Sunday, June 30, 2013 - Ride Day (At Last!) at Hungerford

Bound and determined to ride these trails today, I loaded up on ibuprofen, put on a girdle to keep the inflammation of my hip in, and slowly but surely saddled the horses and went out for a ride. I switched back to my regular saddle with extra padding, just in case I needed a horn to grab on to today, though I'm still so sore I doubt that would have helped anyway. Fingers crossed, we headed back up the trail we started out on Friday, this time becoming quickly accustomed to the very easy trail markings that we weren't sure about the other day. We're so used to poorly marked trails that this was a real pleasure, every intersection well marked, and unmistakably in tune with the map. Wow! You'd be surprised how rarely THAT happens! I can probably count on one hand the number of times the map and the trails have matched in the four and a half years we've been on the road full-time! The footing was excellent for the entire trail, with only a very occasional muddy section, obviously just the remnants of a long-standing puddle, but very small areas at worst. Some of the best footing we've ever seen, actually, so this park goes to near the top of the list. We took a very leisurely 2-hour ride, which covered a pretty large swath of the park, though the way the trails loop around each other, it would take a week of more of solid riding just to cover them all. Apollo, for the most part, behaved himself, though I did have to check him once when he started to gallop up a small hill, as he was getting ready to pop again. It was a fantastic ride, and we're a bit sorry we have to leave tomorrow, and might have even considered staying except tomorrow's the only sunny day forecast until Friday, and with 4th of July on Thursday, we want to be in someplace as early as possible this week so we can get a good spot. Started packing up when we got back, and got to bed early, even though it's only about a three hour drive, we have to stop to pick up some more of this nice hay for Clio and to shop before we get there, and we want to arrive early enough to find a good site.

Saturday, June 29, 2013 - Recuperative, Rainy Day

Slept later than ever today, probably because of the pills, and despite the fact that one of our new neighbors that came in yesterday ran a generator all night long. I don't know why people do that, unless it's a medical emergency, which I highly doubt. Next morning, they cranked up their radio really loud, but fortunately, only for a few minutes before pulling out (thank goodness!). I felt much better today, with only a couple of minor spasms, even though I held off taking any pills. We really wanted to ride today, and I could have made myself if I wanted to, but with rain coming in wave after wave, it seemed best to just take another day off, recover, then go for a ride tomorrow, as the forecast finally has no rain in it, just partly cloudy with a high of 77, a perfect day for riding (assuming I feel well enough, and I should after another quiet day). Watched movies, read, did one load of laundry, relaxed the whole day.

Friday, June 28, 2013 - Attempted Ride Day at Hungerford

After a slow morning, we finally saddled up the horses around 12:30, doing a refit on some of the various saddlebags, as Hubby's saddle doesn't have the proper rings to carry our usual saddlebag, so I tied my old cantle bag onto the rings on my modified bareback pad and repacked things to balance. Eventually we hopped up and headed out to camp on trails with some of the best footing we've ever seen, a nice firm sand and dirt combination, no stones or gravel, and very well traveled. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn almost immediately, on a not-very-well marked trail that ended up just taking us down to the road. We turned around and headed back when Apollo got seriously startled by something, and, not having a horn to grab on to and not having enough practice grabbing his mane, I took an unceremonious trip to the ground. I landed hard on my hip, and Apollo's hoof scraped my face as I went by, which I knew would later turn into a nice shiner. It took several minutes for me to gather my wits before I sent Hubby back to camp with instructions to bring back some ice packs. A while after he was gone, I finally felt strong enough to start walking, so I headed down to the road and was almost back to camp when Hubby came out in the van to get me. I knew it would take more energy to get into the van than just keep going, as it was only a few yards away, so I kept walking. I quickly put ice on everything that hurt, hoping that later in the day I would feel well enough to try again. An hour or so later, thunderstorms moved in, nixing any chance of that anyway (which was probably for the best), so I spent the day putting ice packs, then heat, on the offended areas, which did wonders for the swelling. A couple of ibuprofens later, I was feeling at least reasonable by the end of the day, although when I moved wrong, I'd get spasms in my hip. Obviously I haven't quite yet mastered the art of riding (i.e. keeping the horse between me and the ground), but that's all part of the same package, I'm afraid. Anyway, the rest of the day was spent quietly, except for the thunder and lightning of the thunderstorms that raged for quite a while. Dropping temps (and more painkillers) promise a good night of sleeping.

Thursday, June 27, 2013 - Truck Repair Day

Grabbed a yogurt and a cup of coffee to go as I headed out to Quality Auto and Truck Repair, which was conveniently located just on the east side of the same freeway exit we came off for Hungerford, so it was a quick trip in. I had read several reviews on the place and it came highly recommended, and frankly, they earned every bit of it. I told them what I thought it was, but that I wasn't sure. The man in front introduced me to the mechanic, explaining we were to take a test drive so I could identify the noise. I said I didn't think that was necessary, we could just start the truck and I would show him, so that's what we did. He agreed with my diagnosis, and that was it. The only problem, I learned a while later, was that the part wouldn't be in until 3:30, so the truck wouldn't be ready until after 4:30. After numerous mangled phone calls with Hubby, he heard enough to know to come and get me, but not after I had arranged a ride from the shop, so we ended up meeting on the road just a few miles away. A relaxed day in camp before coming back to the shop to pick up the pickup, then I did some computer work arranging flights for my niece, who's coming to visit us in Minnesota at the end of July, before settling down for another wonderfully quiet evening.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 - Runaround Day in Big Rapids

After a late morning, where I slept much better, thank goodness, I headed out with the truck to a car repair place, where the best they could do was to make an appointment for tomorrow morning. I did a little shopping at Lowes for some items to better fix our bamboo screen over the main door, and also found someone locally on craigslist with hay for sale. Hubby's mare just doesn't seem to be eating very well, and her weight has been dropping. We've added extra grain in the morning to try to help, but she's really gone off this hay, so I wanted to see if I can find something softer and more to here liking. Made arrangements with one guy to pick up a bale from his work (he's a cop) at the Public Safety Building. Met him about 1:30, looks like really nice soft hay, really green, so I'm buying this one bale to see if she'll eat it, and if she does, he has lots more to sell. Headed back to camp, which is less than 15 minutes away, and immediately gave Clio a bagful of the new hay, and she tucked into it like crazy. Happy to see that, but will need to make sure she keeps eating it, and not just trying it out, before I get more. Settled in for the rest of day, still endeavoring to get caught up on our rest, looking forward to our first ride out in Michigan!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 - Rest Day at Hungerford

Despite feeling sleepy when I turned my reading lamp out last night, I ended up getting up to write an email that was bugging me, and still took some time getting to sleep after that. Woke up fairly early, laid in bed a while, before finally getting up earlier than what I wanted, but just couldn't stay in bed anymore. I'm
really looking forward to relaxing here, and I hope that eventually I'll settle down to a normal schedule, at least like what it used to be. Spent most of the day reading after breakfast, spent a little time disconnecting the RV to make it more level, and also took a look under the truck's hood, as it's been making a little noise lately. Determined that the vacuum pump seemed to be gone, so that's another chore I'll have to take care of, probably tomorrow. Weather forecast is a lot of rain, even though we only had a short shower early this morning, with sun coming out in the afternoon (but fortunately, not enough to get it too warm) so tomorrow will probably be best. I'm hoping the mostly quiet day will help me get back to sleeping better! Tired of being tired, frankly, but that seems to be the way of things. Sometimes I think we push ourselves too hard, but everyone's days are numbered, and we're trying to get in as much as we can, while we can! A tough balance, sometimes. Anyway, got a good portion of the way through my latest book, the first of the Pea Island Trilogy by Tom Lewis, a prolific and diverse author that seems to have no real genre, yet always has a compelling story to tell. The horses had a nice quiet day on the highline, and we kept them fully satisfied with constant hay, though tomorrow we may put them on the anchors to mow the site next to us, the only one with any real grass from what we've seen. Finally settled down for the evening, with movies and cocktails till bedtime!

Monday, June 24, 2013 - Good Drive to Michigan

Woke up to the early alarm at 6:30, made coffee, headed to the dump, and were well on our way by just after 8:00. A not-so-quick stop at a BK for breakfast (only because the northbound exit was closed due to construction, so we had to go back south for an exit before heading back north again), another for fuel, the Wal-mart in Big Rapids for final shopping before we headed out to the easy-to-find campground less than 8 miles from town. This looks like a really great horse camp! The only drawback is that there is only one well house with two spigots, but it is a solar powered pump so it works like a regular spigot, thank goodness. For convenience, we had already filled up the RV at the Walmart (love their outside garden center spigots!), so we only needed to fill up the collapsible rain barrel and the horses' initial water tub. Strange thing happened at Walmart, though, another example of rules gone mad! Here in Michigan you can buy liquor at a grocery store. Though the selection at Walmart was limited, we picked up a couple of bottles of vodka. At checkout, I was told I needed to show my id (which I had left out in the truck, since Hubby had his wallet). Even though Hubby was making the purchase, the cashier claimed that it was Walmart rules that if she thought anyone in the party was under 40 that she needed ID from EVERYONE in the party! First of all, I'm 54, and though I think I do look pretty good for my age (don't we all!), I haven't looked 40 in probably 10 years. Secondly, the fact that Hubby was making the purchase should have settled the matter, that's not what the rule (apparently) says. I asked what the drinking age was (21), and asked if I looked older than 21, and of course the answer was, yes, but because, in her judgment, I looked under 40, and because that's what the "rule" said, I had to go all the way out to the truck (which, of course, was WAY out in the parking lot, because that's the only place there is room for my entire rig), get my wallet, and return with my ID, just so that my husband (who is 79!) could buy two bottles of vodka. When I got back, I asked what happens if a parent wants to buy liquor when they have a kid with them, she said kids were exempt. I wonder what she would have said if I had told her my Hubby was my father (a common mistake anyway), and whether she would have allowed the purchase then, but I didn't. I don't know how someone can work for a company that has so little trust in their employees, (and so little training that they don't know what over 40 looks like!) but maybe that's just me. Glad I work for myself, despite all the aggravations that can cause. Anyway, as usual, once we got to the campground, we found the only site in the campground where we could get a satellite signal, as the rest are deep into the woods, which is very pleasant and cool in the shade after a very hot day in the upper 80's (and the last few days in Ohio in the low 90's!). It's also convenient to the well, so we quickly filled up the rain barrel with our long stretch of Pocket Hoses while we got the RV set up. The only flaw is that it's not very level, so I think we'll have to disconnect the truck to get level, but not until tomorrow. Only a couple of other people in the campground, though there are over 40 nice sites, and from what we can see, the trails should be spectacular, a nice hard packed sand and dirt mix, with no stones or gravel, and so well traveled they're bound to not have may limbs down either. The trail map looks very promising, and we're excited about our week here, though there's a lot of rain in the forecast for the next few days. Frankly, though, we're so exhausted from our recent schedule, we'll be quite happy to do nothing but sleep, read and watch TV for the next couple of days before we worry about riding. When we do ride, though, that will be our 40th state!! Got everyone settle in by cocktail hour, and settled in for the evening.

Sunday, June 23, 2013 - Second and Last Riding Day at Van Buren

After a VERY leisurely morning, plus a couple of conversations with the local park volunteers, we finally got the horses saddled up and headed out just before 1:00. We headed out on the Red Trail, taking the longest possible path since we wanted to make the ride last and the park is so small, but we did make it pretty long in the end. We swerved around on the Red, then crossed the road over to the west side of the park, following the White Trail. Very well-maintained trails, which is a really nice change after our last two parks, and lots of variations despite the size of the park. The white trail took us all the way around to the dam, all the while we could hear a marching band practicing. We learned later there was a high school right across the railroad tracks, they were obviously either having a band camp, a freshman orientation or maybe even getting ready for the fall season. Most people don't realize that the band often actually spends more time practicing than the football teams, weeks and even months earlier (as a former high school musician, I know of what I speak!). The return trip, along the river in what truly seemed like a tropical jungle (and the heat and humidity enhanced the same experience!), was really special. The trail was only a little bit muddy in places, they've really done a nice job with them. They have put some pea gravel down in some areas, which Apollo kept trying to avoid, thereby pushing me into the bushes and thorns along the way, but it's hard to convince trail-makers that sometimes occasional mud is better than constant gravel on a horse, but then again, after our awful experience with mud in KY and earlier in OH, it's a bit hard to even convince myself of that at the moment! Anyway, it was a very nice ride lasting several hours, just right for our last Sunday. Later in the day, just before we were getting ready to feed the horses, I noted some very gray clouds coming in and hustled Hubby to go out and put the drying saddle blankets away and close the tack room door. Moments after he finished doing that, we were inundated with HUGE raindrops that almost looked like sleet! Fortunately the horses were tucked away under a tree, so they just cuddled up with their tails to the wind and waited. Frankly, I was glad to get the rain, I hope it cools things off. The hay is well covered, so all is as right with the world as can be! Once the rain passed, we fed the horses and carried on with our usual evening routine, the plan is to get to bed early as we have a long drive to Michigan (State # 40!) tomorrow.

Saturday, June 22, 2013 - First Ride at Van Buren State Park, OH

With the forecast indicating temps over 90, we decided to get out reasonably early today, and managed to have breakfast and be saddled up by 11:00. It helped that no one's feet needing trimming, and that from the looks of the trailhead, boots won't be necessary. We headed out with map in hand, and this map seemed to be more comprehensive, with names and intersection numbers along the way. We only hoped they would actually show up on the trail! (Believe it or not, they often do NOT!) As we came to the first intersection, however, we were relieved to find both numbers and color markers clearly indicating each trail. The footing was hard-packed dirt that, thankfully, didn't look like it had seen much rain lately, so mud wasn't any issue. Apollo and I both breathed a sigh of relief, as did Hubby and Clio, and we relaxed into a much more enjoyable atmosphere than we'd had lately. The woods were thick as well, which kept the temperatures much cooler than in the campground. We followed the Red Trail down to the Pink Trail at the south end of the park, a pretty short distance as the park is quite small. On the Pink Trail we encountered several steep ravines, one which caused us great pause, but when we couldn't find a way around it, we finally managed to persuade the horses down it, with Clio uncharacteristically going first. The problem wasn't so much the ravine, though it was quite steep, but the sharp turn onto a bridge at the bottom of it, making it look extra scary. I think Apollo remembered how slippery the last trail's ravines were, and they were making him hesitate as well. There was a sign earlier in the trail indicating to be cautious, and to be sure of yourself and your horse (which, of course, we are! : -), so we couldn't say we weren't warned! Anyway, we made it through okay, and then the trail flattened out a bit, and turned into what they called the "Pink Maze," which was a bunch of spaghetti-like trails that criss-crossed each other. We stayed on the outer loop until we hit the road, then had a little confusion about the trail being linear when we realized that if we crossed the bridge that was part of a main county road, we could pick up the northern trails in the park, so that's what we did. We stayed on the Yellow Trail for the most part, saving the Red Trail tomorrow. It was a fabulous ride, with several good opportunities to canter, especially as it edges a field, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was a great way to erase the difficulties we've had the last few rides. The only problem was it was too short! We covered the entire perimeter of the eastern half of the park in just over an hour. As we looked more thoroughly at the map, we discovered that there were more bridle trails on the western half of the park that we hadn't previously seen, and worked out a route for tomorrow so we could cover those. A really, really nice ride, and Apollo seems more comfortable than ever in his new saddle/bareback pad, and so am I! Spent the afternoon on the computer, with Hubby watching sports, until we turned to the sequel of City Slickers (we had watched the original earlier this week) before starting our evening routine. A great day, just the kind we live for!

Friday, June 21, 2013 - Unexpected Rest and Recovery Day

I woke up early to the sound of birds, trains, and freeway traffic, then couldn't get back to sleep. Got up but didn't feel very well, and some time later when Hubby woke up, he didn't feel well either. After making coffee and watching the news, our stomachs settled enough to have some cereal, which was the new Grape-Nuts Fit Cranberry and Vanilla which we got free samples from the Dale Hollow State Park (go figure!) when we registered. After a bit we both decided to head back to bed to try to kick whatever it was as quickly as possible. We both slept for about two hours of deep sleep, and both felt much better afterward, though we woke up hot because the temps had moved up from a nice cozy 66 to nearly 90 but mid-afternoon. Spent the rest of the day finishing up my current Kindle book (the classic Uncle Tom's Cabin) before we settled down for the afternoon and evening. Had a discussion with Hubby about the book, though, because I had always interpreted an "Uncle Tom" as a derogatory term, but in the book the exact opposite is true, Uncle Tom is a true hero and martyr. But a little research revealed that it was the publications, reviews and mostly theatrical adaptations that FOLLOWED the book, like the old minstrel shows, that caused the term to become pejorative. I can't believe I didn't know that already! Amazing what one can learn about our history just by looking a little deeper! Makes me wonder what I learned in school that was the least bit useful... Settled into an evening of movies and relaxation.

Thursday, June 20, 2013 - Travel Day to Van Buren State Park

With just a three hour drive today, we slept in a little, but still managed to be on the road by 9:00. With stops at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, Lowes, Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart and Flying J for propane (with a guy who didn't instill much confidence that he had a clue what he was doing, which is kind of scary when it comes to handling flammables like propane!), we arrived at Van Buren at just about 3:00. Just 1.5 miles off the freeway, it's convenient, but will likely not be as quiet as we usually like, but since our destination are NEW states, i.e. Michigan, this is just a stopover on the way, and likely the last place we'll have electric for a while. Only one water spigot at the entrance, but we found the perfect spot for us right across the road, a nice little alcove that provides us with some privacy. The rest of the loop is mostly open, with a mix of electric and non-electric sites, one site with corrals, but most of the rest with a high-line cable already installed (as was the case in our site), and some just with posts. Quite an impressive camp, except for the lack of water, which they really should have at every site, or at least several places around the circle, rather than just one spot. We needed almost all of our hoses to reach from there, but we filled up the RV, and then we decided to try out our new collapsible rain barrel. I had found one in a catalog, 74 gallons, to replace the old hard-sided one we've been hauling around with us since our trip out west in 2010, which worked well, but took up a lot of "hay space" in the back of the pickup, so when I saw this collapsible one, I jumped at it. We had bought a piece of board at Lowes to set it on, set it up on the picnic table in the hopes the gravity feed would be enough to work with the automatic waterer. It took one of the old (non-Pocket) hoses to do it, but we finally managed to make it work. We could have just drained it in, but we've taken to using the automatic waterer, even just for filling the bucket, because then we can do other things without worrying about spilling in the horses' living area. I had put a quick connect adapter on it, so now we just slip it on, turn on the tap and walk away, coming back at our convenience and disconnecting it again when it's full. A nice little system once all the working parts are in order! Eventually we'll get it all right! Finally settled down for the evening, looking forward to the trails here, which look dry and easy and mostly flat, which will be a nice change for us all!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 - Muddy Ride Day at East Fork State Park

What a day! Although we have had only a small downpour since we've been here, evidently they had much more rain before we arrived, as they trails were so muddy it was more like trying to ride in a swamp than on a trail! We headed out of the campground at the only marked trailhead we say, and were instantly bogged down in inches of mud, and that was in a clearing before we got to the woods! Once we hit the trees, things got even worse. The first section was very confusing, with trails going every which way, and no markings whatsoever. The only map I had was the park map, which was wholly inadequate. We vaguely knew we wanted to head down toward the lake, so we took whatever turns seemed to take us south, but in reality, we didn't have a clue. The first half mile was incredibly treacherous, with steep ascents and descents, which we didn't expect at all. Once we got through that on to the ridge line, it got only slightly better, with more mud that made it very unpleasant going. There were a lot of limbs down as well, so we had to tread very carefully. We finally came to a trail crossing that seemed to head south, so we took it. At first it wasn't too bad, but gradually it became worse and worse, narrower and muddier, until we came across a limb blocking the trail and no way around. I got out my camp saw and hacked it down in a few minutes clearing the way, only to go around another bend and seeing several more trees across the trail. That was it, I was in no mood to become a lumberjack for a trail that was practically impassible anyway. We uncharacteristically turned around and headed back to the "main" trail. Not wanting to go back the way we came, and because we finally saw a few blazes indicating we actually were on a bridle trail, we turned left to carry on with what we hoped would turn out to be some sort of loop. Eventually the trail made it's way to the main road, which it then paralleled until it came to the horseman's day parking area, where we hoped to find an actual map at the kiosk. No such luck! The box was empty, but there was a large map on the board that I took a picture of so we would have at least some guidance. We determined the shortest loop back to camp (besides taking the park road) and headed out again, crossing the road onto what appeared to be a slightly better trail. Slightly better is key, here, anything less than an outright swamp would have been an improvement. Neither the horses or we were having much fun, though we still tried to stay on the bright side. We saw several deer, a big turtle sunning himself, and a very large bird that we thought at first was a deer because it took several steps before it got off the ground, and we were both surprised when it lifted off. We didn't get a good look at it, so we weren't sure what kind of bird it was, but it had to have a wingspan of at least 5 or 6 feet. We got lost once, missing one of the rare marked intersections because we took a detour around a long stretch of muddy trail, but finally got back on track, at least until we got back to the road crossing, at which point we decided we'd had enough slogging in the muck, and just took the main road back to the campground. What a day! Three hours of playing in the mud, we were all covered with it. Rinsed the horses down, they had mud up to their tummies and halfway up their tails! Glad to take the rest of the day off, with only having to start packing up for our departure tomorrow on the agenda. Not a very fun ride, though any hour on the back of my horse is time well-spent.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 - A Day in the Office

Spent the day working at my desk, while Hubby took a quick trip into town for some errands, and the horses grazed around on their anchors all day. We missed all the rain last night, surprisingly, since the radar looked like it would hit us dead on, but we did get one brief shower late in the day from an afternoon pop-up. Quit work about 5:00 and had a pleasant evening.

Monday, June 17, 2013 - Travel Day to East Fork State Park near Cincinnati

Set the alarm for 6:30 as a compromise between Central and Eastern time (leaving one for the other) and managed to get out in less than an hour, even with a stop at the dump. We were concerned about the weather, which predicted a 60% chance of rain, but later in the afternoon, so we wanted to get an early start to try to dodge the raindrops. A pretty straight forward drive, except for one crazy bit in Georgetown, KY, just after we skirted the only rainstorm of the day by a few miles. We started at the Southern States to stock up on Legends Senior Feed (the only one that has a minimum of sweet molasses in it, which is why we like it), then headed to the Walmart, which had the craziest entrance to it. It was a classic case of "You can't get there from here." We could see it, but the service road we turned on wouldn't take us there. We finally figured it out, and did some brief shopping and also to get some fuel there, in a very small gas station that proved to be very challenging to get around with my big rig. Met another couple there with an RV that was also having difficulties (which were compounded as there was only one diesel pump working), but who also told me they knew a couple in Naples, FL that was also trying to ride in every state! They themselves and done that riding bicycles. RVing can open such tremendous doors! Anyway, we finally made it, figuring this will probably be the last relatively cheap gas we'll get this side of North Dakota, then headed north uneventfully until we reached the campground at East Fork, about 30 miles east of Cincinnati. We ran down to the "horsemans' area" before realizing that that was the day parking section, then headed back to the campground, where we were told we had to select a site before we could register. First we had to go to the dump, though, as we had poured a bottle of Drano into the black water tank (as per the manufacturers instructions to get the level meter cleaned up and working again) and it had been sloshing it around for the last six hours. We also rinsed out the fresh water tank, as we had picked up some sediment somewhere along the line and wanted to flush that out as well, so it took some time to do. Eventually, we finished that job and headed for the horse camping loop, which was carefully manicured, but at least looked like it had some horse activity recently. We selected site 12 next to the only water spigot in the camp, also next to the bathhouse, although we never use that anyway. There were highline posts all along the back of the campground, a bit closer together than usual, but behind our site they had one that either had a post missing or it was intentional, but they were far enough apart to suit us, so we got the horses out of the trailer and put them on their anchors so they could munch on the lawn (which had a lot of clover), while I started setting up the highline and Hubby drove back down to the office to register. He was back pretty quickly, apparently we had taken too long at the dump and everyone had gone home! That's fine, we'll take care of it tomorrow. Didn't take long to get everything set up, we're starting to develop a good routine for this new RV. Hubby even got the best satellite signal we've had in ages! Good cellphone signal here as well, and lots of trails according to the map, so we should have a good stay, though part of it will have to be "office work," not to mention figuring out the next leg of the journey. We've only really gotten as far as "Michigan" as our next state which will be our 40th state that we've ridden in! There are a lot of horse camps in Michigan, but not enough information about them to make decisions, so some phone calls are in order, not to mention plowing through a stack of mail and filing everything away. Starting to feel more rested, though, and getting a few more hours of sleep per night. We did managed to finally settle in and resume our usual routine for the evening (though we splurged with a salmon dinner instead of our usual soup, just for a change.) Thunderclouds building, looks like we might be in for some storms later on.

Sunday, June 16, 2013 - Last Ride at Dale Hollow Lake

Can't seem to help but get up before 7:00 or so, as it gets so light so early here in Central Time. Not to mention there's a lot of traffic here, like at most State Parks. Anyway, got the horses fed by the time Hubby woke up, then walked the dogs as he started making coffee and getting ready for breakfast. Relaxed a bit in the morning, then got the horses saddles for our last ride here today. Yesterday was the first time I had tried out my new saddle-shaped bareback pad, and with the severe terrain here (pretty steep ascents and descents), it was a good test to try it out. I had to rework the stirrups, as they really don't have a great buckle system, and were slipping like crazy yesterday, but we managed to find a way to lock them in. I added my lambskin cover, which was a tremendous help, I never noticed the rings at all today, and I started getting used to going for the mane instead of the horn (on my old saddle:-), though my balance seems to be improving dramatically, and I'm pretty sure I'll be doing a lot less grabbing as I get more confident. Took a much longer ride today, but again there was a discrepancy between my GPS and Google Earth, with one saying the trip was 5.5 miles and the other saying over 8. We added a section by accident, but were glad we did when we found ourselves on the top of a cliff overlooking the lake for which the park was name (and which we hadn't even seen yet!), with a spectacular view! There were several islands that, according to the map, were half in Kentucky and half in Tennessee, and since we were looking south, most of the view was the latter. Not as many boats on the lake as I would have thought for a Sunday, and no sailboats at all that I could see, just motor boats of varying sizes and shapes. Glad we went the extra .8 miles and back to see it, was a nice place to take a rest anyhow. In any event, it was a decent three hour ride, but I have to say, these are some of the worst maintained trails I ever seen, especially for a state park, and even more so for a state "resort" park! So many limbs have fallen across the trail that it's almost impossible to ever get in a decent trot or canter, despite the fact there's plenty of opportunities otherwise. All it would take would be a crew for a few days to get everything is ship-shape. I've seen national forests with better-maintained trails! At least today I wore long sleeves so I wouldn't get scratched by all the brambles that have stretched themselves into the trail. Apollo and I did have several good canters today, and a couple of trots as well. He seems to be moving so much more easily with this new configuration, so I'm hoping that once I gain a bit more confidence, we'll be able to manage anything! Got back right around 3, got everyone settled, gave the horses a quick rinse off, packed up all the items we could for our departure tomorrow, and settled in for a quiet and relaxing evening.

Saturday, June 15, 2013 - First Ride at Dale Hollow State Park

Woke up to the sound of mule bellowing from the campground loop next door, only about 6:00, but I lay in bed for a while longer, until I finally just had to get up, about 7:30 or so. Took care of the animals, feeding and walking, finding Hubby getting up by the time I finished. We had our bacon and egg breakfast, then spent some time trimming the horses' feet (Clio's wouldn't fit in her boots properly, and Apollo's hooves grow so fast I can't let them go any longer). I also tried out my new saddle-shaped bareback pad that was waiting for us when we got home, so I had to switch out the girth and adjust the stirrups, which had a rather strange plastic setup that didn't do a very good job of keeping them in place. Every time I put weight on them they slipped, so I had to mess with that a bit until they eventually stayed pretty well. Finally, we headed off down the nearest trail, called Rangers' Loop. Oddly, on the map it says the trail is 3.5 miles long, but on the trailhead sign it says 7.1 miles long, so not knowing added a bit of mystery. Shortly after the start, however, Apollo gave me a fright. Something caught his eye and he wheeled around suddenly, and not having a horn (although there's a little loop to grab, reports on the internet said it would rip easily), so I didn't feel real confident in that, I eventually managed to grab a handful of mane, just in time to keep me from losing my balance, as the girth had already loosened up dramatically (which it always does, just not usually this early in the ride) so my saddle pad slid a bit, plus by stirrups moved a bit, and my feet couldn't stay in the stirrups. I dismounted, raised the stirrups and tried to lock them in better before heading back down the trail, past the scary stump that had so tortured Apollo... Anyway, we followed the arrows, up and down some nice hills through mostly forest. I was quite surprised at how unused the trail seemed to be, with lots of broken limbs blocking the trail, and areas where the undergrowth was brushing us as we passed. I was only wearing a tank top, I would have worn sleeves if I had known the trail would be so narrow in places! Anyway, about a half hour into the trip, we went down a pretty steep and narrow part of the trail, then through a little muck at the bottom, which Apollo took as a personal affront, and to show his displeasure (and because he was tired of just walking), he decided to gallop away from it, uphill, winding around trees, sometimes on the trail, sometimes not, all the while I've grabbed his mane and am hanging on for dear life, hoping he doesn't rub me off on one the trees he was skimming by! With one hand in the mane, the other hand just didn't seem to know what to do with the reins except let him go, so that's what we did. Eventually he galloped off the trail and had to stop as the woods became too thick for him to go any further. Hubby was just behind me at a somewhat more controlled canter, but we had to backtrack about 5 yards to get back on the trail. Rather exciting, and a good test of my near stirrup-less bareback skills, which turned out to be better than I thought. I really like the feel of this "saddle" though, Apollo is a really wide and flat horse, so his back is actually more comfortable than my old saddle, and I can get a real feel for his gait this way. I also think he seems more comfortable without any kind of tree or hard structure against him. Once I gain a little more experience and confidence in the equipment, in particular, solve the stirrup problem, this should be a really good way to ride. I had also read on the internet (and also turned out to be true) about the fact that because there are no fenders, the stirrup rings rub badly again your calves and that you needed chaps to solve the problem, but Hubby suggested I move my lambskin saddle pad from the old saddle, which covers all the way down to the top of the actual stirrups, and should cover up the problem, which I thought was a great idea, since I think will be my saddle of choice for awhile. We finished making our way around the loop, and arrived back at the campground with no further incidents, though we did get a little jog in (the trot was just too bouncy without stirrups steady enough to post in). I'll be ready to canter next time we ride, assuming there's a section of the trail that allows for it. According to my GPS, the whole ride was only 2.49 miles, so I don't know where these other measurements came from! Looking forward to transferring it over to Google Earth and seeing how it matches the actual map, to see if we went wrong, or if the map is just poorly made. Gave the horses a rinse off, tied them on their anchors and tied them to the hitching post so they can enjoy some of this manicured grass, while I refit my new saddle with the lambskin cover and tried to secure the stirrups a bit better. Then a lovely afternoon sitting on my lounger under the awning getting caught up on my blog, while Hubby switched between golf and soccer on the telly. Just about time for our evening routine, cocktail hour is fast approaching!

Friday, June 14, 2013 - Today's the Day! Heading out to Dale Hollow State Park in KY

Summary of the last few weeks. Rather than bore anyone with the mundane of our ordinary lives at home, here it is in a nutshell: Non-stop Doctor's appointments, shopping, yardwork, chores, sewing, and loading up the RV. We finally got started back on the road today. We had planned on getting up just before 7:00, but I accidentally set the alarm for just before 6:00, which we didn't actually mind, because we had gone to bed so early, and we wanted to get out so much, we jumped out of bed and started getting ready to go. We were headed up the driveway just after 8:00. We had one stop in McMinnville at the Farmer's Coop to pick up some heavy duty wormer (Hubby's worried his horse is getting too thin, and thinks it might be worms), and considering how many horses they were around in Charlotte last month, better safe than sorry. We usually worm them twice a year (per our vet), but Hubby's been reading up on worming and wants to increase the schedule, which is fine by me. Next we grabbed gas at the new Kroger station and breakfast at Burger King, before heading out to Dale Hollow State Park, just over the TN/KY border. This is one of those manmade lakes that TVA built to provide electricity to everyone living in the sticks (including us!), and there's a lot of very nice parks around the edges of the lake. We arrived right around noon, checked in, and headed out to the horse camp. There are three loops that are all campgrounds that allow horses, but the only accommodation they provide are several hitching rails in each loop. There really aren't even enough trees within the campground to use for a highline. Fortunately the loop is surrounded by woods, so we found a couple of trees in there to set them up. The only problem is it's on a hill, so the bobos will just have to stand at a slant while we're here! The site we reserved had a really short driveway, so we really couldn't fit in without seriously blocking the driveway, but the site next door (#7) had a longer driveway, plus we could angle the truck a bit so that it would just about be clear of the road. We called the office (cellphone service is fair, but seems to be on an extended and even roaming service) and confirmed we could move to #7, so gradually we got everything set up. It's a typical state park, though, with highly manicured lawns and groomed camping areas, with a bathhouse that doubled as a tornado shelter. Pretty quiet though, there were a couple of campers (sans horses) in the loop, but they left before the end of the day, and just one other camper came in, a long livestock trailer that was also sans horses. We did see a couple of riders go by, though, so we know there are other campers with horses here in the next loop over. Had to park the horse trailer in the middle of the loop, next to our neighbor's boat, because the sites themselves are too small, and not very level. Hubby missed the mark a little setting up the RV, we were balanced left to right, but we have a pretty serious list to the front. We were too tired to worry about it, though, we just wanted to relax as much as we could. We had replaced most of our hoses with those new little Pocket Hoses "As seen on TV" while we were home, and I wanted to put the automatic waterer on the horses water tub so we would have to drag it up the hill all the time, and to keep it full and heavy enough to prevent the horses from kicking it down the hill, but of course the old hose that was left on there had become all corroded, so it took some effort and a little heat to finally break that loose. Eventually, though, we got the system worked out and set up. We even brought out the lounges and sat under the awning for a while. The weather is simply perfect, not a cloud in the sky and only in the low eighties, with lows in the low 60's, couldn't ask for better. Plus these sites all have 50 amp service, so we should have everything we need here, including air conditioning when the temps heat up over the next few days. Of course, being a state park, it's a bit more expensive than we usually like to pay (including an extra one time, $2 charge per horse), but it does have all the mod cons, and we've had such a busy winter and spring, we're not going to worry about a few extra bucks here and there. I'm sure we'll make up for it by spending time in a national forest somewhere, where we can get the Golden Passport rate of about $2.50 a night : -) Anyway, we finally got everything settled in, then crashed for the rest of the day, determined to be rested enough to ride tomorrow. A cocktail, a shower, dinner, a movie, a brandy, and off to bed, our usual evening routine, SO glad to have a new back yard to look at!