Another great fall day

 Rachel met us on Wednesday up Underwood. I'll admit it, I was worried about the huge bee nest. And Rachel told us about her friends who were attacked by a bear right in this neighborhood. So I was on high alert! 

We had a great ride in spite of all those worries. No bees at the bad spot and no bears jumped out at us; however, Jupes and I got into some bees and Rachel had baby bear prints on her horse trailer. Super cool to think about seeing that baby. LOL

Forest Service woman was working up on our trails looking at the sediment in the water and noting information about the area. It was kind of weird to share our ride area with someone. 

Jupiter, Toby, and Steel were all good boys and did everything we asked of them. Jupes was so happy; he got to run up his favorite steep hill. :) It was a fun day to be out with friends and our boys.

🎶 You Can't Call Him a Cowboy, Until You See Him Ride 🎶

 Well, I may have reached cowboy/girl status finally this month! Earlier, we came across the biggest bee's nest of all time! It was going up Underwood by the big Elderberry bushes. I looked down and saw a tornado of bees. Thankfully we were right on Toby because it's a hill Jupes loves to run. We ran it the fastest I think I may have ever ridden! It's one of our trails that is low overhanging branches and pokie stobs.* We have to make a quick right turn to miss the really low branch that came down a few years ago. He was humping and kicking out like crazy. He got stung a bunch of times. Dang it! I later found I had lost my water bottle. Lynn and Rachel went back and sprayed the nest and retrieved it. Lynn said the nest is enormous and not only took two and half bottles of spray, but it goes horizontal and probably didn't kill all of them. They got spooked by the rumbling the angry bees made and hightailed it outta there! Yikes.

*Interesting fact: the word "stob" comes from "hillybilly slang." LOL. It originated as a Scottish/Old English word that became part of Appalachian and Southern languages. It's defined as "A small, straight stick, peg, or pointed post driven into the ground (such as for a fence or marker), or the leftover stump of a small sapling or bush." You can also use it for stub, or even to stob your toe. hahahahahaha

The second time this month was last Saturday when Lynn ponied Big Zigs. She rode him once and brought him along once before after getting him shod. It went really well, except it hurts her shoulder a bit to always be pulling him along since she doesn't have a horn. (or does she?) Anyway, on Saturday she said, "I think I'll just let him be loose. He'll just follow along." Right. Once he realized he was free--it was on. He ran his big floaty self up the rutted, hard road from the bottom ranch meadow to the top. Jupiter humped and jumped and did some mini buck for joy. He was going to run with his friend! 

I was definitely "clenched" and pulling him up tight. All I could think was, "I am NOT going off here!" It would have broken me. Too hard, too rocky, too many deep holes. So I just screamed at him and yelled, "EASY, EASY!" When we got to the top, there were two men standing next to their vehicles. My first thought was, "Oh please don't shoot us." It's bow season. 

I have said I wondered what they were thinking with all the loud hooves and a woman screaming, "JUPITER!" They probably thought I was fine and was yelling at the horse in front. LOLOLOL Too funny. 

Lynn and her big ideas.

We have had a very different summer. Lynn has had to take care of Lee and then Katie. I have a new puppy who has to have a babysitter when we ride. We have not been as free to ride as we normally would have been. Yet, we have been riding as much as possible and had some great days. We've seen a bear, turkeys, rabbits, COWS (lol), hawks, pileated woodpeckers, and an occasional group of bikers and now hunters. The bees have taken some of shine off, tarnished some of joy, but overall, it's a pleasure to be in the saddle and up on our trails. 

Five Months Later. . .

 Catching up a little. . . 

Lynn and I have had so much going on that I am going to use that as my excuse for not writing on the blog. Some good things have happened: Sweet Georgia Brown, “Georgie,” came into my family in March. She was advertised as a Moyen, but she’s going to be a Mini. Minis are advertised as being “cheeky,” and that fits her perfectly. She is a handful! She is so tiny (and young) that I have to have a babysitter when we ride. Thankfully, Gene really wants me to be available to ride, so he gives up his own activities to hang out at my house with her.  I keep a puzzle on the table, Sudoku on the counter, and there are westerns on the TV, so hopefully it’s only a little boring for him. Lee had an accident the week before Georgie came home with me, so his babysitting days are postponed for now. I know he is sad about it.

Here is her introduction:

Meet Chocolate

Poodle · 3 months old

Chocolate is stunning and petite! She is a snuggle bug, smart, adventurous, aims to please and people focused. We expect her to be 15-25 lbs full grown and 14-17 inches tall. She will make a great family friend!

• Color

• Phantom (non-standard)

• Size

• Moyen

• Expected adult weight

• 15 lbs. - 25 lbs.

*Rachel is available to ride on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so we jump at the chance to ride with her when we can. Last Wednesday, we rode Underwood. It was perfect weather. All the horses and the dogs were happy and we all enjoyed the ride. The only problem is, I thought it was Saturday for the rest of the day! That caused me a couple issues and a missed baseball game. Lol

**We have ridden the ranch a few times and Toby is so good about crossing the creek now! He barely even hesitates. We haven’t seen any animals lately, but the trails are great. A few more trees and large branches have come down, but nothing that stops us. We rode up the steep spot to the road and came home our regular route one day. That was fun--a little added adventure.

***We rode Cobweb alley and not only is it cobwebby, it is poison-oaky!! Sheesh! The poison oak has really enjoyed our weather pattern this year and is super healthy everywhere. We took Rachel up Lynn’s favorite trail one day and it was great. Even the top where the creek ravine is--the motorcycle guys cut the branch coming up to the road and it is easy peasy to navigate now.

****We  rode brushy balls last weekend and bushwacked our way yet another way! Lol Jupes says to me, just let me go. I’ll show you the way. Sheesh. We laughed about how that trail got its name and we took Rachel with us another time. She is a good sport to put up with all our horse yoga. 

*****"Let's just ride the ranch and stay away from the wind on top of the ridge. It'll be easy." HA. Right off the git, there were cows! We had a couple BIG shies from our brave steeds. That set the tone. It was still a little breezy on the ranch and both boys kept an eye out for other monsters and sure enough, a couple deer flashed by. We could hear the wind and decided maybe we should head home after the trip around the loop.

******Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum rode a couple ponies to the turtle pond. LOL. What a day. First of all, Jupiter is clanging not one, but THREE shoes. So we decided not to ride Lynn's favorite trail and instead "just" go to the turtle pond. All was fine until we headed back. Toby started acting like he was going to buck. Lynn got off and walked him a little, kind of looking him over. She got back on and we started off from the pond again. I was in front. I looked down at Jupiter's face and thought, "why does your nose look funny?" We weren't even to the log across the trail and I looked again and saw my headstall "just a swangin'" under his chin. Sheesh Louise. It was broken again. We both jumped off and Lynn fixed it.

Back on and we headed to the left trail--I always think of it as the BIG bull trail. Toby settled down and took the lead. We came to a spot where I think the motorcycles have torn up the trail, leaving it pretty duffy. I saw a root and thought, "that could trip us and yard off one of our loose shoes." Nope. Instead it became a hole and Jupes was kind of pitched forward. His back foot was also in a hole. I was hanging off his neck. Lynn was hollering, "Stay there. I'm coming!" But I couldn't wait. lol. So I flopped off. It wasn't far. Lynn said I had my legs wrapped around Jupes and my arms were around his neck. He was great. He stopped when I asked him to and he just stood still. He's so good.

We got back on and headed out. We rode without incident to the get off spot. Then Lynn saw why Toby was unhappy. His crupper fastener had pulled out of the saddle. Sharp pieces of metal were loose and Lynn has a hoof pick tied to the strap as well. Both were swinging along his hip, but before that, the crupper was in place under his tail, so who knows where he was being touched by those sharp edges. Poor guy. He was trying to tell her.

So anyway, it was a fun day. You know. Just sitting there letting the horses do all the work. Just a a couple of sacks of potatoes rolling along. 

It keeps us healthy and sane and happy.

Barefootin'

 It's Saturday! Ride day! We met Rachel on Underwood to try riding again--this time without boots. I was nervous; I wasn't sure what was going on with Jupiter, but I was willing to try again. We took a different path and missed the low branch bridge this time by skirting the pond. It worked really well. Jupes was a little jiggy and really wanting to charge up the trails. 

We went up to Dad's overlook and there are daffodils coming up! Lynn's bulbs for dad. :) We rode from there to the meadow bog. Jupes took off charging up the hill and I reached for his mane like always and only grabbed a sliver of hair! Dang1 Silly boy has rubbed off my "grab some mane and hold on!" handle. 

Coming down the back side, he got a little jiggy and humped up and kicked out. I got off and took Lynn's advice and tightened his crupper. It worked. He still was a on fast walk, but he relaxed a little and I tried really hard to stay deep in the saddle and back on his butt more. We had a good ride. It felt good to be out there.

Then Rachel could not get Steele into the trailer. That guy is stubborn. Nothing worked. Finally he loaded up with our boys and we took him down the hill to her driveway. She texted Lynn and said she finally loaded him. Yay!

2026 First ride

This is the perfect picture to show our first ride of 2026. First of all, Jupes is shoeless. It's January, after all. So I bought some gold boots for us to ride in when we needed to to. Lynn put them on and we started off toward our Underwood trail. What that means is: Jupes and I started off to our get on stump. Well, there are some little cedars growing up right there and they've gotten bigger. Jupes doesn't like little cedars touching his privates. So we looked around for somewhere to get on. Although that picture is not the very beginning, that view in the picture is how Lynn saw me all day. 

We headed up our trail. boots staying on nicely. We pooped. We peed. All is good. We got up the road a little more and we drank. Easy peasy. When we got to the low bridge branch. I jumped off and we went under it, no problem. Then when I was looking for a place to get back on, I saw that Jupes' foot was out of his boot and it was like an anklet around his leg instead. Lynn came back and worked to put it back on more tightly. I bent down to help and whoosh, down came my chinks around my ankles. ??? What the heck. Cracking up, Lynn helped by unbuckling me and I was able to step out of them. Good grief.

Boot on. Chinks up. And here I am in the picture above, attempting to get on while my saddle swings over. 

As I get on, I tell her my life is out of balance. I have broken three things in last week and I rarely break stuff. I'm pretty careful. Sheesh. Lynn laughs and tells me that if I want to go back and be done, she's fine with that. I say, okay, I could go back. I try not to be the one who says I'm done, but there it is. 

So we start back. The boot comes off again. I think it came off three times total. So I took both off and we went barefoot. We had a pretty good ride through the woods next to the pond and back toward the upper dirt road. Jupes wanted to go a different way and kind of was balky about it. I told him we were headed back the way we came.

Years ago when Jupes and Ziggy were young, I would have issues with Jupiter coming down the first hill. A lot. Haven't had any issues there in a very long time. Actually, haven't had any issues at all for a couple years, I think. Well, today was the day. Kicking up, humping, head tossing, bowed neck. What the heck!? It was a DOGGONE IT, JUPITER! kind of day. Well, end of the day. 

I finally got off right before the little slick spot to the road. 

At least I got to ride. I am so thankful that Lynn is patient and kind and puts up with the two of us. Sheez Louise. He and I are a mess.

Oh and he stepped on my spur and pull me out of it!

 

Links without a story--so far

LHC 50 cent Ride  

Gray's Side 9.16.25

Walking at Sandy Bar 

GRAYS side 10.5.25

Flowers for Mr. Kurtz

Sandy Bar

 Three miles and with Three BAZILLION gnats. Sandy Bar

Lynn is certainly blessed. :)

I'm missing it. I'm going to miss all next week, too. It's tough having friends and family that need me to do stuff. I guess that's another kind of blessing. 

A Wet One

 Lynn is out again:

"I am completely soaked; not smart when you grab a madrone tree at the Slap Trail to push it out of the way so it doesn't take your head off and all the leaves waterfall over you. The temperature of the water cupped in the leaves is cold!"

I texted her: "Where's your chinks?" (Although they wouldn't have helped the top half!)

Silly girl.

Lynn's Bored

 Lynn was bored and restless, so out she went.

Soft Hooves and a Squeaky Saddle

Sunday riding solo

My life is too busy with things that are not riding!! Lynn gets to go solo and I am so envious! Thankfully, I can sit at my meeting and see her pictures and later maybe a Relive video.

Solo Ride

Here are some new trail names for us to use so we'll know exactly what/where we are talking about in our adventures.

 Okay two new names we got: the Flap Trail (yeah I know where that one's at: slap slap slap) and the other one just the Cow Trail then we'll know where we're at and the one where we had the granola bar spot where the deer ran up to me the Baby Bond.

Is there a cow out there?

Living the Life

 I know it's not over yet, but what a great summer we have had! This is truly what retirement should look like! Ride every other day, pickleball, and hang out either knitting, crocheting, or sewing. Right? I'm loving it. I love all the ride mornings we have had.

So, on Tuesday we decided to be brave. Against my better judgment, I might add. lol We stopped at the bottom of steep incline leading up to where the hornets' nest was in the tree. Every day Lynn asks me, "Want to try it?" Every day I say no. Today I said, "I guess." "You can go first," she says, knowing the back rider and horse always get the brunt of an attack. We stopped below the tree and she said, "Let's let them catch their breath and then run up the steep part under the tree and up on to the road." 

Deep breath. Jupes took a deep breath. And then we ran. Right under the broken up paper nest and over the top of the broken pieces on the ground. We hit the road and kept going. I turned back to see Lynn coming up over the rise. Seriously, the nest was maybe six inches above her head. She started shouting, "There a new one! Go! Go!" She didn't have to tell us twice! We were off and running. I could see some dark bodies around her. Both dogs were fine. I think because it's in the tree and not on the ground, they aren't in the line of fire. Thank goodness.

So the doggone things are still there. Crap. But once again, we all made it without being hurt. I'm done with that trail and I'm riding like wind past it on the road.

Thankfully, the rest of the ride was awesome. Beautiful morning cool enough to wear my vest. KD jumped up a couple grouse, but other than the bow hunter in his truck, we were by ourselves out on our favorite mountain. Couldn't ask for more. What a blessing.

Got new shoes on Wednesday; we're ready for more. :)

Ain't nothin' a good trot can't fix

 

Saturday Morning Ride with Rachel

Saturday started with clouds and muggy, humid weather. Neither Lynn nor I slept well the night before and I wasn't really feeling my best. But it's Saturday! Ride day! Rachel had told Lynn the night before she was going to meet up with us at the trailhead on Hennessey. Well, it turns out that her horse Steel (aged 5), wasn't planning on going. She could not get him to load up.

Luckily, Lynn's phone works off and on and can receive texts. She told Rachel we'd wait. So that gave Lynn time to cut blackberries back from the road, allowing her to be able to see where the edge of the ditch is. We hemmed and hawed and then decided we'd tell her where we were and she could ride up to meet us.

Lynn told her to trot up the road (3 miles) to the top. Rachel and Steel just completed an endurance ride, so he's in good shape and knows how to put the miles under his feet. We had already decided to do a long ride and go up Lynn's Favorite Trail since it was pretty nice and only 70 degrees-ish (even cooler on the backside). We waited, but no Rachel. 

Once we got to the bottom meadow, Lynn got a text from Rachel saying she was on the top; Lynn, Toby, and Katie trotted up the road to meet them and bring them down to the trail to the meadow. Jupes and I trotted up the road, but stopped and waited. It's good for him to be alone. He was not happy, but he didn't whinny or act up. Then we heard their voices and we trotted up to meet them around the corner.

From there we headed down to the meadow, across Hoop-de-doo West and on down to Lynn's Favorite and then up, up, up to the turtle pond. Our turtle was swimming! It was so cool to see him again. Heading out from there, we went up toward the road and took the left hand trail that leads to the fork off the left hand road so we could hit the top of Live Oak Spur and the Hobbit House Trail. 

Suddenly: BIG SHY! All three horses splayed out and made us laugh. The rogue bull was right there. He is HUGE and his horns are well defined. He has gotten to be a beauty. He was there and then he wasn't. I do not know how something so big can disappear so quietly. I loved seeing him. 

We came down our regular trail and so far so good, right? No bees all day. Then Jupes threw his head down (on a steep incline with his front feet in a deep indention in the trail) and started swinging his head. I about went straight over his head! Sheesh. Lynn hollered, "Are there bees?" I could not see anything because we were in thick bushes and his head was between his knees. I pulled him up and we trotted out. Lynn saw the problem: prickly pinecones had rolled down under his legs, following his path, and poking him in the fetlocks. 

I don't know if it was the breakfast hay left in the field, a new horse with us on the trail, or the cool weather on the mountain, but we trotted, jigged, and ran up hills the whole time. Since "there was no work in horseback riding," I don't know why I am so tired and beat up! LOL. Toby touched noses with Steel when they first met and he acted silly all day, too. He likes having new friends, that one.

After a good, long ride, all is well in my world. 

So happy!

Here it is! The big nest. Empty hopefully. We just don't know where the hornets went. This is an answer to prayers! We rode up the road and when we got near, we trotted hard past the where the trail meets the road. We looked back and there it was. Crushed. We can't tell if it got knocked out the tree by a branch or something or got too heavy. It is big! It was on the back side of the tree and pretty high, so that's why we didn't see it. But, dang! we had to have gone under it a bunch of times! 

The rest of the ride was pretty fun. We rode Cobweb Alley backwards. Still vigilant, but fun. Poor Jupes--every time he put his head down to scratch or shook his head, I was quick to kick him into action. Just in case. . .  lol 

There were spider webs everywhere. Lynn usually carries a madrone branch and swings it around to clear them out. I guess I missed one and left it swinging. She lost her branch when she swooped it out of her path. :) This is was she looks like: An invention for Lynn!

We finished our ride early and beat the heat. Two hours is better than none! I am glad we get to go out and with our horses and dogs (and of course, each other!). 

 

Gun Shy

 

Hornet

Where to start? Bald faced hornet/wasp? Or a gigantic horse fly?

Gigantic horse fly

Whatever it was, we got swarmed. All I can tell you is they were black. Thankfully Jupiter only got one sting and Ziva was smart enough to go around them. I saw one zooming up by Lynn and Toby, but we had a bunch. They quit following us about 20 yards up the road. Jupes humped and kicked out, but listened to my shrill, high-pitched scream, "GO!", and ran, still kicking out and head down, but ran! Sheez Louise. 

It sucked the joy right out of the day!

We kept going, but both our heads were down, looking for ground nests, and occasionally looking up for paper nests. Doggone it! Not fun.

We took a few days off and when Lynn asked me where I wanted to go, I was quick with the answer, "Underwood." Although we have come across bees in the ground near the boys' favorite grass meadow and once by the creek bed, both were a long time ago. So off we went. Both of us were still scanning the ground and trees, but I felt more relaxed and I think she was, too. The boys have been getting hay for breakfast and dinner and they had lots of energy. It was a quick, fun ride.

A Quickie

"Good, good times and tan lines"

 

Monday we headed for Mt. Shasta to stay with Cathy. Tuesday morning, Karrie Ann, Cathy, Lynn, and I drove to Lover's Camp in the Klamath Forest Service area. We rode 12.8 miles round trip into the Sky High and Frying Pan lakes. We were under the Marble Mountain ridge and near the PCT. There were TONS of flowers, step ups, large slick rock areas, and lots of water crossings. It started to rumble as we got nearer the trailhead and even sprinkled on us. We talked to the women taking in the pack train of mules to take groceries to the CCC and then move them to a new camp. We later met them on the trail as they were coming in and we were heading out. All the horses did great! Lynn said it was a day of learning experiences for TC. It was super fun. (I'll try to write more later and add pics.)

Marble Mountain Wilderness

Wednesday we rode around Karrie Ann's place. We crossed the train tracks, rode some dirt roads, and did a little cross country, trailess treks. It was good for all of us to loosen up after the long ride yesterday (sitting in my saddle always feels good!) and before we put the boys in the trailer for the ride home.

Mt. Shasta and riding with Cathy and Karrie Ann is one of my favorite destinations. 

Next Up: Riding with Rachel

 

Rachel and Lynn's first outing. Rachel is riding Jackson and brought her dog Derby.

Big Zigs' First Ride 2025

Once a "fancy mule" always a "fancy mule." LOL,  Unfortunately, we never get pics when he's wild!

 I paid to have shoes put on Zigs.   He has not been ridden in a year.  Thought I better get him out.   He comes and I halter him.    Tie him up, go get the pickup to hookup.   Figured I'd go make a turn around the ranch.   Zigs was all alone.   Poor baby.   He lost his brain.    He did 5 miles before I even got him saddled.    He went back and forth, leaping into the air.   Whinny for his buds.    I had the saddle on him for a moment.   Then I grabbed the latigo as it was going over the other side.   I got it to the ground and he of course went right over it.   I got the saddle moved, picked up the saddle pad.    Looked at him like you moron.   This went on for 30 minutes or so.   I just looked at him.  On the plus side, he looked good being stupid.    I thought he was getting worse.  I put a rope halter on top of the other halter, which is not small enough.   

I was tired just watching him.    I thought he'll wear himself out.    Nope.   I had an idea.   I'll go get one of the others and tie up beside him.  That way maybe he can find his brain again.   It's getting late now.   But I am riding him.    Tied Toby next to him, saddled him and loaded him up.   Took TC back to the field.  All the while Zigs is wearing a hole in the trailer.  Wishing I was riding TC.    

I drive up Hennessey to ride the ranch.   I leave the halter on.   I walk him up the road to get on.   I'm on!  Oops, Alisa stirrups.   Get back off.  Fix them.   I walk up the trail to a rock to get back on.    We go back down to the road and across down into the ranch.    

We are going along, everything is fine.   Then I hear something.   Stop.   Listen.  Coyotes!    I keep going.  Kate is listening.   I told her to stay close.   Not sure how much she knows, but she never went further than 10-15 feet from me.  A digger squirrel even crossed in front of her, like right in front of her.   She turned to me, I said no, stay with me.   She was listening to the coyotes.   She sensed it was dangerous.   Her tail was tucked most of the time they were howling.    We had a good ride.   We saw 2 deer in the meadow, that's rare.   I thought maybe because the coyotes are close.   A few coveys of quail, lots of young ones.     We went out the steep west side past the old homeless camp and down our trail.   He was perfect.   I got off and as we got close to the pickup he started looking for buddies, he whinnied for them.   I said you idiot, you came alone.    Boy was he sweating.    

All in all it was a good ride.   No more to the ranch, until it rains.   The star thistle is horrible and has bad grasses.   

Zigs and Lynn

Smoothin' it out

 After all the bee incidents, we needed a ride that was smooth and stress-free, so went up Underwood. It was a little weedy and overgrown, but a great ride. We did it backwards and honestly, did a lot of ground watching here, too. We have only encountered bees here twice ever and I always really pay attention in those two places, but it's been a long while. It was a fun ride and we did the extra loop portion on the end. It was a good day and I think all our nerves were soothed.

Next time we rode around the ranch. We went through the deep mud and trickling creek and although he hesitated, TC powered through. He has grown so much in confidence and trust. Lynn and Shirley always say, "Pretty is as pretty does." Well, he is a pretty boy who looks good doing it. :)

We saw the cows and were happy to see that there was a young one. They gave us a wide berth and we laughed to see how you can't tell it was ever weedeated! Sheesh! Blackberries will eventually cover the whole world!

We got new shoes last weekend and already rode some of the shine off. :) We loaded up some bee spray and hiked up the spot where Jupes first got into them. Dang cowboy boots are slick and not made for that kind of walkin'! I think I went up one step only to slide back to where I started at least four times. Lynn sprayed one spot that looked ominous, but we did not see them. It's been so hot that we know from experience the bees are active and mean--another good reason to go out early. We spent a lot of the ride looking for bees and we agreed that some of the joy is tarnished with ground watching vigilance and ear straining for overhead buzzing. But any day a horseback is a good day, so no complaining.

It was great, until it wasn't

 

 Last Friday, Scott Pickering and I talked turtles. He had a three-legged turtle story. I said we try to sneak up on them at the turtle pond, but with the grass so tall and taking over the water, we haven't heard or seen one in long while. WELL! Today there was one in the grassy area 10' from the edge of the water. Neither the dogs nor the horses saw him. We couldn't tell which way he was headed, but we didn't mess with him/her. Go where you're going, turtle. Do what you're doing. It was awesome. That was the great part of the day. We left there with big smiles on our faces and sunshine in our hearts.

Five minutes later, things were not so fun. We headed up from the turtle pond and took a sideways, steep deer trail up to Indy's frog pond. Suddenly, Jupes was crow hopping like mad. Bees! Doggone it! I was trying to get his attention and get him to listen to me. I wanted him to run and get away from them. Instead he was trying to get them off him. I didn't see them or hear them. I was desperately trying to get his head up so we could get away from there. Lynn was up the hill a ways from me, but I could hear her yelling to get off. There was no way. One the landing was treacherous and full of downed limbs; two, tough to dismount when your legs are alternately wrapped around his belly or kicking to get him to move (forward, rather than up and down). I think I made the eight second ride. Anyway, he finally brought his head up to rub it against the tree directly in front of us (another reason why I was not considering getting off). I pulled for all I was worth and headed him up the hill. 

We ran toward where Lynn was just as Katie decided to come and help me. She ran toward us barking, but thankfully did not get close enough to get in the bees or kicked. Ziva missed them, too. When I slowed down near Lynn, she said, "Geez. You gotta get off up here." I looked down and my headstall was broken and only around Jupes' ears and neck. The rest of it was swinging free. I figure he broke it on the tree, but it could be why I could not get his head up--maybe I pulled so hard the leather ripped; it is old. Anyway, zero steering/head control.

I got off, pulled off a leather string I keep tied on my breast collar for emergencies or to tie something on with (like a my halter on a long ride, or my shirt on hot ride), and checked Jupiter while Lynn fixed my headstall. He let me just hold his head and rub and his ears. I checked all around, but there were no more bees on him. 

So this was the second time. Neither time did I see or hear any bees. This also isn't how he used to react to them. We have been in bees lots of times. We've both been stung. Usually I can get him to listen to me and run away. Both of these times he just stayed in place and crow hopped with his head down by his feet. So I asked Lynn whether she thought this was a new way of misbehaving or if there really were bees. She was stymied, too. I wasn't sure I saw any lumps or bumps that could have been stings. He's been so perfect that I although I am very diligent about watching, I think I just missed seeing the nests. 

Then we took off down the hill. I was in front and we turned to get off the excavator road to join our old trail. Jupes humped up again and started kicking out. I hurried and got him lined out and headed down the hill just as Lynn yelped and TC did some hopping. This time she not only saw a bee, it stung her on the cheek. I hollered for her to hurry up and get back on the excavated road with me. She's allergic. So she pulled out the liquid Benadryl from her pack and swigged some. She fished out some ice from her thermos and put it in a paper towel and road home holding it on her cheek. It was swollen and "twingy," she said, but no throat closing or scary reactions. Well that answered my bee/behavior question, I guess. 

We decided to just road ride down the hill, which makes for a boring and longer ride, but safe from active, hot bee nests. Our plan was to cut off once we reached the lower trail that we rode up without incident. But no Ziva. I'm calling and calling. Lynn said, "I'll bet she took the trail. She knows where she's going." I rode back up the road calling and whistling for her. I couldn't hear her "jingle-jangles." Lynn asked me if I just wanted to go ahead and ride down the trail. Not really. It's steep and if we hit bees, it will be disastrous (for me). lol When his head is on the ground, AND his butt is in the air, gravity will take over! Sheer will and legs like clamps are all that will keep me from being a projectile! And then where would he go? I don't want to think about it. But YES, let's go down the trail. 

Sure enough. There was Ziva looking at us like, "What? I'm right here." I did see one hole with bees circling it near the trail, but I moved Jupes out quickly and everyone was okay. We made it off the steep part without incident and then down the trail we had already ridden. Lynn's bite was swollen, but she was okay. 

Back at The Place, I gave Jupiter a thorough going over. Yep. Swollen patches where he got stung on the belly. Maybe a stinger hole on his nose. TC had a couple swollen places where he got it, too. Jupes did not do a good job of teaching TC how to run quickly away from them. Dang! Lynn said it seems too early for this many hot bee nests. But it has been the right kind of weather. . . 

We will have to plan for the bees next time, but once we were back in the truck we focused on the turtle joy. 

Out Early

 

This is the "Yellow Brick Road;" it's always golden through here.

The days are heating up again, so we were out and about not much after 6am. A local woman was supposed to meet us for a ride, but she overslept. Too bad! If you want to hang out with Lynn, you have to be an early bird. :) She sent Lynn pictures of her solo ride in the heat of the day--it looked like she ponies one and rides one and has two dogs. It turns out she's an endurance rider, so we would probably be too slow for her since other than running up a steep hill, we only trot in a few places. 

So off we went. We watched for that one lone bull that we've seen on trail since we found some fresh cow splats, but didn't see him or any of the others. Neither of the boys acted like something was out there, so, who knows. I think Jupes and I got into some bees--I never saw them, but he acted the way he does sometimes when we hit them. I finally got him to listen to me and we were able to move away from the site. Ziva was also rubbing at her face, so I checked her, but again no sign of bees. I even checked for snake bite on both of them. All was fine once we moved away from there. Of course it is the steep part just below the road where we join up below the top. There was a paper nest in a tree there last year, but we could skirt around it. We will carry some bee spray up there, but we'll have to ride the road around the corner to look for them instead of coming up the trail. Bummer. It was nice to cut off that road riding.

At the top, Lynn said she had an idea. Usually, that's a scary sentence that sometimes leads to a funny situation. Lol. This time it was just that, a good idea. We rode Cobweb Alley to Lynn's Trail, all the way to the Turtle Pond, and then out before it heated up too much. Cobweb Alley to Lynn's Trail

Along the way we ran into a guy and his dog out cutting wood and placing his game cameras up for deer season. He said he always gets a buck here. Hmm. We never see them, but he said he already saw one on his camera. It turns out he is Awok Skeeter's cousin. Seemed like a nice guy. He showed us a picture of his Rocky Mountain Gaited Horse. 

This week I have jury duty, so I don't know when I'll get to ride next. It's supposed to get really hot today and tomorrow and then cool off again. Fourth of July is Friday. Maybe next Saturday (or maybe I'll be dismissed from jury duty early!) we can go back up to Little Happy Camp and ride the other side.

This log used to be out in the pond; we used to see turtles jumping off into the water as we approached. now it is out of the water. The pond got really high this winter and the log moved, then the water receded. With all the grass, we can no longer see the pond water--only the black mud the dogs carry out with their feet! lol Sometimes we can see a bear wallow over on the south end.

There are still wildflowers blooming and the burrs and stickers are holding off a bit, so the dogs are happily tape free. We have to check for foxtails after each ride, but it hasn't felt like summer riding, yet. It's still spring on the mountain. :)