Afternoon Delight

We had big plans to ride after we went to town on Saturday. You know, grocery shopping and home, right? Ha. We shopped that town like crazy. We went to the Discovery store and spent how much? Oh yeah, I did find the ONE thing I was looking for--in addition to five other things I bought. Lynn found a few tablecloths, which I think she was actually looking for. :)

Oh and Joann Fabrics! Ha. How fast can two crafty, always thinking "hmm," kind of women, get out of Joann's? Not until they have SAVED at least $50 (it was actually more like $150 between us!). Then there's Winco. Everyone in Humboldt County was there. Every cashier line had 4-5 people with full baskets. Costco? Yep. Busy. We diddled around and when we got home and it was 3:30-4:00 by the time groceries, etc. were unloaded.

So we planned to go early--7:00--Sunday morning. Lynn called at 5:30, "Umm, it's really cold here." Ya think? It was 28 degrees. So we postponed our ride til after church. What a glorious decision! We have been talking about going to the Hoop-de-do trail and wanted to do it before it was too slick. We have not ridden it in forever.

We rode down to the meadow, across the creek, and to the trail. We loped and trotted at a good pace the whole time. The boys were excited to go somewhere different. They had fun. It was beautiful! The trees were bright yellow and there were leaves everywhere on the ground, too. It was a bit overgrown since we have been there to break off branches and whatnot, but it was in pretty good shape for as far as we were able to go. We knew there was a bunch of downfall that kept us from reaching the road, but now there is a big tree across that we couldn't get around to even get that far. But it didn't dampen our spirits. We turned and loped and trotted our way back out.

Then we took the trail that skirts around the meadow and worked our way backward to the north end of the trail and looped back to the meadow and then back up the way we came down. The boys were sweaty and the sun was way over the mountain, so we walked the last bit of upper meadow and the road back to the trailer to let them dry off a bit. Lynn and I had smiles a mile wide (I think the horses did, too!). It was just what we both needed before heading back into the work week. Even thinking about it later made me smile.

Jupes is transitioning into his lope more easily and we are loping a lot more. (He is trying to keep up with that tall drink of water who effortlessly runs the trails ahead of him!) I think the two of them had a fun day, too.

Anyway, it was fun and just absolutely gorgeous. Bring the rain on! This memory will carry me for at least one weekend. :)

Fall colors and good rides

Showed up to ride on Saturday of the last weekend in October to this! How crazy! We thought it had fallen, but no! It was cut down and then got hung up in the big oak. It's crazy. And dangerous. AND hanging over our "bathroom." It might be more than just dangerous when they attempt to cut the tree--it might doggone messy--if you get my drift. :) I just can't figure how why anyone would cut it and leave it like that. It doesn't make any sense. It obviously was not going to be a clean fall. And it's a fir.

 Our get on log is a mess, but Lynn picked up an entire tree (ha ha), okay, an entire block of a tree, that was as light as a pillow, but tall enough for us to use as a mounting block, and away we went.

October has been good to us. We have gotten good use out of our shoes. We haven't ridden far, but we've had good rides. We went down on the ranch one day, Underwood one day, and the rest have been mostly on the Hennessey. We dubbed our left hand ride, "Deadwood Ridge." There were other options as well, "Dead Tree Trail," "Widow-maker Trail," and other more alliterative names that I can't remember. Anyway, you probably get it--a good, strong wind and our trail is going to change. I just don't want to be there when it happens!

Last weekend, both Lynn and I had the same thought at the same time: we need to ride our old hoop-de-doo trail off the ranch. Our intention was to do it before it gets too slick, but with our latest weather, we may have missed our opportunity.

Shirley's birthday lands on a Sunday and we have been mentally trying to prep her for a little ride on Star. She has been very tentative, but recently, she got her "blood up" chasing some dogs who she said were chasing the horses. Ever since, she has been way more mobile and independent. She has been riding on the 4-wheeler with Lynn to feed every night. :) Lately, she has been talking more about riding. Hopefully, she is talking herself into it. I think it would do her good.

Today is TGIF and tomorrow, I am meeting my cousin in Redding, so no riding. Hopefully we can start off our November rides on Sunday. We have a few more weeks left on our shoes; then, bring on the rain! I'm ready.