This memorial is for the deceased riders of the Viaje de Portola, The memorial features a 1995 bronze sculpture of a horse by Jimmy Don Cox on a 4-foot high cement plinth. The plaque below simply lists the names of those lost on little brass plates below the words:
"'EMPTY SADDLES'
As a faithful memorial and in fond memory
the riders of El Viaje de Portola herein
honor their fallen compadres:"
The poster of this Waymark had to find this article (
visit link) to discover who these folks are/were:
"Legendary, historic 'Old West' Portola ride reveals secreats (sic)
Sept. 18, 2014 Updated March 2, 2015 1:02 p.m.
By MEGHANN M. CUNIFF
For Tony Gregory, the rumors surrounding the power of the storied yet mysterious Portola Riders can be dispelled by a simple fact.
“If it really was about the power elite, they wouldn’t have made me el presidente,” said Gregory, owner of Custom Air Trucking of Carson and the leader of the formally titled El Viaje de Portola.
The group started when eight men rode horses from Mission San Juan Capistrano to Santa Ana for the opening of the Saddleback Inn in 1964. It grew into a club of nearly 300 men under the guidance of Tony Moiso, president of Rancho Mission Viejo and great-grandson of early Southern California land baron Richard O’Neill, and Gilbert Aguirre, the ranch’s vice president of ranching operations.
The Portolas don’t typically discuss their membership publicly. The annual three-day horseback and camping trip through Moiso’s undeveloped land is by invitation only, and no formal selection process exists.
Members included high-ranking business executives from across Southern California and throughout the country, and sometimes they bring their friends. Marine generals from Camp Pendleton have been guests. And last year, actor and comedian Will Ferrell joined the group at the Swallows Inn and then the ranch for a daylong party that prefaced the annual ride.
Last Friday, the Portolas accepted something not generally embraced during the group’s 50-year history: public recognition.
Mission San Juan Capistrano’s annual Romance of the Mission fundraising gala Sept. 13 honored El Viaje de Portola’s contributions to the historic landmark, commemorating years of donations as well as leadership from members who also serve on the board of trustees’ Mission Preservation Foundation. The group has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund projects like the Gate House Preservation Project and the restoration of the Great Stone Church.
Moiso started the Mission Preservation Foundation 12 years ago and is one of 14 board members. He was president until 2009.
“The spirit of El Viaje de Portola has been wonderful for the spirit of the mission,” mission Executive Director Mechelle Lawrence Adams told the nearly 500 people at the gala Friday.
WESTERN VALUES
Respect for early California heritage is central to the Portolas. Riders dress in country garb, and longtime Portolas, including former Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, say a love of horses is a key characteristic of their members.
But it isn’t required.
George O’Connell, owner of O’Connell Landscape Maintenance and president of the Mission Preservation Foundation board of directors, said he’s participated in the ride for 25 years, but not on horseback. O’Connell rides in a bus that meets the horseback riders at the camp and catches up with them throughout the three-day ride.
“You don’t see much of a cowboy up there,” O’Connell said at the gala.
That’s fine with his fellow Portolas.
“It isn’t about horses. It’s about preserving the values of the Old West,” said Jim Williams, a retired Marine Corps colonel who is a consultant for Rancho Mission Viejo.
Think of it as a boys’ night out, times three. Or a reunion for longtime fraternity members. A chance to catch up over booze, campfire and stories. A place to bond over nature and nurture relationships with men reminiscent of the way cowboys did business in the days before contracts, lawyers and lawsuits.
“For me, it’s like the brotherhood I had in the Marine Corps,” Williams said. “You don’t need a contract. Your word is your contract.”
The eight original riders, nicknamed the Big Eight, were blessed at the mission by Vincent Lloyd-Russell and Paul Martin before riding through ranch land the Irvine Ranch to reach the Saddleback Inn.
The Portolas still begin their trek with Mass in the Serra Chapel, but they stopped riding horses from El Adobe de Capistrano out on Ortega Highway to the ranch in the late 1990s because of heavy traffic. They honor riders who’ve died in the last year with an “Empty Saddles” ceremony at a sculpture they commissioned for the mission in 1995, then travel by car to the ranch, where horses, most of them rented, are waiting for them. The mission’s monsignor travels to the ranch to bless the riders.
Gregory estimates they ride about 10 miles a day. Williams said they stop for alcohol and snacks every two hours or so, Williams said. The campgrounds include an outdoor theater, showers, toilets and space for caterers. Employees with horse rental companies are hand to care for the animals.
“It’s like getting your family and going to the beach,” said Gates, a San Juan Capistrano native who retired as sheriff in 1999. “That’s all it is is an invite to a good time.”
NO CORNER CUTTERS
Between 150 to 200 men typically participate in the three-day ride, which occurs each spring. The ranch used to host a one-day ride in the fall for guests, but it grew too large and attracted so many inexperienced riders it was canceled last year, Williams said.
Now guests are invited to a one-day event on ranch land that includes breakfast, roping and arena events as well as a bocce tournament, Williams said.
That’s what Ferrell participated in last year. His visit wasn't announced. He graduated high school in Irvine with one of the members and was there as his guest. Gregory first saw him while delivering the welcome address.
“That was pretty amazing,” Gregory said. “I completely did a double-take.”
New riders have a pledge class that meets regularly before the ride to learn the history of the Portolas and Rancho Mission Viejo, Williams said.
“People need to realize as well that we’re much more than just a trail ride,” said Gregory, whose father, Tony Gregory Sr., joined in 1978. “We’re there to support the mission and other charities. It’s not like you pay your dues and go on a ride twice a year.”
To 76-year-old Williams and the other older riders, Gregory represents the changing of the guard, a passing of the Portola torch to a new generation. They began preparing for the shift about five years ago when they formed the group El Estimados – Spanish for esteemed ones – to segue older members to emeritus status and make room for younger riders. Gregory, 48, is the first president from the younger generation.
Though no official rules govern membership, Williams said all riders are older than 30.
And character counts: Williams remembers one member who was kicked out after cheating at golf.
“The people who cut corners in business, in their life or their relationships, they either don’t get invited to begin with or don’t get invited back,” said Williams, who has three sons who are Portolas.
Some travel from Hawaii, Alaska, Washington and the East Coast. Most have ties to Orange or San Diego counties.
“Some of them are very wealthy, and then there’s down to the guys who are blacksmiths and everyone in between,” Williams said.
Williams said a two or three riders who’ve died have had their ashes spread during the ride.
Gregory Jr., who joined in 1994, said though the men don’t gather more than a couple of times a year, “it feels like you just ran into them a week before,” Gregory said. “I think a lot of people when they come out there are able to leave everything back on the crowded freeways and get up there and really have a genuine conversation and a real close friendship.”
With those friendships come relationships that can be useful in business. Williams met Moiso while hosting the Portolas at Camp Pendelton for the 25th anniversary ride in 1988. Soon after, Moiso called and offered him a job after he retired from the Marines. He’s worked for him ever since, sans a period when he spearheaded the effort to bring a Boys & Girls Club to San Juan Capistrano.
“You meet a whole cross-section of the community, and once they know you and trust you, that gives you openings,” Williams said. “But if we thought someone was using it just to get contacts, he wouldn’t be invited.”
Contact the writer: mcuniff@ocregister.com or 949-492-5122. Twitter: @meghanncuniff."