Saturday, June 30, 2012 - Back to China Pointe

Though I had set the alarm for 9:00 to make sure we didn’t miss the Hampton’s free breakfast, I woke up at 6:00 from habit of the last two days. We still stayed in bed anyway, fell back to sleep and started moving around 9:00 as planned. Showered, went down for breakfast, packed up and headed out about 11:00. Went to a mall to look for a new suit for Hubby, no luck unfortunately. Headed back to China Pointe, arrived around 2:00, met the helper Alex, had a nice chat with him. He helped us close up the inside arena so the horses could run around a bit, which they did with great relish. We ended up putting the horses in a paddock for the afternoon, we could tell they were getting a bit stir crazy staying in a stall for three days. They romped and rolled like mad! Left them in there till almost dark then fed them and put them away for the night. Looking forward to moving on tomorrow!

Friday, June 29, 2012 - Work Day

Day Two of our Training Camp with our client, followed by a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant next door to the office.  Then a quick trip to Tractor Supply for oats and horse munchies before collapsing into bed.

Thursday, June 28, 2012 - Work Day

Day One of our Training Camp with our client.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - Travel Day to Binghamton, NY

Up with an early alarm, but since we had broken down almost everything yesterday, we were out of the site by about 8:00, stopped for breakfast in Horseheads, and arrived at China Pointe stables just north of Binghampton right on schedule at 10:30, with Alan waiting for us to show us around and get us settled in. Once all that was accomplished, we headed down to the Hampton and got checked in to our suite, which had a full kitchen, so then we headed out to the grocery store to stock up on essentials for the rest of the week. We were still so tired from yesterday’s walk, we ended up taking a nap in the afternoon, and slept for several hours, a much needed deposit in our sleep bank. Then I cooked a nice Delmonico steak and some veggies, we had a nice dinner, and were back in bed by 9:00. Obviously we needed even more sleep because it wasn’t long before we were out again for the night.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - Watkins Glen State Park Walk Day

Started out the day with packing up as much as we could, moved the horses off the highline into the stalls so we could break that down, put pretty much everything we could away, left only the satellite dish to be broken down tomorrow morning. Drove down to Watkins Glen, made a few stops for essentials before heading out to the State Park here. Though I grew up 60 miles from here, for some reason I’ve never actually been through the park, so Hubby agreed to go with me. The website said they had a shuttle going between the top and the bottom, so I figured we could catch the shuttle to the top, then walk down, so it wouldn’t over-tax us. Unfortunately, the shuttle wasn’t running today, and in fact, they said it wouldn’t start until this weekend, when the summer season actually began. I keep forgetting that July 4th is the opening of summer here, not Memorial Day like most points south. So we decided to head up the Gorge Trail until we got tired and headed back. Turns out, we took it real slow, and the 800+ steps were spaced out enough where we made good progress without wearing ourselves out. The sights were quite beautiful, it’s easy to see why this became such a tourist attraction. The trail was over a mile long, with very impressive cascades along the way. Once we reached the top, we had a refreshment at the concession stand at the top, then returned to the bottom on the Indian Trail, which was a gentle along the ridge top, until it rejoined the Gorge Trail near the bottom again. We took a short diversion into a cemetary to pay our respects, the oldest born day we found was 1813. It was a lovely afternoon, though we were naturally tired by the time we got back. It was a lot of walking, and I was delighted a surprised that Hubby was up for the entire walk (he’s not much of a hiker). It must have been the frozen custard waffle cone we had before arriving here! Whatever it was, it held us over until we arrived back at the campground at just before 5:00. In our absence, someone new had arrived and set up, we spoke for a bit when I went over to feed the horses. Judy was a retired teacher, and she and her husband horse camp occasionally, but she had a group of women whom she also goes riding with, though they apparently stay in B&B rather than RVs. Then we settled down for the evening, planning on an early night, since we had to get moving early in the morning.

Monday, June 25, 2012 - Catch Up and Wash Day

Lots of rain, thunder and lightning overnight. It’s funny, but up here on the top of Sugar Hill, the thunder seems to just go on forever, echoing from one end of the horizon to the other, and seemingling, back again. It reminded my of growing up in nearby Rochester (NY), it was the same way up there. I can’t explain it, the sound just seems to last longer, reverberate stronger, change tempo and volume during its course, and roll around in a way I’ve never experienced anywhere else. Weird! Anyway, spent the day catching up on my blog and doing laundry, putting up a clothesline on a couple of nearby trees. The camp was empty by last night, no one here this morning, either, as expected. There was a slight chance of rain, but by the time we finished breakfast, it was clearing up, so I decided to risk it. Quite a strong, cool breeze, so I figured the clothes wouldn’t take long to dry, and I was right. A quiet day all around, nice. Tomorrow we’re planning on going over to Watkins Glen State Park and actually be tourists for the day, figure the horses will be safe if we put them in the covered stalls instead of on the highline. I’m a little worried about Hubby’s mare, she doesn’t seem to like this new hay, kind of stalky, may be hard on the old girl. I put her out in the yard to much on grass for much of the day, until I looked up and saw her eating out of Apollo’s hay bag, much to his dismay (he wasn’t about to argue with Mama). I moved her back to her hay, and she munched awhile, then they napped. The first of many days off, we probably won’t be able to ride again until at least next Tuesday or Wednesday. We reservations at Bear Mountain Springs near Walton, NY for the week.

Sunday, June 24, 2012 - Ride to Waterfall near Watkins Glen

 Our original plan was to go back to Monterey Jacks for lunch today, using an alternate trail that’s not on the map but that Cherise and Carol had done (and therefore was on Cherise’s GPS), but because they’re calling for rain Monday and Tuesday, and we don’t want to run ourselves ragged before the job later this week, we decided to try to find the waterfall, which is another trail not on the map, but that all the locals know about. We got some basic directions from the neighbors last night (and still started out wrong because of a misunderstanding about which trail to leave the campground on), but we eventually found the right trail, which was confirmed when we passed our neighbors coming back on the same trail. They confirmed a couple of trail markers for us, and we went on our way. This was a great trail! Lots of straightaways so we got a bunch of canters in, one nice open field where the horses were able to grab some grass along the way, very interesting variety of terrain, and a side trail off the an old settlement cemetary, which the Boy Scouts and cleaned up a few years back, as well as making a list of everyone who had a headstone there. We spent a few minutes there, looking at the names of those brave pioneers from the 1800s, including sadly, many, many children. After paying our respects we moved on. Before long, we arrived at a lovely spot, with a picnic table and a hitching rail, and, of course, the waterfall. There was the remnants of a fire still burning from campers that had apparently been there earlier (Carol confirmed later it was like that when they were there), and someone had left the perfect hotdog/marshmallow toasting stick propped up again the picnic table. Wished I had brought some! We enjoyed a nice snack of trail mix and fruit bars while the horses munched on oats, though honestly, the ride wasn’t long enough to warrant it, but, hey, they can enjoy themselves by pigging out occasionally too! We headed back the way we came, except we corrected the error we made in the beginning. At the last intersection before home, Apollo wanted to go right and Hubby wanted to go left. We headed left, but after a minute I checked the GPS and saw we were heading in the wrong direction, so lo and behold, Apollo was the better navigator today (and many other days, too!). Got back much earlier than we expected, by 2:30, but our neighbors were back and packing up, so we chatted for a few more minutes, I gave Cherise another quick GPS lesson (while copying her map of the day to add to my collection), said our goodbyes, then relaxed the rest of the evening, Hubby watching a England v. Italy soccer game (Italy won, in double overtime 0-0 until the final penalty points round, when England messed up). Another great day. We really love Six Nations/Sugar Hill!!!  And did I mention, it's FREE?  Thank you NY taxpayers!

Saturday, June 23, 2012 - Rest and ISS Sighting

Took the day off today, except I did some computer work, of course. Finally managed to find a stable in Syracuse (well, nearby Skaneateles, anyway) after much networking and referrals, thank goodness. That’s been weighing on me, but now we’ve got that set, so most of my logistics are done, at least until August, when we have a very busy schedule, too. Hubby watched TV and read and napped in his chair much of the day, good for him. The camp emptied out during the day, everyone riding but us (which is fine, I prefer empty trails to crowded ones any day!), but then I sat around the campfire with the neighbors for a while. Cherise inadvertently erased everything on her GPS (I knew I should hav downloaded everything from her yesterday, instead of just Friday’s trail!), but it did register today’s ride, so I downloaded that, then uploaded yesterday’s ride so she would have that. We’re planning on keeping in touch so I can keep collecting her trails, which will be part of the database I’m putting together (more on this later). Meanwhile, a friend of Carol’s told her that the International Space Station would be passing overhead at tonight, so I checked the NASA site and sure enough, it was taking a 3 minute pass right overhead, from the WNW to the SE, starting at 9:59. We all headed out to the middle of the campground where it was clear, and one of the group went and told the Boy Scouts, who had arrived yesterday and were jousting around all day, except when they went on a hike, and they were all looking up when we did. What a great view! We had almost perfectly clear skies, and since the sun had just set, and the ISS is so high up, it still reflected the sun so it was immensely bright until it curved off to the southeast. Really cool! I used to look for it a lot at home, but I haven’t done so lately, I’m going to have to get back to that, it was really stunning! To think that from their perspective we’re just an invisible dot down below on the face of this huge planet, whizzing by, and down here there are thousands of people watching them pass over at any given moment, all around the globe. Well, that was a highlight, and afterwards, I came back, watched another TV show with Hubby before going to bed, feeling nice and relaxed after a very enjoyable day.

Friday, June 22, 2012 - Another Ride at Six Nations to Monterey Jack’s Restaurant

  We had heard about Monterey Jack’s from Julie and Gregg, whom we had met here last year, so after doing some research to figure out where it was (Google Earth is SO useful!), I planned a ride down there, and we headed out about 11:00. Straight down the Mohawk Trail to the parking area at the trail where the A loop crossed, then turn right on the road, then about half a mile to the intersection, where the restaurant is on the left. You can see the hitching posts before you ge the intersection, and we crossed through the auto shop’s parking area to get there, just to stay off the main road. A nice little hole-in-the-wall, a simple but delicious and affordable menu, we had burgers on the best buns I’ve had in ages! These New Yorkers sure know how to make bread!! Nothing like those tasteless white bread things you get in a package at the store, these were light and fluffly and extraordinarily tasty, just perfect with the Angus beef. No frills, just good eats. Even had a draft amber bock to go along, since that didn’t have anything except water in the calorie-free zone. Figured if I was going to cheat, I might as well cheat with beer! Had a nice chat with the owner, Bob, and a couple of his patrons before heading back about an hour later. Horses had a nice rest, and even though they were in the sun, the front had come in and the temps were much better. The day started out cloudy, but then turned sunny while we were inside, just gorgeous! Headed back up the Mohawk the way we came, as that’s one of our favorite trails anyway, stopping for a drink at the creek at the trailhead, got back about 4:00, just right! Got everyone bedded down, spent some time chatting with some new neighbors that had come in this morning (our other neighbors actually left today, unusual to be leaving on a Friday), even sat around the fire with them (Carol and Cherise) a bit before heading off to bed. Cherise had just gotten a new GPS, identical to mine, but hadn’t done much with it yet. I gave her a quick lesson, downloading her map from their ride today for the database of trails I’m building, and showing her all the cool stuff you can do by putting it on Google Earth. She was grateful, and I promised to help her after their ride tomorrow as well. A very nice day! We have to get them in while we have the chance, the summer’s going to get VERY busy VERY soon!

Thursday, June 21, 2012 - Hay and Errand Day

Found some hay on craigslist in nearby Alpine, NY, so Hubby disconnected the truck from the RV and I headed off to get a truckload of hay. Stopped at the printer and picked up my job, which he had actually finished by Tuesday afternoon, and had an interesting conversation about local politics and exhorbitant NY taxes (a common conversation around here) before heading off to the farm. Hay was first cut Timothy, and a lot stalkier than we’re used to, especially after this last batch of soft grass hay with alfalfa that was last year’s second cut, so I’m not sure how the horses will like it. $4 a bale, very green, smelled great, so I’m hoping that will be okay, they’re usually not too fussy. Picked up another container of gas, as we’re on the generators this week, before heading back to the tower. Actually sat around outside for a little while, though it was really hot, it wasn’t too bad under the awning and here at the top of Sugar Hill. Pretty nice breeze kept the temps under 90, though down in town the thermometers were reading 96. A beautiful summer day! People started arriving for the weekend (a couple of rigs had actually come in together last night), but not so much as to feel crowded. Kept the horses on the highline so they’d stay out of trouble, though, just in case.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - Ride Day at Six Nations

Took our first ride today, out Aiken Road to Tuscarora, south to the B Trail, then up on the Mohawk, a fairly short ride just to see the condition of the trails and get the horses stretched out. Some muddy spots, but not as much as last year. The road and some other areas were a bit rocky, as usual for this area, but not so much that it bothered the horses too much, they were glad to get off the highline and get out in the woods! Hubby’s new Boa boots handing the terrain well, but he lost a cap on one, which didn’t surprise. I couldn’t understand why they didn’t have them hinged or something, rather than just screwed on to the boot. My Easyboot Epics have just about worn out, with the toe area on one completely worn through, so I’ve ordered a new pair, this time I’m going to try the Cavallo Simple boot. I’ve always worried the velcro wouldn’t be enough to hold it, but after several conversation with folks in the last couple of weeks, I’ve decided to give them a try. Having them delivered to the hotel where we’ll be staying next week. As effective as the Epics have been, they are truly a pain to take on and off, what with all the hardware and straps that need to be in just the right position. Hubby’s had to have so many repairs in the last couple of years it was almost like buying a new boot anyway. One day he broke the cable, another day the entire lever broke in half, gaiters go very quickly, so he’s using the Boas without the gaiters. So far, so good. I was considering the Boas too, but decided the less hardware the better, so the Cavallos were the best choice, though I did consider the Easyboot Trail. Can’t argue with the longevity of the Epics, though, I’ve had mine almost four years, and heaven knows how many miles. We’ll do an equipment review once we get them settled in. Meanwhile, we had a great ride on the trail, a bit warm here now (from 60’s to 90’s overnight!), but there’s a front scheduled to come in and cool it off by Friday, fingers crossed!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - Runaround Day

Did some running around today, dropping off a printing job at a little print shop in Montour Falls (which is a very quaint little town with a waterfall at the end of Main Street!), and doing some shopping and getting gas. A pretty relaxing day otherwise, let the horses graze around the yard, a couple of day riders came in but we had the place to ourselves again by nightfall, just the way we like it!

Monday, June 18, 2012 - Travel Day to Six Nations, Watkins Glen, NY

Up with the alarm, though I was awake for quite some time before it went off, packed up and off the site by just after 8:00. Stopped in Bradford, PA (home of Zippo lighters!) for breakfast at a Perkins, stopped once more at an RV place because I thought I saw the name of the brand of RV we’re looking at to replace our current Marathon, but I was wrong. Took the opportunity to dump anyway while we were there. Arrived at the campground before 1:30, it took no time to set up, as we had spent over two weeks here last year, and knew the lay of the land. Only one trailer here, obviously a day rider, and they left later in the day. Never did get any rain, but it’s downright chilly here, a blustery wind and gray skies, temps in the low 60’s. Hard to believe they’re calling for 90 degrees tomorrow! Spent the rest of the day getting caught up on work, lots to do now that I have an internet connection and cell phone signal. Completed a lot of logistics for the upcoming month, most of the pieces coming together nicely, just one more piece of the puzzle acquire, a stable near Syracuse to board the horses and dogs for our 2 ½ weeks in VA at the end of July, and I’ll have almost all of the logistics completed through August. Watched a riotous movie called "Paul" before going to bed.

Sunday, June 17, 2012 - Some Rest, Some Chores

Slept kind of late again, but did manage to get up in time to say a brief goodbye to Christie and Janine as they headed out, apparently over to Cook Forest for some kind of week long trail ride, clinic and festival week. We lazed around awhile, then did some chores. Apollo had busted through the screen on the horse trailer, so I had to sew the ring back in so he’d keep his head in (he so loves to look out the window!). I oiled my boots, Hubby cleaned the horse boots, and we got everything put away that we could. They’re calling for rain tomorrow, so we made a special effort to cover and strap down the remaining hay so that we could travel with it and keep it dry. Ordinarily, we try to only drive in dry weather, but I’ve been without an internet connection for so long I can’t afford another day here, we have to travel, even if it rains. Hopefully we’ve done a good enough job not to damage the paint on my truck, which still looks almost as good as when we bought it in Phoenix almost two years ago. The rain came in during the evening, and is continuing sporadically even as I write. Time for bed!

Saturday, June 16, 2012 - Final Ride Day at Kelly Pines

    Slept later than expected, missed saying goodbye to Beth, who headed out earlier than we expected, though our other neighbors told us she wished us goodbye. A leisurely breakfast, then our other neighbor Christie let me download a map to "the Waterfall" from her GPS from a previous trip she had made there, because we wanted to go there, but it seems the trails here are rather hard to find. Thank goodness I got it, too, because we NEVER would have found the river crossings and trail intersections without it! Headed out about 12:30, and according to the map, it would be just over 11 miles. We packed up trail mix for us and oats for the horses, figuring to stop at the waterfall for lunch. We headed out on a loop counterclockwise, which meant we started by going across the road from the campground. The first part of the trail took us past some fantastic rock outcroppings, not quite as spectacular as the Garden of the Gods in Illinois, but certainly better than the backside of GOTG. That eventually led us to a river crossing that we initially missed, because we suddenly had a straightaway in front of us, and we got so excited at the prospect of a canter that I stopped looking at my GPS for a minute, and the result was missing a nearly invisible turnoff to the river crossing. Even then, I’m not sure we crossed at exactly the right spot, but we managed to make it across. It sure would be nice if someone had marked that trails here! They’re all here, they’re just not marked! (or on the map, for that matter.) That took us along a gravel road for a lot longer than we liked, and the horses were slowing down considerably, until finally we found the turnoff that would take us to the waterfall. On the way, we passed Christie and Janine and Ethan coming back from the waterfall, they were doing the same route we were, though in reverse. They reassured us we were on the right path, and we carried on. At one point I got down to cut a few branches from a tree that was blocking the route (something the forest service here seems uninclined to do), and finally, after the longest 7.25 miles I can ever remember, we arrived. It was a nice spot, with a fire ring and a beautiful cascade, and we settled into a nice lunch. The horses ate and napped, and we ate and took some pix and video. After about half an hour, we set off again, back down the linear path until we reached an intersection, again, a river crossing we never would have seen without the GPS map from Christie. That took us up to my favorite trail yet, paralleling the river for quite a while. Unfortunately, it was also one of the least maintained, which was really unfortunate because it is a lovely trail! I tried to move another tree blocking the road, but it took too long, and Apollo got antsy and headed off into the woods, but, of course, he didn’t go far because that would mean leaving Mama behind, and he wasn’t about to do that! Once we caught him, we continued on, until I started to recognize the trail that we had come down with Beth on Friday, one of the "new" trails, which I can’t understand why they’re bothering, because it intersected with an existing trail that came out onto the a main road about ¼ mile away. We took the old trail just to find out where it came out, and lo and behold, even though we had passed it twice before, it was so hidden by overgrowth we NEVER would have seen it! I swear, all this forest needs is a few days with a couple of burly guys, a chain saw, a GPS and a couple of cans of spray paint, and this place would be HEAVEN for a trail rider in a matter of a few days. Unfortunately, that’s not apparently in the cards, the bureaucracy is moving in another direction and taking two years to get there... C’est la vie! It turned out to be a very long ride time-wise, though in actual miles it was less than 12, but we made it back, finally, though it was well after 6:00. Got everybody fed and bedded down right away, then crashed for the evening, looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

Friday, June 15, 2012 - Second Ride Day at Kelly Pines

As planned, after breakfast we were saddled and ready just a tad late, by about 10:20, with GPS in hand. We quickly sorted out that Beth and Storm needed to go first, and she periodically waited for us. Actually, eventually Storm started slowing down almost to our pace, so it worked out well. Got off on the wrong foot, going off in reverse of what I had planned, but we kept going anyway, figuring backward is just as good. While the GPS was invaluable in keeping us on track to the existing trails, it couldn’t help when we reached trails that weren’t there at all, or at least not in any condition any of us was willing to risk. We did quite a bit of backtracking, and a couple of times (I discovered later) we were within a stone’s throw of a road when we turned back and took the long way around. Some parts of the trail were completely undeveloped, our only clue was ribbons hanging in trees going cross-country. We tried a few, but it got so bad we turned around. Eventually, we made the decision to go back along a road until we reach a dirt road that would backtrack us to the camp, and that’s what we did. It was almost 14 miles anyway, which is a pretty good ride for us, and we did get some trots and canters in, though for some reason Apollo was a little nuttier than usual, partly because he’s not used to other horses, and partly because the footing was so bad in a few places. He threw a few temper tantrums along the way, which just indicates to me how fit he is, that after that many miles of hard trail he still has the energy to pitch a fit! A good ride, though, Beth and I chatted a good part of the way, Hubby trailed along behind enjoying his (almost) solitude. Got back around 4:00, settled the horses in, had a chat with two women next door who had come in early this morning, discussing other horse camps around the area. They’re from south New Jersey, while Beth is from western Ohio, so we discussed many camps we all knew, though hadn’t necessarily been to. Very informative. We also had a discussion about horse boots, which were better than others, which was helpful because I need a new pair for Apollo (I’ve finally worn the toe out on one of my Easyboot Epics, after three years and heaven knows how many miles!) Beth had been looking at that as well, apparently she does all her own shoeing, and has been considering horse boots. It was great talking with the ladies, a nice change. We exchanged contact information before the day was done, then Hubby and I settled down to a movie and bed.

Thursday, June 14, 2012 - Runaround Day

Spent the day running around, had to go get the horse trailer tire replaced at the Goodyear dealer in Clarendon, also went to 5M feed for a bag of oats and some bedding for the stalls, dropped off taxes at the post office, parked in the Tops parking lot for a while getting caught up on emails and other internet chores, did a little grocery shopping before heading back to camp. Meanwhile, Hubby had done a bunch of chores, checked the brakes on the horse trailer and decided they didn’t need rebuilding, fixed the seals on the slide, as we had discovered a leak on one side (but only when we’re listing a certain way : -), and otherwise got things done in my absence (and vice versa). Spent a little time on Google Earth overlaying the trail map in an effort to create something we can follow tomorrow. We’d like to take the mid-size loop, supposedly about 16 miles, but we’ve heard parts of the trails are done and others not so much, so we don’t know what to expect. Managed to trace a path on Google Earth and download it onto my Garmin, so hopefully that will help (fingers crossed!) To bed early with the alarm set so that we get out by ten. Our neighbor Beth has asked to join us, and we’re happy to have her along, though I suspect she may get a little frustrated with us, as she has a frisky young walking horse, and we just have our old (okay, middle aged) plodding quarter horse and appaloosa. Looking forward to the exploration, as always!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - First Ride at Kelly Pines

 Slept late, got a late start out, but our plan was to just do a short exploratory ride today. We plotted out the shortest possible loop, which was about 5.5 miles, and headed out, expecting sloppy trails after all the rain we had Monday and Tuesday. The beginning actually turned out to be quite nice, a fairly wide forest trail meant for snowmobilers, which climbed for awhile before we came to a fork in the road. Despite the forest folks saying none of the trails were marked (which I didn’t believe, at least for the old trails, those guys ALWAYS blazed it somehow), there were in fact orange trail markers nailed to the trees. I had to get down once and move a tree that had recently fallen across the trail (probably during all the wind and rain), until we came to a fork in the road. We misjudged where we were on the map (the fork wasn’t actually on the map, what else is new?), but we ended up in the right place despite ourselves. Carefully observing the GPS insured we didn’t get too far off course, but once the orange blazes ran out at the first gate (apparently it marked a snowmobile trail with limited access), there were no real clues as to what road or trail we were on. Finally came across a side road/trail that was on the map, but the marker was almost completely buried, Hubby never saw it, and I barely saw it even when I was looking for it. We turned onto what started out as a decent dirt road, but it quickly narrowed into a pretty boggy and stony trail with lots of obstacles. We made it through okay, it eventually became a utility easement following electrical poles, until we finally came out at the back side of the campground. Turned out to be closer to 6.5 miles, but it was still pretty nice most of the way, boggy in some places, but not as bad as it could have been after all the rain. Got the horses settled back in and relaxed the rest of the day.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - Rainy Day at Kelly Pines

Rain came in before we went to bed, and continued intermittently throughout the night, sometimes quite heavy, with a few bolts of lightning and rumbles of thunder. We were VERY happy the horses were under cover, and I’m sure they were too! Didn’t clear up until late in the day, and we needed the rest anyway, so it worked well all around. Spent the day getting caught up on my computer and my blog, seems like there’s never any end to stuff that needs doing, even when there’s no internet connection! Took a ride down to the Ranger station to find a signal and to get any maps they might have. A lot of very strange and conflicting information there. One young man indicated there were NO trail suitable for horses at Kelly Pines, that we’d have to ride cross country if we wanted to ride. Sorry, but THAT wasn’t going to happen! He also said that he couldn’t give me a trail map, he could only let me look at it (it was just a photocopy!) After pointing out to him that I had been speaking with the rec guy Joe, and that he said there were trails, the young man finally brought out a rec woman and we had a nice chat, though not as helpful as I would have liked. On the kiosk at the campground there is a map of trails, some of which had a notation NOT to ride. She explained that this was because they were disputing the work of some contractor they had who was supposed to be "reconstructing" the trails, and they weren’t happy with the work, so they didn’t want to trample on it. Then she said they had recently re-thought that strategy, and figured it would better demonstrate that the trails wouldn’t hold up if they actually let riders ride on them, so THEN they could argue the point that they wouldn’t hold up! So all trails were open, but the trail map was, theoretically, not accurate. Then I finally pulled it out of her that the trails had been there since the 50’s, so they were THERE, they just weren’t as safe as they wanted them to be... I’m beginning to hate a government that thinks it’s their responsibility to keep ME safe. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Anyway, she DID give me a copy of the map, so at least I had a starting point. Between that and my GPS, at least I’m hoping we won’t be getting COMPLETELY lost this week! After spending some time in their parking lot, where I could get a good signal, I did a little internet work before heading back to the campground. Not sure how this will all play out, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough! Ride planned for tomorrow!

Monday, June 11, 2012 - Travel Day to Kelly Pines, Allegheny National Forest, PA

 Up with the alarm, was off the site by just after 8:00, off the dump by 8:30, grabbed some breakfast at a Burger King and gas for Hubby in the nearby town before heading out on the freeway. Had to negotiate some difficult roads in Pittsburgh, but managed to get out of the city unscathed. Next stop was Walmart and gas in Clarion, PA, before finally heading out to the campground. Road started out as tarmac, switched to gravel, and started getting narrower and narrower, hoping against hope we didn’t meet anyone coming in the other direction, which we fortunately we didn’t. Just as Hubby was started to get worried, we arrived at the campground, which, once we crossed over a small narrow bridge, opened up into a beautiful, tidy, wide open field with a big gravel loop around it. Surprisingly, there were covered stalls at every one of the 5 or 6 sites, which we certainly weren’t expecting. One central water spigot of untested water in the middle, well within reach of any of the sites (at least, when you have as much hose as we carry : -), and fire rings at every site as well. The grass had been mowed very recently, giving it a wonderful park-like feel. We were VERY surprised, we were expecting something extremely primitive, but this was a little gem of a place in the middle of the woods. Perfect! There were a couple of other non-horse camping sites next to the bridge, and we met a nice couple there, Bill and Rusty, who have been coming here for the last 42 years for the fishing and family fun (they had a couple grandkids with them.) Once we parked, we discovered on of the tires on the horse trailer was flat, an old tire that probably just couldn’t take the beating on the 4+ miles of gravel road we traversed. According to Rusty, however, if we come in from the north, the tarmac comes most of the way, so I’ll check that out tomorrow when I go out looking for a tire. Only trouble here is that I don’t have any kind of cell phone signal, so I’m going to have to go searching tomorrow. Got the horses settled in, and everything set up about an hour before it started raining, which we were expecting, and we were SO grateful for the covered stalls, so the horses would be out of the rain all night. Heading to be early, it’s been a long day!

Sunday, June 10, 2012 - Anniversary and Rest Day

Today we celebrated our 23rd Wedding Anniversary, so we slept late, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, finished off the last of the laundry, and packed up everything we could in advance of our departure tomorrow. Had a nice steak for dinner for a change, the extent of our celebration, and had a quiet evening of TV watching and getting to bed fairly early, with the alarm set for an early wakeup call.

Saturday, June 9, 2012 - Another Fabulous Ride at Barkcamp

Got a slow start again this morning, but managed to get on the trail around one, with plans to follow the 8 mile blue trail, also called "the Big Loop" trail. We had trouble finding the trailhead in the campground as it is shown on the map the camp store gave us, so we ended up taking the yellow trail out until it met up with the blue trail. Again, lots of varying terrain, mostly thick woods, great dirt trails with few stones and just a few muddy areas, and a few nice places for a canter as well, as well as a lot of trotting and jogging. Got off track a bit on the back side of the lake when we took the Hi White trail, but it pretty much paralleled the blue trail anyway. Stopped for a rest at a lovely picnic area that had a section dedicated to horses, had a quick snack of trail mix before finishing off the trail, which included crossing the road a few times, and crossing a bridge on the main road as well, but traffic was pretty light, so no worries. They’ve really done a nice job of making you feel like you’re in the wilderness, and you’d never know you were just a stone’s throw away from a campground but for the laughter and screaming of kids playing. Got back tired but satisfied, washed down the horses at the nearby wash rack, fed them and the dogs, then us, then settled down to a great old movie, Memphis Belle, before heading off the bed, for a hopefully good night sleep!

Friday, June 8, 2012 - FABULOUS Ride Day at Barkcamp SP

Spent most of the day working on the computer trying to solve logistical challenges for the next month or two, then Hubby had a short spell of headache and dizziness, but after a little nap, he was ready to head out on the trail. Though it was about 3:00 by the time we left, it was a WONDERFUL ride. Despite the fact that most of the park is highly manicured, the way most State Parks prefer, as soon as you got on the trail, a sense of wilderness and pioneering enveloped us. The trail was dirt, with just a few muddy spots, with varying terrain, woods, ravines, lakeside, everything you could ask for. The trail was a bit overgrown in some places, which would be no bother except that it seemed all the overgrowth had spikes and thorns in them, so make sure you wear long sleeves and thick jeans! The horses were ready to go today, and once they saw how interesting the trails were, they became completely engaged. There were just enough obstacles to make it interesting, but nothing impassable. About halfway around the red Lakeside Trail, there was a camping area with a picnic table, a fire ring and even a short dock for sticking your toes in. A very nice ride on the yellow and red trails, which looped right back to the horse camp. Got back around 5:00, and had a parade of kids come by wanting to pet the horses, which I allowed, as I remember being a kid wanting to pet horses too! And I STILL do!

Thursday, June 7, 2012 - Rest Day

Spent the day resting, working on the computer, making calls and sending emails to solve more upcoming logistical challenges, and otherwise lazed around for the day.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - Hay and Travel Day to Barkcamp State Park, OH

 Set the alarm early and were headed out of camp by 8:00, before the ladies across the way were up (at least I only saw glimpses of them), ran around the lake to the dump at the main campground before heading north to breakfast at Youngs Jersey Dairy, then on to Rhonda’s house to pick up hay. Her husband Max knew we were coming, but I hadn’t been able to reach him by phone, so we had our fingers crossed someone would be home. Arrived just as a large delivery truck was leaving, so I backed up to the barn and Max helped us load the pickup with a nice green grass and alfalfa mix from his hay trailer. Bales were kind of light (apparently at Rhonda’s request), and had baling wire instead of strings, but as Max said, "When someone offers you a free baler, you don’t argue." Nevertheless, it was very nice hay, though we usually try to avoid alfalfa (too rich, spoils my guys too much!), but it had enough grass in it to balance it out. Once that was done, we headed straight out to Barkcamp State Park, which I only just learned about last week. It’s a bit more expensive than we ordinarily like to pay ($21/night), but it had electricity and central water, and I have lots of laundry to do, so we figured this was our best chance at avoiding a laundromat. Arrived in mid-afternoon, got checked in at the camp store, then had to re-trace our steps back to the horse camp, which is a small area dedicated to horses in a park that does a great job of catering to a lot of difference types of recreational needs. There’s a lake for fishing and non-motorized boating of all kinds (electric motors only, that is), we saw canoes and kayaks and duck boats for rent as well as bikes for cycling around. There were lots of kids around, too, and many campgrounds around as well. When we arrived at the horse camp it was empty, so we had our pick of spots. We found Site 60 to be the best for us, lots of immediate shade, but with an opening for the satellite dish, close to the water spigot (which actually had a hose on it, OMG, they trust us not to steal their hose!!), with a couple of good trees right next to us for the high-line. The tarmac pad was a bit narrow for the RV by itself, so naturally we had to park the horse trailer next to it. Shortly thereafter, a ranger came by to tell us that we had to move that rig off the grass, "unless we could get two wheels on the pad" which, of course, wasn’t possible, which meant we’d have to park the van in a nearby parking area. We asked about the horse trailer, though, since it had all of our equipment in it, and he agreed that we could drop the trailer on the grass on the other side from where it was parked (sigh), before unhitching it, so that’s what we did. Some rules are downright silly, aren’t they? We weren’t in anyone’s way where we were, but it wasn’t in accordance with the rules, so that was it. What’s better, more tarmac so you can put two vehicles next to each other, or allowing someone to occasionally park on the grass, which would have plenty of time to recover between occupants? Anyway, we did what we were told and forgot about it, everything else about the place was nice. Started a load of laundry, settled in for the evening, enjoyed watching the horses very happily eating their new hay just outside our patio door!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - Lunch with Friends in Dayton

Had a nice sleep-in, grabbed a quick fruit breakfast before heading out "The Country Club" to meet with our friends Jane and Bob. Had a fantastic lunch with them, we talked for three hours! The poor waitress had to wait almost an hour before we could stop talking long enough to look at a menu and order! It was a great time, and we made plans to see each other again at the end of July, where we have a SURPRISE outing we’ll share with you later. We’ll also see Jane in August, as she does work with us for big events, and we have a big event booked at the end of August. Anyway, after we said our good-byes, we headed out to the health food store to get more of the Biofreeze-type cooling gel I found, as well as some organic trail mix and a few other items. A quick trip to Wal-mart for some other supplies, and we were back at camp by 5:00.

Monday, June 4, 2012 - Last Ride Day at Caesar’s Creek

 

Mama Deer

 Another beautiful day, perfect weather with cool nights and temperate days, such a relief after the 99 degrees in Illinois! Headed out on the longer trail today, though the entire loop is about 19 miles, we have no intention of going that far, just out to a mid-point and back. We decided to make that mid-point a boat ramp, and again, we had some lovely trots and canters along the way. Saw a deer on the trail, and after it ran off to the left, I saw a tiny fawn that couldn’t have been more than a few days old run off the to right. Naturally, Mama didn’t go far, so I managed to get a picture of her, but baby became invisible, all those spots disappearing in the woods. Part of the trail was actually an old, overgrown paved road, but it was so narrow it was more like a trail. We don’t mind tarmac much, it’s gravel that drives us nuts! We only got lost once, when the poor markings prevented us from making the right turn onto the Cliffs Loop, which turned out to be our favorite trail, so we ended up taking it backwards from how we intended, and we had to re-do the front half of the loop, which was no problem. We liked that loop because it had a nice turn-off where someone had put up a swing-line for jumping into the lake, and it was a good 20-25 foot drop to the water, so it looked very inviting! Had I been younger or dumber, or been with folks who would’ve dared me to, I might have been tempted! But with just Hubby, well, I had to take precautions and do the safe thing... :- ). As we headed back to camp, we decided to complete the circuit by taking the final few loop trails west of the campground, and they turned out to be very nice as well, older woods than we’d seen in most places, nice and deep, with a few mild ravines, just the way we like them. Overall the trails here have been very nice, just a few areas of stone and gravel, more mud than we like but not insurmountable, and I’d rather have mud than gravel any day! Headed back, had another nice chat with the ladies across the way, and learned that one of them made hay, which I am in need of, so I was happy to make a deal to pick some up on our way out on Wednesday. They, too, are leaving on Wednesday, so it all works out just fine. Got everyone settled in and fed, and had a relaxing evening.