We're riding!

Good grief! I think about writing on the blog all the time, but have not sat down to do it! Mostly because I wanted to post pictures, too. Well, forget it for now. I will just ramble on without them.

First of all, one day Lynn and I drove up to our new spot, Happy Camp. We wanted to check the roads. I have some good footage of Lynn logging with her new battery chainsaw, which was awesome! We kicked rocks. We dragged branches and some trees off the road. There was some good wood lying about, but we didn't have room for that kind of stuff. We were busy. It was fun. There might some snow on the back side, but today was pretty warm. . .probably 70, so it won't last.

We have ridden three times since Social Distancing and the Corona Virus hit our world. First we went up Hennessey. When we started out, we were pretty sure we heard two bobcats? mountain lions? caterwauling at each other not far up the road toward the meadow. Lynn put the bear bells on Haley and we headed quickly up the trail away from the sound. I admit I was nervous and kept looking back over my shoulder.

The highlight, besides being ahorseback, were the turtles at the pond. We were happy because we didn't see any last year and were worried that they had been eaten. Nope. Lynn thinks there were probably 20. Of course I didn't get to see them on the log, but pretty sure I saw a big one on the bottom. There were lots of branches down and some new trees, but Deadwood Ridge is still clear.

Jupiter was kind of a pill. Usually it's the second time out, but he was worrying about his belly. He wanted grass or he wanted to go home and eat the hay that might be gone before he got there. He is a horse that needs to be ridden and ridden often. On the way down the hill, both Jupiter and Ziggy were continually look back and listening. Jupes was a bit nervous, so I was on high alert, too.

Day two we went up Underwood and went boonie-crashing! What a blast. We parked down on the road where we used to park before it got so busy. Then we picked our way up our old trail. We had so much fun. There was a tiny bit of snow here and there, but the boys got to eat grass and we came down and around and ended up on the road that forks to the south (if that makes sense!). We didn't go by the pond and where we have been parking, so we still don't know if we can get up there, but it was a glorious day. I loved it.

Last Thursday, Lynn took a V-day afternoon. Call it a vacation afternoon or a Vicki day (because I'm home)--doesn't matter, it was fun. Shirley and Buster came, too. We rode down on the Hennessey Ranch. We went backwards on our trail and let the horses eat some more grass. On the way, we made a trail to the south side of the road and came out up on the main road. Again, it was fun. Jupes does best when he needs to think about his feet. :) Buster and Shirley did well, too.

So that's it. Three times is better than no times. It has been raining and cold here for months. I am not complaining, but I sure missed riding.

Summer to Fall in a matter of hours

Although as I drive between my house and Lynn's, or my house and school, or geez--my house and anywhere, I compose blog posts in my head about our rides. Unfortunately, I don't seem to sit here and actually write them down!! I am not sure why I don't seem to have any time--I don't know what I am doing with my time--but I haven't used it to write.

For the second year in a row, we went to Quincy over Labor Day weekend. This year we had great rides along Buck's Lake with Alisa, Suzy, and all our dogs. It was a beautiful day and other than "adding a mare to the mix," the ride was uneventful and even the bees didn't interfere with our overall happiness at being ahorseback. :)

The second day we rode into Meadow Valley (is that the right name?), a relatively flat, open forest area. It was really pretty and allowed us to create our own trails. Being away from home felt like a mini vacation and no vacation is better than being with friends, the horses, and our Poodles!

Lynn and I had a weekend of Plan A, Plan B, and then Plan C. It worked out, but it was a bit of a mess. We just had to laugh. Plan A was starting out for the High Road. It was our BIG plan. We were going to make a loop and had all our tools with us. We left the dogs behind because Haley had a pulled muscle and we were going to be out there for awhile. Well, as we were pulling out of the driveway, a car pulled up to us and said there was a fire. I had seen the same smoke and Lynn and I had talked about it, but we didn't really take it into consideration. So based on the info from tourists, Lynn called it in. Then she said she wanted to see it; so we drove toward Salyer. Yep. There was the smoke, just like it was reported, BUT Lynn realized it was near Ziegler Point which is right where we were headed. So we reluctantly scratched Plan A.

Plan B: we headed to Hennessey to ride up and around Gray's Falls, down to the rolling hills above Heidi's, and up Lynn;s favorite trail. We know how to make lemonade from lemons! We had a new fun plan. That is until we were on the trail. Jupes didn't feel right to me. So before we had gone very far, I said I need to check his feet for rocks. I picked up one hoof, no rock. I picked up two more, no rocks. I picked up the last one and I'm rubbing his foot thinking, "Sheesh. I need a hoof pick to even see if there's a rock." Then I realized I was rubbing his foot and there was something missing--a shoe! Dang it. I walked him back--no boots in the trailer. So scratch Plan B.

Plan C: Cowgirl chores--not as fun as riding, but still fun!

So. . . hay is in and covered; fences walked and horses moved to the hill; dogs shaved up and beautiful (as usual); and we loaded one trailer full of wood and have one left to do (for my woodstove). I have yet to come up to feed at night, as somehow, I have less time in the day than I used to! Weird, but I think my daylight hours shrunk!

Every day is a good day when you are with your beloved friends--two-legged and four-legged. I am blessed to have both!

Split Rock revisited

** I logged on to do a quick update on our adventures and found that this had not been published, so here it is--long after the actual day of riding.

After a couple, "Is that the trail?" and peering down the mountain, we found the trail to Split Rock. We had no problem--it was clear sailing. We tied up the horses and lay on our bellies and looked at the bottom. :) It is truly something. Climbers had attached hooks in the rock for rappelling, but someone else sawed them off (hope they weren't on the other end at the time!!). Guess they didn't want the natural beauty marred by climbers' equipment. There is still a couple over the side of the rock with carabiners in place, but they would be pretty tough to get to.

After we headed back to the grassy spot and back down our regular trail, we decided to do more bushwacking and looked for another way down off the mountain. Found it! It cut some of the road riding off. More fun.

We did not see any bears, but Jupes was so certain something was out there, he took a detour (I thought he had to pee, but no) and cut off Ziggy so he would be in front and would not be in the back and get eaten first. :) Too funny. He was pretty jumpy and shied at one of the dogs again.

It was another fun day of exploring and adventure and wet blankets.

The high road

Yahoo! What a day! Today Lynn and I headed toward Groves Prairie. We came to the fork in the road and there was a sign, but it was broken off. The bottom road looked less traveled and the entrance was kind of overgrown, so we stayed on the high road. After a few miles, we passed a left turn and by then both of us were pretty sure we were on the wrong road. We went a little farther and we crested the top of the mountain and could see the road was headed down the other side. We were pretty sure it would turn into the road where we shot our guns and would then eventually become the Denny road. Wrong road. Lynn successfully backed us probably half a mile to a spot where she could turn around. !! She's awesome.

We found a  wide spot and parked. Got the boys out and tacked up and rode to 6N24. Lo and behold--a campground with a bathroom. We rode through it and up a skid road and around two loops. It wasn't brushy a bit and the horses did great going over downed logs and water bars. The trails left by logs weren't too steep and everything connect back to each other. It was glorious. We had a great time. Talk about beautiful flowers everywhere and relatively easy climbs in elevation. It was super fun.

 We didn't see any wildlife (well, I take that back--Lynn saw a covey of grouse that I heard, but didn't see). However, she did spot a mountain lion track that seemed really fresh--like it was in front of us. Yikes. It all looked like prime bear country: lots of berries, water, and cool grass to lay in.

Jupes did one of his hardest spooks ever; Haley was coming up from getting a drink in the ditch. Scared him. Sheesh. We had a great laugh. I found a bell at the campground that I kept. And we trimmed brush all the way home so it would be a better passage next time.

According to my watch we rode six miles in almost three hours. There was much more exploring possibilities as well. It was a great day of riding and we were home by lunch. Sometimes a "mistake" turns out to be a fortuitous adventure! I am looking forward to doing it again.

Noses and Bottoms

June has a been a great month of riding, but today was one to put in the books! I finally got to see the bear we have been sure was out in the woods just off our trail. Yep, he's pretty big. All I saw was the bottom end, but it was pretty round and healthy looking. He (or she) is brown with reddish tints in the sun. Yay. I was excited to see him.

Lynn had a crazy moment herself--she was peeing, so picture her in a crouch (you don't have to picture anything else), and a fawn--smaller than Haley--bounced up to her and looked her over. He (or she!) was very interested in Lynn and got within 18 inches of touching noses. Then it kind of smiled at her and bounced away. Wow. Pretty cool. Lynn was afraid to say anything because she didn't want Haley to come to her and want to chase it.

Shirley called after we got back and said there were twin fawns born on the hill this morning as well. No more walks on the hill with Haley for a bit.

We also saw some beautiful lilies that had opened up since last weekend; they ranged from white to light lavender to a delicate purple. The Mock Orange bushes were in full, over-the-top, bloom as well! Talk about smelling good and looking pretty. There are still lots of wild flowers and water. Let's hope it stays nice like this.

Closing out Spring

It's the last weekend of May and we have not ridden much at all. It's kind of been a-wake up-and- look- to see if it's raining kind of spring. The most positive part is that Shirley has gone with us all but two of the times we have gotten out. We go pretty slow, but it's steady riding. Lynn has a breast collar on Buster now and it has made a huge difference in keeping Shirley's saddle where it's supposed to be.

As of today, we have ridden all our trails. We have to pick and choose according to whether it has rained recently, but we've been all on of them. Surprisingly, some of the dead trees are still standing and then some came down that we didn't expect. We have done some trimming, but mostly, we have made trails around stuff and are still dipping and diving around the branches and bushes. There are a few that we need to work on. . .

Today we rode our Grey's Falls trail. The motorcycle guys have been out there and they have made some new ones for us to check out once they dry out a little. There is the possibility of an old skid road that looks like it has potential, too. It was a really fun ride and the longest one we've been on all spring.

Underwood also looks good. Lynn and I did that one by ourselves one Sunday. I sure like to ride over there. We tried to find a way around riding the road, but as Jupiter said, "Why are we doing this? You know she's just going to get us in a spot and then turn us back around!" :) It has potential, but got kind of steep and bushy.

Today was the first day the girls had to wear their tape bonnets. Bright pink!

TICKS have been the worst ever. I have had two in one week actually digging in and biting me. Talk about hurt. I have picked off many, many walking on me, Ziva, and Jupiter. GROSS. I hate them.

Memorial Day weekend just crept up and surprised us. Next weekend is the beginning of June! I am looking forward to riding in jeans and shirt sleeves. I think I only went one weekend without my chinks (maybe one day) and I've had a jacket on every time. Even then, I have had cold toes and worn my gloves every day. Yesterday, I was wishing for another layer. Today, I tied on an extra vest, but didn't need it after all. Of course, it's always entertaining to watch Lynn: jacket on with vest, just the jacket, just the vest, just a shirt, then repeat in reverse order. :)  Shirley simply wears all those layers with her helmet insulator and gloves. Today, she took off a layer and her helmet insulator. ! We are usually prepared for whatever weather is thrown at us. It gets cold on that back side! The fog bank was especially neat today.

Both our boys are now 14--Zigs just had his birthday on Friday. Jupes has worked out his beginning of the year quirkiness, firecracker attitude. Lynn is talking about buying Star some old man vitamins so his hair will grow back in and be ready for the saddle; Buster is happy to go. He's a slow walker, but he gets it done! They aren't in great shape, but we're working on it. (Jupes is a chub and breathes hard after climbing.)

We are looking forward to our friends joining us. I was thinking about the PCT today. We should ride it before it gets so dusty. I am always reading the Shasta Ranch posts--I think we need to join them. Although I am certainly happy to ride here at home, we need to start making riding plans for this summer or before we know it, it will be Labor Day.

Anyway, enough rambling.

A Weekend for Shirley

Saturday was Shirley's first ride in almost 17 months. She rode Buster, who hasn't been ridden in a year. They did great! She looked at ease the whole time, in fact, she really wanted to ride longer, but had made the mistake of bringing Happy, who couldn't go any further. When we got home, she said, "We're riding tomorrow, right?"

Sunday, was less successful for her, but was very much like what it was before her heart attack; we rode up the deadwood ridge and down to the turtle pond again. Buster was a little more antsy and threw his head all day (which is how it always was!). Ziggy, used to a couple of places where we would zoom into a canter, did it at the end of the ride and caused Shirley to get a couple blood blister/bruises on her wrist fighting Buster. She said the reins were wrapped around her there.

She told me, "When you get older, your skin gets thin." She said people will say about her, "Well, she would've been okay, but her skin got too thin and wouldn't hold her together anymore." Cracked me up.

Sunday was also a digfest for a couple digging dogs! "Hard to 'leave no trace,'" Lynn said, "when you got a couple digging dogs!"  Do holes count?

We had two beautiful days of sun and butts in the saddle. Life is getting back to normal.