Local woman ready for battle with ‘Nevada Ramble’

Joe Pacheo

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 | 9:31 a.m.

One state.

Seven hundred fifty miles.

Twenty-four days.

For Susan Marie "Ernie" Rambo, this is the product of her two-year-old idea, the Nevada Ramble.

The Nevada Ramble is a north/south crossing of the state of Nevada. The journey began July 1 in Jarbidge near the Idaho/Nevada border and will end near the Mojave Indian Reservation at the California/Nevada border on July 24. Rambo will run 30 miles a day. Most of the travel will be on dirt roads with some use of highways.

Along the way she will be crossing the Ruby Mountains, part of the Pony Express trail and the Donner Party trail. Towns that will be crossed include Elko, Pioche, Overton, Boulder City and Searchlight.

Rambo asked people what the beautiful and interesting parts of Nevada were. After receiving her feedback, she decided on this course.

She conceived the idea in 2002 while driving between Caliente and Pioche on the way to a race. "I thought, wouldn't it be fun to run all over the state?" said Rambo. "Then I thought, 'What's stopping you?' "

Rambo, 47, has had a passion for teaching and distance running since she began doing both back in 1987. The Nevada Ramble was the perfect way for her to combine the two.

Along the way Rambo will be recording history and science lessons for her students at Johnson Junior High, where she teaches drama, puppetry and earth science. She will be taking video footage of places of importance along the way.

"My goal is to make the study of Nevada history more interesting," said Rambo. "I want to help teachers and students."

Details of her journey will be recorded at www.ramblingcoyote.com.

The Nevada Ramble will also serve as a way to raise money for charity. Rambo has selected Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer of Southern Nevada as her designated charity. The run will be in memory of Kelly Hill, an eighth-grade student at Johnson Junior High who died earlier this year from a brain tumor.

"Our goal is to raise $5,000," said Rambo.

Donations can be made by contacting Lynn Schwartz at 233-4246 or by going to www.candlelightersnv.org.

The run is being sponsored by Land Rover Las Vegas, which will be providing the crew vehicle for the trip. Land Rover has sponsored Rambo on previous runs.

During the run, she will be accompanied by a group of friends. Running alongside her for a few days will be Donna Washburne, a fellow teacher. Running with her between Pioche and Overton will be Lyndsey Sobrero, the principal's daughter.

Although Rambo does not anticipate anything going wrong, she said that navigation, physical exertion and the heat are her biggest areas of concern -- but she will not let that stop her.

"We feel confident," she said. "It's not a race, so that takes a lot of pressure off."