Hey Darlin',
After the long reconnaissance ride yesterday, I felt I'd seen all I needed to see in this trail system to finally make some headway on the trail plan. The difficulty here is that you have to choose between crossing a paved road multiple times, riding through swamp, riding about a mile on a limestone rock road, riding in deep sand or repeating trails. None are great options, but the choice must be made. I spent several hours trying to accommodate all of that, but in the end, I called Jo, the ride manager, to try to pin down which complaints she was willing to deal with, since there really isn't any route that will make everyone happy all of the time. In the end we adjusted the route a few different ways, finally opting for using the limestone road but cutting it down to the bare minimum of about a mile. It starts at a water stop, so we figured if someone wants to put boots on, it's a good place to do it anyway. Only one mile out of 50, it's the best we could do. Glad to have that finalized, though, it's been bugging me! Still have a bit of recon to do in the south loop, so I have another day of riding this week, though not likely tomorrow. I have errands in the morning and it's going to be a chilly day, so Thursday, most likely. Finally settled down for the evening, enjoyed a funny movie with Woody Harrelson coaching a team of "intellectually challenged" teens to the Special Olympics championship, and now it's time for shower and bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
Monday, December 4, 2023 – Great Long Ride, Sold The Old Recliner
Hiya Babe,
Not surprisingly, I had a good night sleep, and set my alarm so that I would be up for an appointment with a couple to come look at the recliner. I love Facebook Marketplace! They arrived just after 10:00, and we had all the usual discussions about the chair. The wife sat in it, but it was hard to get a real feel for it on the uneven ground of my screen room, so I suggested we carry it out to the porch overhang on the bathrooms, which had a cement floor. We did that, and, of course, it felt much better. They ended up buying it, for a girl that's staying with them for awhile that is apparently very petite, so this smaller chair should be perfect for her! Even better, they paid me a little more than what I paid for it, so I even made a profit! I was just glad to get it out of the elements so quickly, sitting in the screen room would not have done it much good if it stayed out there very long. Anyway, with that done, and after doing some other trail planning, I finally saddled up Flash and we headed out for what ended up being 16.6 miles of reconnaissance around the trails, and we didn't even complete the plan I had made because I went off exploring just about trail and path we came across. It's good, though, I'm really getting to know where everything is, and where all the roads lead, but that means another ride to hopefully finish off the last few roads I haven't quite checked out yet. Good news, though, nearly every trail I took today is passable, just some are not going in a direction that will help in the endurance ride. I'm certainly figuring out some interesting options! We got out late, so it was 4:45 by the time we got back, and once I rinsed him down it was feeding time. I finally was able to settle down for the evening, feeling very tired tonight, it's been a busy few days! Another busy one tomorrow, too, I imagine, so much to do! Love you, sweetheart! Good night!
Sunday, December 3, 2023 – Long, Tiring Day, But Small Trailer Retrieved!
Hi Sweetie,
What a day! Set my alarm for 6:15, had breakfast and got the horses and Lola fed, and managed to leave around 7:20. Without stops the trip was just over 3 1/2 hours, so I arrived at exactly 11:00. First thing I did was try to start the Buick, but the battery was dead flat, so I put the truck jumpers on and let it charge for awhile. One of the tires (brand new) was flat for some reason, so I got the compressor going and got that one up, plus topped off the other three. Let my sister-in-law know I was there, and she was thoughtful enough to have saved a couple of T-bone steak bones for Lola! They were in a bag not quite big enough for them, so they were sticking out a bit, and would you believe, I put them right on the console in the truck and she never touched them, even though she was alone with them for a long time! What a good girl! Then I went and checked on the little horse trailer, I took out a tractor tire that was in the back, not sure exactly why that was in there, but if it's useable it should stay with the tractor there anyway, and if it's not useable, I sure don't need to be carrying it around! Of course, the trailer is all moldy again, not surprisingly, so washing that will be on the agenda sometime this week. I checked the tires on that and found one that was about 40 lbs. too low, but the others were acceptable without a load. By then, I figured the Buick was charged enough, and sure enough, I was able to start it, albeit reluctantly. It ran, but it stalls out when you take your foot off the gas, just like before, so it will have to warm up for 10-15 minutes before it will run in gear. I did roll it a bit to get it off the same flat spot in the tires, it moved in neutral easily enough. Finally, I hooked up the trailer and headed down the road, but something didn't feel right. I pulled over, and realized I had forgotten the block for putting the jack on, so I ran back (I was only a mile away), and when I got there I jacked up the trailer off the hitch and realized it was only a 2" hitch, too small. So then I went through a whole series of exercises trying to swap out the 2" hitch with my other 2 3/8" hitch, just about killing myself in the process. I got literally no help from my brother, other than him lending me a pipe wrench and suggesting I go to Tractor Supply and buy a new receiver. Well I didn't have time for that, so I finally pulled out another receiver that I had, and that ball came off immediately. Then the light bulb went off in my head. The original configuration of the truck to trailer was a 4" drop with a 2 3/8" ball, but I had changed it to a 2" ball when I used his trailer to move my tractor to his place. That didn't work, though, because his trailer was too low to reach the hitch, so I went to Tractor Supply and bought a 6" drop, which evidently only came with the ball already on it, which explains why I couldn't get the damn thing off, because it had been put together in the factory. So finally I remembered the series of events, got out my 4" drop, and that 2" ball came right off with the first twist, and I was finally able to get a working hitch, which was exactly what the original configuration had been. Whew! I worked up such a sweat, and wasted so much time, it was 1:20 by the time I finally pulled out of there. That would make it a VERY close call to arriving back at camp before dark, which was my goal, though originally I thought I'd be there long before 4:00 if I had been able to stay on schedule. I took one quick stop to top off my fuel tank, just because I didn't want any more stress about it getting low, and another quick stop at a Publix to get a couple of cartons of grapefruit juice, the one commodity I was low on, but that only took about seven minutes. As it turned out, I arrived back just before sunset, so I had plenty of dusk light to get the horses fed. I was exhausted by then! Had just enough energy to finish off my homemade chicken soup (which was lovely but I'm glad it's done, I'm ready for a change), and settled down for the evening. I finally gave Lola the first of her bones, which she thoroughly enjoyed! Unfortunately I chose an excruciatingly boring movie that I fell asleep to, but now I'm more that ready for my shower and bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Saturday, December 2, 2023 – Short Ride on Apollo
Hiya Darlin',
Another late morning, and after chores and few other things, I saddled up Apollo for a quick ride. Probably would have been a bit longer, but Jo's electrician husband decided to come over and look at a couple of things on my trailer that have been bothering me. Apollo and I (without Lola, as she was still zonked from yesterday) just took a shore one hour loop in the blue trail. The trail was in lovely condition, just a few wet spots, so it was very enjoyable for the most part. Just after we waded through the spring that perpetually runs across the trail, though, Apollo must have decided there were pigs nearby (he hates pigs!) and spun around so quick I almost came out of the saddle. I was pretty proud of myself, considering I was barely hanging on, but managed to get upright. Then, of course, as we carried on, he did it again, even worse, and despite my best efforts to stay on board, ended up on the ground, silly horse! He only took a few steps further and stopped, thank goodness. I usually don't let go of the reins no matter what, but did today, and was glad he stopped. I then walked him past the offending area on the ground, until I finally was able to mount him again. It was slow motion, though, and wasn't even sure what I landed on until the evening, when it became clear my left butt cheek and my left ankle needed some ice, which I took care of. Anyway, after we got back and Jo and her husband arrived, I spent awhile explaining the system to him (it's pretty convoluted), he realized it was going to take a bit more to figure out than he had time for, so we'll have to revisit it another time. The weather forecast here was for rain tomorrow, but clear further south, so I entertained the idea of running down and picking up my two-horse trailer, and as I pursued that, learned that it wasn't at brother Jeff's any longer, it had been moved to brother Glenn's in Indiantown, which means the trip will actually be a bit shorter. All that gelled in a way that convinced me making the trip tomorrow is a good idea, even though I don't have a place to store it confirmed yet. I'm pretty sure I can find one, though, and I really need to get that trailer up here. So that's the plan. Now that that's settled, I'm having my usual evening, though ending much earlier, since I want to be on the road by the crack of dawn tomorrow so I can get back before dark. Off to my shower and bed! Good night, babe! Love you!
Friday, December 1, 2023 – A Great 17+ Mile Recon Ride
Hi Babe,
After chores, I called La-Z-Boy and they assured me that the chair only feels this way because it's new and needs a little time to break in. They offered to replace it with one off the showroom floor, but I figured if what they said was true, I'd rather stick with a new one and break it in myself. I can already feel the seat starting to sink down a little, and once it does that, everything else should line up. I listed the old chair on Facebook Marketplace and covered it with a tarp to keep it dry and safe. Wasn't long before I was saddling up Flash and heading out on the trail with Lola, where we did another recon ride to explore some of the more distance open trails. Once again, found some great ones, also ruled a few out, so I'm making progress! Didn't quite get to all of them that I had planned on today, so I'm not finished yet, but that's fine, I just like having a purpose to ride (besides my own entertainment, that is!) I also want to check out the ones we used last year to see what kind of shape they're in. I finally had the chance to use my little pruning chain saw on a pine tree that had fallen over the trail, first time I've had to use it! Horses could have easily gotten over it, but it would have been problematic when they mowed the next time. Anyway, that took up most of the afternoon. Lola was well and truly bushed by the time we got back, but Flash was speedy all day, averaging nearly six mph today. Settled down for my usual evening, heading to shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Thursday, November 30, 2023 – Lunch with Jo, Chair Delivery
Hey Sweetie,
Another good night sleep, lazy morning, then met Jo for lunch at Willards just to go over what we've doing in preparation for the ride. Got back in time for my chair delivery. I had pulled the old chair out to the porch so it had a nice open space, and the two guys had no trouble getting it in. I put the cover in the wash and subsequently hung it out to dry, covered the old chair with a sheet to protect it. It was weird, though, when I sat in the chair it didn't feel anything like when I sat in it at the store, not nearly as comfortable as I remember it. In fact, it didn't seem even as comfortable as the chair I'm replacing! Maybe it just needs to be broken in or something, I don't know. I'm going to call tomorrow and see if this is normal for a new chair, but after so much research and checking every chair in the store last week, I was sure I'd found the right one, but this just doesn't feel the same. Anyway, I relaxed in my usual evening way, ready for shower and bed. Good night, darlin', love you!
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 – Chilly Morning, Then Housework and Laundry
Hiya Darlin',
Had a good night sleep, though even with the fireplace on all night, it was still pretty chilly inside the trailer. Not as bad as outside, though, it did get down into the low 30's last night. Even though it was a beautiful, sunny day, it was so cold I decided not to try to ride today, so I mostly did housework and a load of laundry, did some work on the trail planning for both Black Prong and Tidewater, which we've now decided will be our trail cleanup focus on Dec. 9. I found some dead bugs this morning, leftover from the bug bombs I used yesterday, mostly stink bugs. I'm hoping I made a dent in that infestation, but I'm not holding my breath. Don't know if they die off in cold weather, that might help if they do. Supposed to be in the mid-30's again overnight tonight, so I probably won't be riding in the morning, as I'm meeting Jo for lunch and expecting my chair delivery after 2:00. Can't wait for that!! Anyway, glad to get the abode cleaned up, looking forward to a snuggly night in bed shortly! Good night, babe! Love you!
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 –Doctor, Shopping and Laundry
Hiya Babe,
Had a good long night sleep after going to bed early, woke up to the alarm, got the morning chores done, started a load of laundry, then met with Scotty, who handed over trail markers to me. Then I headed out to Dunnellon, stopping first at the Women's Club, where I'm told they might have a euchre game, or at least the interest to possibly start one, then on to my doctor's appointment, which went well, lovely folks there. Next stop was Walmart for some general shopping, then Publix where I picked up Egg Nog Ice Cream and bourbon, which is my favorite combination. Liquor store not only had my favorite bourbon, they had it on sale, so I bought two! Headed back home just in time to run into Scotty again, he had made a key for the utility room so that if I break the circuit, I can reset it, as well as restock the bathroom as necessary. Was delighted to learn that the circuit is 30 amp rather than 20, that gives me much more piece of mind! I bug-bombed the trailer before I left, so I had to open that up for a bit to air it out, found a few bugs, not as many as I feared, mostly stink bugs that I picked up in Tennessee when I stopped there, and just a few others. It's supposed to get close to freezing overnight, so hopefully I won't gather any more bugs for awhile. Another ranger, Rick, stopped by, he was supposed to turn the water off because of the freeze warning, but decided, with my encouragement, that it really wasn't necessary (seriously, the forecast was for 31 degrees for a very short time), and it was nice to meet him, since he'll be taking over for Scotty, who's leaving next week, sorry to say. Settled down for the evening to homemade soup and bourbon (with Publix Egg Nog ice cream, my favorite treat!), watched a great movie, now I'm ready for shower and bed. Last night was the first night I had the campground to myself, lovely being so quiet! Looking forward to more nights like this! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Monday, November 27, 2023 – Finally, A Ride Day!
Hey Sweetie,
Woke up to clear skies at last, and after a morning of computer work and phone calls, I saddled up Flash and headed out. It's the last day of hunting season with dogs, but since I've seen plenty of riders going out all week, including this morning when there were riders and a wagon with two Clydesdales, so I figured it would be okay. I desperately needed to get moving, I feel like I've been in limbo too long! Lola was very happy to get some exercise, and Flash had plenty of energy, too. I had planned a good 16 mile recon ride, but we got such a late start I didn't get the whole thing done, plus I went on a few side trips just to see where certain trails went. I found some good trails that I should be able to use, and ruled out a good number of other ones that are just too swampy and impassable, or at least it wouldn't be very good riding for an endurance race. Left about 1:00 and got back about 4:00. Ran into a group of hunters on my way out, they were coming in for lunch it seemed, then again when they were still at the trailhead when I got back to camp. Chatted a bit, then gave Flash a nice rinse and put him away, feeding them both at 5:00 these days. I'm now convinced that this recliner is adding to my pain. I was find standing up, walking and riding for nearly 14 miles, yet after sitting down for ten minutes, the muscle that I pulled was full-on painful again. Can't wait for my new chair to arrive on Thursday! Had a little soup for dinner and settled down for my usual evening, head to bed soon. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Sunday, November 26, 2023 – Another Lazy, Rainy Day
Hi Darlin',
Had rain most of the day today, which was just as well because my back is still hurting me and another day of rest will probably do me some good. Other than cleaning the oven again, I pretty much spent the day reading and watching TV. It's taking this pulled muscle longer to heal than I had hoped, and my plan was to ride Tuesday, though the current forecast is really cold that day, so we'll see. The forecasts haven't exactly been very accurate, it seems, so maybe, maybe not. Anyway, not much else going on today. Good night, babe! Love you!