Pony Express rider makes his way through South Lake Tahoe

The Pony Express Re-Ride 2017 is almost in the history books. The mochila (mailbag) was transferred to a rider at the Nevada/California state line at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night. That rider then went down Pioneer Trail to Echo Summit.

750 riders have taken part in the annual event. The first rider took off from St. Joseph, Missouri on June 5, 2017 with the mailbag on their horse. So far the series of riders have been riding 24-hours-a-day and have covered almost 1600 miles. Since the original 1860 Pony Express route was from St. Joseph to Sacramento, the re-ride covers the same territory in the same amount of time, 10 days.

On Thursday, June 15, the last rider will make it into Old Sacramento at about 4:30 p.m.

There was a bit of excitement for the Nevada riders, with bad weather in the east, to a horse and rider "becoming separated" at the top of Kingsbury Grade. The horse was found and Tahoe Douglas Fire Department was able to help by taking the mochila to the state line. Both rider and horse were okay.

In the photo above, the rider is passing by Sierra House Elementary, a school named after the original waystation where weary travelers and pony express riders could rest. The original stop was across what is now known as Pioneer Trail next to the river.

To follow the rest of the route, follow the riders' progress here: http://nationalponyexpress.org/annual-re-ride/follow-the-ride/.