New England in the fall. . .DC in the spring. . .yeah, yeah whatever--pretty leaves and cherry blossoms. We've got Redding in February! (: After holding our breaths all week, we gathered up horses and headed out.
Our first stop (after lunch with Alisa) was the Clikapudi Trail on the southeast side of Lake Shasta. What a gorgeous day! Bright sunshine and no jackets (for a couple of hours anyway) and we wound our way around a loop that was an easy ride and snake-free. We met an endurance rider who was less than friendly and we got out of his way and didn't let his angst touch us. Haylee disappeared for longer than any of us were comfortable with, but she barked and let us know there was a bicyclist down on the trail before she ran like the wind to catch up. She and Sammi had a great day.
The horses got to see their first power boats and hear them suddenly start up and roar off. Ziggy and Buster were pretty sure that they probably ate horses, too. Once when Ziggy was behind Jupiter, Zigs got spooked by something (unusual for Mr. Calm-Nothing-Bothers-Me) and tucked his tail and charged up behind us which got Jupes moving too, because he wants to make sure any horse-eating monsters get whoever is behind us! It was a real pleasurable day and everyone behaved (horses, dogs, even us!).
Next we drove to the Loomis Horse Motel in Anderson. I was worried about Jupiter being mean to Keota in the corral and he was. He bucked and kicked at him, but there was a pretty little blonde mare next to the corral and he fell in love. His first crush. He arched his neck over the fence and was cheek to cheek with her. He did not let anyone else get near her. Every now and then she would squeal and kick and he would run off all puffed up and looking good. They rolled and drank and ate and settled down for the night.
The next morning we had breakfast with the Loomis family and they told us one of the boards got busted between the two corrals. I worried that it was Jupiter being stupid. Later I thought maybe it was the mare, because the novelty had worn off and Jupes wasn't interested in her anymore--maybe he decided he didn't want a high-strung new friend.
Kate and her daughter Kori took us out back--on the trails that lead off their property. Buster was higher than a kite and gave Shirley a ride. Jupes stayed with him and we ended up leaving Ziggy and Keota way behind and the two Halflingers somewhere in the middle of us. I felt kind of bad, because I know Zigs cannot stand for us to be so far ahead and Keota was wound up, too, but Buster was over the top!
I learned that llamas are the best watchdogs for sheep because they are mean and will fight coyotes or wolves. As cool as that is--llamas and sheep coming up behind Zigs and Keota was almost more than they could take. Jupes shot through the gate (again--monsters eat the ones in back, right?) and then he was fine.
Buster finally settled down a little and we got to ride with our hosts and visit. We rode on dirt roads and trails and tootled around in the brush--making our own trail with Lynn busting out the saw and clippers, just like at home. The boys got to see their first pigs and that was an adventure, too.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and we rode down on the Hennessey meadow. It was slick in some spots, but do-able. There were cows, calves, and tons of frogs singing. All in all, it was a great weekend and I am so happy we got to do it! We made new friends and got to hang out and laugh together. Wet blankets and good times! I am ready to do it again.
It's a do-over! Maybe before the weather gets too hot over there.
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