Trail Trials

Wahoo! We finally got to ride our horses on Saturday. It is unbelievable to me that we have not ridden since November--that is the longest we have ever gone without riding. Last year we rode in February's snow and in March we rode just about every weekend (at least that's what I think I remember!).

Anyway, we went to the BCHA's Trail Trials in Ferndale. Last year we worked. This year, we had it scoped out, so we near some of the outbuildings near a patch of lawn. The boys got to eat out of their hay bags and stand on grass, rather than the blacktop. Both of them are shoeless and tenderfoots.

After we brushed, and brushed, and brushed, and then cleaned the dirt and hair off OUR faces (the wind was blowing), we saddled them and rode around a circle drive. Boy, it felt good to be in the saddle. Then we headed over to the arena. We had the option of walking them through the obstacles first, but we elected to just do them.

We started with a gate. But it didn't seem like it worked right. So I just walked him through it and then over the to the mounting block. I got on and went around the gate to the next obstacle. Lynn did the same thing. I didn't really see her again for a bit, because of course, Zigs just went through everything and Jupes is the shy guy.

Next were the turkeys and a 30 inch step over log. Jupes sniffed the turkeys, sniffed the log, backed up and went over. The second time we did it, he would not go over it. We went around the edge and he sniffed all those turkeys and went back over the log from that side, but still would not over it from the right side. ?? It must have smelled funny on that side or something. We walked through the brush and logs--no big deal.

Next was pulling a LOG--way bigger and heavier than it should have been. Jupes was like, "What are you doing? What is behind me? Oh no, you are not making me pull that horse-eating, loud thing back over there!" So we drug it and then I dropped the rope.

The tent, dog, little girl inside the tent, and two women standing there gave Jupes pause. He looked at the fake deer and said, "I'll stay here. Can I come in the tent? Do you have granola bars in there?" Finally we got past them and turn into the "forest" with the bear skin, wild cat skins, sheep skins, and he relaxed. Later, both of us were in there waiting our turn and they just stood there; it was no big deal.

Then came the silver pond. No way, Jupes said! I don't like it. We never went through it; he wouldn't even get close enough to smell it. He wouldn't follow Zigs. Nope. Not going.

We went by the backpacker--no big deal, didn't even look at her. We went over the tippy bridge several times. No big deal. We kind of back down the trail by the chicken. I need to work on backing--he'll do it, but really only interested in it when he sees the purpose. :) We went over the logs and turned the way we were supposed to turn. Then came the llama. He touched noses with it. The next time, the llama was peeing, so Jupes was like, "Give him some privacy! Plus he's stinky." Then he asked the guy for a treat.

The trash was kind of a big deal. He didn't want to go through the pit with the trash. Go figure. He's not used to seeing litter? We finally did. We attempted to side step down some PVC. He would have if he could have figured out what I was asking him to do--it was my fault and I was trying not to be in the way. He was so good.

It was fun and I'm glad we went. I am super proud of how well both of them did. They're turning 14 and it shows.

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.

Doggone it! Stung by wasps!

New shoes on Wednesday and a short ride today. We were surprised by wasps today. We were right by the horizontal tree that we have to skirt around (the one Keota thinks he can go under) and then dip down and around. Well, Lynn pulled up quick with us right on Zig's tail. She said, "Something's out there!" I am thinking hunter. She was thinking bear. I think it may have been a couple does after all, but as she was looking, I said, "I'm getting buzzed; let's go." Then I got stung. Then she got stung. We each had a wasp IN our helmets.

As you can imagine, we made fast trip down the slope and jumped off our horses pulling our helmets off as we went. We both had a wasp in our hair. Lynn had her head upside down and running her hands over her hair---once it was free of her curls, it flew right out. I had such a tight ponytail, I could not get it loose. Eventually, I did and the wasp flew free. Lynn is thinking that the nest is in the trees versus on the ground because the horses and dogs were fine (thank goodness!) and we both got stung about the same height.

Lynn got it on the base of her skull. It did swell up and it gave her funny tingles the rest of the day. She drank some liquid Benedryl right away, so I think that helped. I had a little also. My ear was on fire and swelled up a little, but I am not allergic, so I wasn't worried about me. Lynn handled her sting just fine and we made it out okay.

We came back and did cowgirl chores: fixed fence and moved pallets. Nothing stops us, but next time they get double barreled wasp spray.

A great month!

I lost August somewhere along the way (in the smoke, maybe?). . . but, September has been awesome. It began with Alisa's birthday. Lynn and I took our boys and our girls and went Quincy. We rode with Suzy and Magpie. We went up into the Caribou Wilderness and did a loop around a bunch of lakes--Beauty, Emerald, Betty, Eleanor, Long, Gem, and more and more. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was 12 miles.

The next day we went to the Pacific Crest Trail, off Hwy 70, I think, and rode north. What a hoot! We met tons of hikers who were friendly and told us their trail names and where they were from. They all liked the dogs and the horses. It was super dusty and the dogs were very tired at the end. Next time we go, we will go when it is a little wetter and not so dusty. Although we made the decision to turn back before we got to a river crossing, I think we rode seven miles up and then back (14 miles). It was fun.

Then it was Native American ceremonies weekend. Suzy and Alisa came here! Unfortunately, Ziggy started us off with a hole in his leg and a trip to the vet on Thursday. So Lynn and I did not ride that day, we just took Jupiter and Ziggy on a trailer ride to town.

Friday, Lynn rode Buster, who was so happy to go! We rode 14 miles around Gray's Falls and our Hennessey loops. The dogs did fine and it was beautiful day. We all wore bright blue so no hunters could mistake us for deer and all the horses did great. On Saturday, we left the girls with Lee and headed to Orick.

We did the short, three hour loop in a little over two. Then we threw them in the trailer and went to Clam Beach for a quick ride on the sand. As usual, the beach makes for an exciting ride--LOL. Although beach riding is fairly boring, our horses are not. All of them were a little keyed-up, some more than others. I am always happy to be done, even though, Jupes did really well (no pink monsters this time!).

This weekend, Alisa came over again! Yaaay! We rode all around Hennessey. Lynn rode Ziggy and he did fine. (I forgot to ask Lynn how many miles we went on her new app.) We saw lots of vehicles as evidence of hunters, but we didn't see any out and about--even though, Jupes was sure they were nearby.

So that ends September. Looking back, it feels like it just started! Wet blankets, old friends, new friends, and our favorite animals made it one of the best months in a long time. :)

Closing of July and the beginning of August

Well, it seems that even though I have had a lot of time off, I have not made time for sitting here and writing down all our cool stuff!

1. Lover's Camp was awesome! I had a great time camping with my besties: dogs, horses, people. The weather was great, the trails fantastic, and although the road was tricky and stressful, I think it was a wonderful experience overall.

2. We are having an early fire season. The people who know about these things say that although it is just the full first week of August, the fuel in the forest is at September's dryness level. Not good. Southern Oregon was hit really hard by lightning and there are many fires just over our border to the north. To our east, the horrendous Carr fire is still raging and only at 49% contained because of the tricky winds in that area. To our south, the Mendocino fire is now the second worst of California's history. There is also a smaller, but still large, fire threatening to join up with it. Not good. We might need to buy a big ferry boat so we can put all our animals, family members, and whatever else we want to keep and set sail on the bay!

Actually, we have been lucky. Lynn and I rode every Saturday in July. We missed a few Sundays because the smoke was creeping over the mountains to our east and there has been smoke coming down the ridgeline from the north, but we still managed at least one day every weekend. Gotta count our blessings.

3. August has started off cooler in temperature for us. We rode both days last weekend and it was in the low 50s when we started out. The horses felt good and we rode at a good clip all day. We had two very tired dogs at the end. Jupes found another gear to hit--and it was fast! As long as he doesn't kick his heels up for joy and I stay centered and seated, we're good. Ziggy was also good for a hard trot and canter. Going downhill, his favorite, I heard Lynn yell, "Stop it! You are not going to buck!" I saw his head swivel in 360 degrees circle and his hind end was swiveling the opposite way. Yep, he was feeling good.

Side note: when I find my camera cord/cable, I will upload the downed tree in our turnout parking place. Yep. The snag fell and broke up all over our spot. I have a picture of Logger Lynn carrying a huge chunk of it. :) It was really dead and light. I brought home a bunch to use as fire starter.

So, although we are hurting and praying for our sister counties and the forests that surround both them and us, we are doing well and planning our next riding adventures.

June has been good to us. . .

June was a good month for riding. We have ridden every single weekend and add in today, 4th of July, and it all adds up to big smiles that signal wet saddle blankets, happy dogs who've lost weight and are both at their top physical shape, and a few bruises from errant "stobs" (I know you know what I mean, but what is their real name--if there is one--and how it is spelled?). 😆

One day we were coming down the trail and saw that someone had been out cutting a fire break. We turned right down the road toward our Gray's Falls trail and decided to ride it backwards and wa-la! there was a great fire break trail. We rode it and it turned into what seemed like an old trail--minus the overgrowth--and we went way back into forest above Hawkins Bar/Burnt Ranch. We thought maybe we could even get a hamburger at The Rockslide if we turned on down that way. :) We rode all over in there--probably about 3 ½ to 4 hours. It was a great find. We plan to go back that way again soon.

Another day, we (Lynn mostly) worked on clearing out the poison oak so we could ride one of our old trails that comes up the mountain from the below the little granola meadow. It used to be one that both Brady and Jupiter liked to run up, then a tree fell across it and we have had to bushwhack around it. Well, there are motorcyclists using some of our trails and creating a few of their own and they cut the tree! I am sure they completely appreciate Lynn's sacrifice of catching poison oak in order to make it a really great trail. I know I do!

The new saddle has been a blessing for Lynn and Ziggy. He is doing super with it. Poor Buster has to stay home, but Lynn gives him lots of attention. Ziggy has been being weirder than normal about peeing. It takes him forever to find the right spot. He drags his feet along the way until finally, FINALLY, he kicks his leg over. Sheesh. I hear Lynn say, "You are driving me crazy!" Jupiter is constantly looking for a spot to grab some green grass, because, "208! I'm losing weight!!" Although he decided at the last minute to jump the black, mushy water hole and I was caught off guard, but I still managed a one leg--foot out of the stirrup--clamp around his lower neck--and stayed in my saddle--he has been such a pleasure to ride. Yep, sometimes I still do tricks.

Today, Lynn kept smelling smoke--like campfire smoke. When we were coming down the hill, I thought I could see the mountain range across the river looking smoky. Sure enough, it is seeping over our way. We are both hoping the fires are contained and that there won't be any lightning strikes to cause anymore. We have been having so much and we want to ride as much as possible!