Archives for 2013

Though the alarm went off at 7:30, we put the heat on and snuggled until it warmed up a little, so Hubby didn’t get up to start coffee until nearly 8:00. Since we hadn’t done much prep work last night, it took a bit longer to get packed and out, departing the campground about 9:20. Unfortunately, the forecast changed again since last night, which had been a mere 20% chance of rain after noon, but instead we ran into some pretty good drizzle by 10:30, so the hay was getting damp. Fortunately, it’s pretty tightly packed, and we only have about 6 bales left, so it will probably be fine. We decided to skip shopping entirely and head straight to camp and get set up asap. We had no trouble finding the park, which actually had a manned entrance. They were kind enough to let us run out and find which site we wanted and then I returned to sign in a bit later. We were delighted to discover that the eight corrals here were covered!! What a nice surprise! I thought I remembered seeing a roof of some kind on Google Earth, but didn’t realize those were the actual corrals. We were suddenly much happier with our decision. Plus, there were some very bushy cedar trees separating each site, providing a darn good wind break as well, though they were too short and healthy to be any threat during an ice storm. The electrical breaker gave Hubby a little problem, but he managed to re-seat it and resolve it. It didn’t take long to get set up, and with a quick satellite setup, a great cell phone signal, and 30 amp electric, suddenly the oncoming storm seemed much less threatening. We also got a trail map that showed a lot more trails than advertised, and because it’s a national campground (Army Corp of Engineers), they honored Hubby’s Golden Age Passport, cutting the price in half, from $16 to $8. Such a deal!! Although there are large electrical lines nearby, they’re far enough away to be of no consequence. I put the horses in two dry corrals and before we knew it, we were home once again! No worse for the wear, and congratulating ourselves on making the great decision to move. Monday we’ll go shopping and get more propane and everything else we need, just as we would if we had moved on Monday. Supposed to be in the 50’s by Thanksgiving, so it may turn out to be a good week after all!

It rained and stormed through the night, and the gas furnace came on numerous times during the night, even though we had it set at 63 degrees, so neither one of us had a great night’s rest. Freezing cold this morning, bundled up in our parkas to feed the horses, though they seemed comfortable enough in their blankets. Spent several hours trying to work online, but contrary to my first day’s experience here, getting online has been a real pain. Even though our Kindles seem able to pick up a good 3G signal, my antenna booster is mostly getting a one bar, analog connection, which takes hours to do minutes of work. One thing we have discovered is that the forecast for next week has been continuing to deteriorate, now with ice storms coming in by Sunday, and rain and sleet and possibly snow until at least Tuesday. I had taken a quick trip into town yesterday afternoon, because I needed a post office and to pick up some gas for the generator, and discovered the nearest gas station was practically all the way into town, so a nearly 30 mile round trip for gas. By the time I got back yesterday, I was starting to consider that maybe staying here for another week plus might not be a great idea. Through the day, we ran out of propane and had to switch tanks, we’ve been using a lot more because of the cold, tried to find the nearest propane place, and that seemed like another 15 or 20 miles away. Suddenly this place we had been enjoying so much was starting to look like it could be a logistical problem. I was also concerned about the ice storm and the trees around which we were surrounded. We’ve seen what ice can do to perfectly healthy trees, and it doesn’t take a great imagination to figure out that these drought-stressed and fungus ridden trees could be very hard hit. The last thing we needed was to have trees dropping on us or the horses. After much discussion, and some reluctance, the logic of the situation made itself clear, and we decided we needed to move to someplace with electric. The cold air was moving all the way down to the Mexican border and beyond, so we weren’t expecting the weather to improve much by moving south, but electric was beginning to be important. Our original plan was to go from here to Davy Crockett National Forest, but they don’t have electricity, and often in cold weather their water is turned off, and they also had stressed trees, and worse, no satellite signal, though I knew I could get a cell phone signal. That plan flew out the window, and I started looking a a number of Army Corp of Engineers camps which I had recently discovered, about 6 of them between here and Austin. Passing by East Fork, the closest but most expensive, we settled on Waxahachie Creek, south of Dallas. From the looks of it on Google Earth, it was mostly open, thus allaying any fear of trees falling on us, though it didn’t look too exciting. Supposedly there are 12.5 miles of trails there, but I haven’t found a trail map yet. There are only 4 spots, but the reservation system says two are reservable but empty, and two are walk-in. Somehow, with this weather, I doubt we’re going to have much company. The closest town is Ennis, just 8 miles away, and has a full complement of stores, including Walmart, propane and feed, plus there’s hay available nearby, too, so it has it all. Having made the decision, we set the alarm for 7:30 and did our best to continue to keep warm.

With a slight chance of rain forecast, we headed out for another ride in warm temps, our last for a while, as there’s a cold front coming in later today. Had to pull out our ponchos at one point, though it was only for a brief shower or two, better dry than wet! Today we headed out on Trail #4 again, and of course, Apollo was very unenthusiastic, as he hates taking the same trail twice. Once we got the intersection and headed up 4B, however, he woke back up again a little bit. We wanted a ride about the same 6-7 miles in length, so I worked out that if we took 4 to 4B, then looped back to the same #4 rather than continue toward Trail #2, it would be about 7 miles, and it worked out well. Passed a dead fox in the trail, and a dead cow in the bordering pasture, so I guess the carnivores in the forest are happy today. Wide trails intermingled with narrow woodsy trails made this another great ride. When we hit the big field on the home stretch, Apollo decided he wanted to gallop, so off he took, whipping around curves and off the trail across the open field. I was doing fine until he decided to slow down long enough to kick up his back heels, doing a little rodeo move on me. I managed to stay on okay, but it always make my heart pound a bit faster not knowing what he’s going to do at moments like that. Never a dull moment! We got back to camp safely, got everyone up away, blanketed up the horses even though it was still quite warm out, we knew the temps would be dropping fast once the storm came in. And come in it did! Thunder and lightning, temps dropping 20 degrees in less than an hour, and one strike of lightning so close we think it was right in the campground! Glad we’re on rubber wheels! We kept waiting to hear if a tree fell down as a result, but it never did. Wasn’t about to go out and look, it was cold, blustery and pretty ugly. There were several campers in tents here, and I felt sorry for them, it was a pretty miserable evening. We were tucked up nicely in our little bungalow, but we had to run the generator all evening just to keep the heat going, amazing what a difference a few hours make! The horses seemed fine, even with the close lightning strike, but I’m sure they were glad to have those warm blankets on now! Going to bed to cuddle with Hubby and Billy (the little dog, before you get any crazy ideas!), to ward off the nasty weather!

With the forecast indicating just a couple of nice days followed by some cold, rainy weather, we decided to ride every day, back to back, rather than skipping a day between rides, just so we can get the rides in before we have to hunker down against the weather. We saddled up after breakfast and headed out,this time to the east and northeast to Trail #4, then south to hook up with #2 and then the section of #3 we didn’t ride yester. What a great ride! #4 is a bit wider, almost like a carriage road, but still single track, and still shaded by trees. It runs along a perimeter fence with beautiful pastures on the other side, and a few cattle grazing, which startled the horses for a minute, but they moved on with little trouble. Had a few great places to trot and canter, and still perfect dirt/sand footing. Even though it was the second day in a row, the horses didn’t mind, as it was a whole new trail, and we only went 6 miles yesterday, so they were still pretty fresh. This place is really great, and the weather has been excellent, in the upper 50’s and 60’s, partly sunny. Enjoying it while it lasts! Love the gates here, they’re specifically designed to be able to open and close on horseback, easy chains, just the right height and balance for opening and closing, perfect! Came across some very interesting mushrooms, shaped like stars, don’t know what they are, or whether they’re edible, but they certainly are fascinating to look at! Got back by 3:00 or so, and since this was the warmest day so far, gave the horses a much needed bath at the convenient wash rack they have here. Gave the dogs a bath while we were at it, too, just to get everyone on the same page. The breeze started getting a bit chillier, though, so we put the winter blankets back on the horses before bedtime, settling down for another restful evening.

Getting used to the shorter days and waking up earlier, we both had a better night sleep out here, it’s so quiet for a change! No planes, no trains, and hardly any automobiles, even though we’re right off a pretty good FM (Farm to Market) road. We were out on the trail by about 11:30 or so, heading out what appears on the map as the Pink Trail, or Trail #3 as it’s marked. We took the extended loop, and fell in love with the footing! After so much rocky terrain, we were so happy to at last have dirt and sand footing, with just a few roots occasionally, as you’d expect in a forest. Despite being part of the National Grasslands, there’s nothing grassy about this trail, it’s all through woods, with only one short stretch in the open that looks like a utility track, but no poles or wires, just a narrow stretch of field. Loved it! The horses started out expecting something else, and we could just feel them relax as the trail went on without incident. We were finally able to do some trotting, but other than the short field I just described, there really wasn’t any place suitable to get in a good canter, though we did a little on short stretches up small grades. The trail winded around the northwest corner of the park, then dropped south to a river, which then flowed into a lake, with the trail followed east and finally back to camp It was just 6 miles, so we were back within a couple of hours. Just the right length for our first exploratory ride, and apparently about the same length as most of the other loops out of the campground, making this a perfect place to ride for a week, maybe more. Hoping the weather holds out for that! Might even retrieve the parkas from storage so we can ride when the weather is cooler, this is so nice here! Plus, since it’s a national forest, with a Golden Age passport, it’s only $3 a night. Just our kind of place! As we were putting the horses up, a guy we had seen earlier on a tractor, drove over and asked if we minded if he parked his tractor next to us. He and a partner were cutting up a downed tree and he didn’t want to have to keep trailering it is. Of course, we said we didn’t mind (though I did mention I might want to take it for a joy ride later : -), to which he said the tank was full, have a good time! I like the folks here, everyone has been really friendly so far. Must be Texas! Anyway, had some chores to do in the afternoon before settling in for the night, wishing we had gotten here a week or two earlier so that we could enjoy the weather longer. Fingers crossed it’s not as cold as they’re forecasting now for next week!

Woke up with the alarm and headed out by 9:00, although we didn’t get finished at the dump until almost 9:30 doing a long overdue an extra flush. An easy drive, with stops at the Red River Farmers Coop in Hugo just to pick up a new hay bag, another old one gave up the ghost and fell apart a couple of days ago. Another stop at Walmart for groceries and other essentials, as well as to top off with fuel, and off we went, arriving at the LBJ National Grasslands Bois d’Arc horse camp right at our scheduled tim of 3:00. A quick drive around the campground was all it took to decide site 21 would be most suited for us. Surprisingly, there were a couple of other sites taken, but after a brief but helpful and friendly conversation with the folks there, learned they were just there day riding, though when they did camp, site 21 was their favorite! We quickly got set up, horses on a highline. While they provided some metal posts for that, I didn’t really like the layout (one set of posts got in the way of another hitching rail), so we decided to use a couple of well placed trees for a nice long highline, more space than they had even in the corrals at the last couple of places. Hubby got the satellite dish set up in record time, the first time it’s been easy in quite some time, especially considering how much of this campground is shaded, he managed to find just the right spot. As we’d only been snacking all day, we quickly got the animals fed, then fed ourselves dinner and settled down for a nice, quiet evening. This place feels really good. Odd, the last couple of places felt heavy, like it had too many unquiet souls there. Both of us, as well as both of the dogs, seemed to have fitful dreams during our entire stay at both places in Oklahoma, but in particular at Cedar Lake. I know that sounds weird, but that’s how it felt. Now we’re in Texas, we’ll see how things go here! Good news, the footing is all sand here according to the locals, and I have just enough of a cell phone signal to be able to get on the ‘net with my antenna booster. We may even decide to stay two weeks, depending on the weather, it seems from the trail map like there are enough trails to keep us busy for that long! Unfortunately, the weather forecast isn’t boding too well for later in the week, more cold air and rain coming in… but we’ll see! The weatherman’s been known to be wrong on occasion : -)

After a nice blueberry pancake breakfast, Hubby and I did our usual Sunday housekeeping before a friend arrived to visit. Spent the day enjoying each other’s company, had a nice steak dinner I cooked over the grill, then after his departure, enjoyed a nice quiet evening, with a minimal amount of preparation for our departure tomorrow.

Had a hard time getting to sleep last night, and then all my dreams were active, so I woke up feeling more tired than when I went to bed! Got up and fed the horses, delighted to see that Clio ate every bit of hay from last night, and was even picking at the scraps on the ground, something she hasn’t done in months! Hopefully the wormer did the trick, it would be great if that was the crux of the problem. Gave them breakfast, and she was tucking away at it like she was starving, another good sign! After breakfast we saddled up and headed out, on another fairly short loop, hoping the trails aren’t quite as rocky as the last one, though the north part of this loop is the same one we took on Thursday, so we already know that part’s rocky. Turns out 6A was a bit better, with some stretches along the ridgeline that didn’t have any rocks at all, and even a few sections of a carriage road that made life a lot easier. There were some sections that were just as rocky, but somehow it didn’t seem quite so bad. Not sure why this place is so busy (a lot of trailers came in for the weekend) with trails like theses. Don’t get me wrong, everything else is great, nice camp, good grades, pretty views, it’s just the trails are so full of rocks and roots it just doesn’t make for a very pleasant ride. Hoping the next place has better trails! Clio went straight back to her morning hay, not even taking a nap after the ride, very unusual, but a great sign we’ll be able to put the weight back on her in a hurry! Settled down for the evening earlier than usual, an enjoyable day despite the rough trails.

Spent the day working on my latest writing project, Hubby spent the day reading. Horses had a nice day off!

Set the alarm so that we could get out at a decent hour (these short days require it!) though several things delayed us and it was 12:30 by the time we hit the trail. Clio’s back foot seems to be fine, but we wrapped it up just in case. We headed out the #3 trail east, with boots on, thank goodness, because it soon became clear that the trail was mostly rocks, roots and muddy ruts. The terrain was nice, and the grades moderate, the forest mostly evergreens with some deciduous trees. Usually in a pine forest there are roots, but their inconvenience is generally offset by a nice pine-needle covered dirt trail, but here that is not the case. Rocks, rocks everywhere, though not quite as dense on the trail as the one we took last week in Robbers Cave. On the good side, the trails were well marked, using painted blazes, good signage, even the occasional “You are Here” placard on important intersections, so fortunately it’s difficult to get lost. Of course, we always strive to achieve the difficult, and we did, in fact, miss a turn, but the cross country climb was almost a trail, certainly one that had been traveled by many horses previously, and had a lot less rocks on it, so it was actually easier than the trail itself. It wasn’t long before we ran back into the right trail (my GPS kept us going in the right direction), and we arrived back at camp by 3:00. Apollo was his usual brilliant self, though I could tell he was getting frustrated with the footing after awhile, and Clio’s leg was none the worse for the wear, fortunately, no damage done. Shortly after getting back, we disconnected the horse trailer from the van and I ran back into Heavener to pick up some groceries, as well as oats and wormer for the horses. Clio still doesn’t seem to be putting on as much weight as we’d like, we can only think it’s because the last wormer didn’t do the job completely, so I got the strong stuff, and we gave that to the horses when I got back. Oddly, we found a bunch of ticks on her (and a few on Apollo), which I’ve never seen before. Usually ticks don’t seem to bother the horses, but she had quite a few on her, though they looked like they were in the later stages of their life cycle. We took them all off and smashed them with a rock, so that was that. Settled down for the evening after putting their winter blankets on, though tonight we didn’t put them in the trailer like we had the last two nights, because it was only supposed to be getting down to the low 40’s, a good 20 degrees above the last two nights. Warming up for the weekened, all the way into the upper 70’s!