevens’ house — the unofficial start of ride week.
- • Honker Party on Saturday night.
- • El Presidente Party and Silent Auction on Sunday evening, followed by dinner with all the Honkers at a local restaurant.
- • A guitar player around the Honker campfire at Cooper’s Ranch — songs well into the night.
New riders are placed by the board.
If you want to ride with Honkers, say so on your application — and list a sponsor if you have one. Final placement is up to the board.