Slept reasonably well, though I kept waking up too hot, because their top cover was a plush duvet, then throwing that off to cool off, then waking up again having to pull it back on to get warm again. Otherwise slept well, even sleeping through a downpour overnight that I never heard. Got up and took another shower, dressed, and went out for breakfast. Katja, who I've learned is a real estate lawyer from Germany, but who lives in Switzerland, was in much better spirits this morning, having been suffering from an ailment the last few days. Tracy soon joined us for a lovely breakfast, and afterward we all rushed to finish packing, meeting at the car at 9:00, which swept us off to a small local airstrip called Dolly, where were we promptly loaded on to a small prop plane, about a 10-seater, and took off for our first camp location. Fifty minutes later, on our approach to the Urdu landing strip, we watched as zebras scurried off the runway just before we landed. A quick transfer to a jeep, and we were soon on our way. In just the first few minutes, we saw more zebras, gazelles, impalas, and so many more animals I couldn't keep track! I'm in seventh heaven! As we traveled along, out Masai driver kept a lookout for more critters, and soon spotted a cheetah on the hunt. We followed her for probably 15 or 20 minutes while she was tracking a heard of gazelle's and ostriches, not to mention many zebra in the same crowd, but finally gave up when two hyenas uncharacteristically showed up during the day. Apparently when they do that, the cheetahs hunt is over, because she knows that the hyenas will steal any kill from her, so not to bother. She gave up and tried it off in another direction. We got back on track, saw a lot more herds of just about everything, including the migrating wildebeest, who's numbers increased as we got closer to camp. We finally arrived in camp, where we were assigned our tents, and I got to say, I am extraordinarily impressed. The tents are large and roomy with a mattress on a frame, (which I later learned was a box that holds the tent during moves!), a side table, a towel rack, and a chair outside on a veranda. About 20 yards behind each tent, there is another smaller tent that holds a shower, and a separate toilet. It's an unbelievable luxury to be camping like this! Once we got settled in we came back to the mess tent for lunch, which was an absolutely outstanding wrap, then after lunch we had about an hour to get settled in and change our clothes to riding gear, then went off to meet our horses, and take our first ride. I was assigned a rather large gray horse called Nadal, and we were soon mounted up and on our way for our first test drive. It turned out to be quite a learning experience. The saddles are rather shapeless polo saddles, with very little support and rather slippery. It's typical English iron stirrups, which are pretty slippery compared to what I normally use, and are going to take quite some getting used to. We headed out at a walk, and Nadal had quite a forward walk, wanting to either pass everybody, or stick his nose right in someone else's butt. They are trained to neck rein, but they're foot cues are opposite to what I typically use, so again, that's going to take some getting used to. We started to do some trotting, but we had to readjust my stirrups several times because I am not used to coming out of the saddle that far, and I felt pretty insecure. We eventually went into a canter, which compared to what I'm used to was an extremely rough canter, but according to our head Wrangler Luke, he has one of the smoothest canters out here, so I guess I'm just going to have to get used to that, as well. I really had a hard time trying to keep my balance when I felt like I had nothing to hang on to as my horse has no mane, My feet kept slipping out of the iron stirrups, and my butt was sliding all over a shapeless saddle. Kind of scary, but at least I never came off, though were a couple of times when I thought I was going to. As we were finishing off a large loop around the area, and we had another long canter, my horse kept trying to pass Luke, who I was told I wasn't supposed to do, and when I tried to slow him down, he started to throw his head, which made me lose my balance, and I had to call to the others to stop, which I was loathe to do, but I feel like I had no choice. It had been a very long canter and we had been chasing a huge heard of wildebeest and the zebras, so I don't feel like anybody felt short changed, but I just felt like I was on the edge at that point. We were almost back to camp anyway, so we walked the rest of the way, put our horses away, and then headed out to where they had set up a bar and some chairs, and a campfire even though it was still daylight, and we had what they call in these parts, a "sundowner", better known in our neck of the woods as happy hour. I was glad to hear that both Tracy and Katja felt pretty much the same way that I did about the saddles and the rough gait of the horses, but I guess I was the most insecure, which really ticks me off at myself, but again, I'm just going to have to get used to it. The last canter was probably the best in terms of getting used to it but when the horse started throwing his head, it was just a bit too much too early. I think we need to adjust one of the stirrups again tomorrow and see what happens. Katja went to take a shower before dinner, but Tracy and I had another drink and when Katja came back we have another lovely dinner, but I just had tiny portions because the ones at lunch were huge, and I'm just not used to having this many meals in a day. The sun went down and the moon almost full came up during dinner. It was truly amazing to be sitting at a dining table with a full service of linens and silverware in the middle of the Serengeti plain. Truly magical. Finally about 8:30, we headed out to our tents, where the service guys had put warm water into our shower tanks, and I was able to enjoy a truly lovely warm shower inside the bathroom tent. Back to the bedroom tent, and all I have left to do is finish this post and read a little bit, and nod off listening to the sound of grunting Wildebeests. I may be putting my ear plugs in shortly! Good night, my love!

Hey Darlin'!
Was awakened at 3:00 in the morning by Chelle's wayward horse Levi (proof that my horses aren't to blame for knocking down their fence earlier!), I heard him run past my window, then come back and munch for awhile. At 4:00 I was still awake, and second-guessing myself as to whether I had remember to turn my fence charger on, so I got up, put on a robe, and checked it. Yes, it was on! But so were the lights in the barn, so I wandered over there to see if I could help. Chelle was just rounding up Levi and getting him back in the pasture. Later they fixed and electrified their fence, so hopefully that will be the last of THAT problem! Finally managed to fall asleep again for a short while, but got up to do some new items I had added to my list overnight. By 7:45 I was leading Chelle through the feeding instructions, by 9:00 Art came by, and I decided I had time to walk with him and Lola, then when we got back, I got involved with gathering my trash for a dump run Eric was planning for later in the day, then I walked Art through the feeding instructions just in case Chelle gets called away, so Art could take over. Suddenly I looked at my watch and realized I was running late for my chiropractic appointment, so I scooted off to that. Another great session, making more headway than ever! Then I went to Ace and got some more Turtle Wax, so I could finish that off when I get back. I tried to find travel size insect repellant but couldn't, so I'll have to get some once I arrive. I got back, did a couple more chores, then saddled up Flash for our last ride for awhile. We only went just under 10 miles, but took some interesting trails I hadn't been on before, and he was brilliant, as always! I rinsed him down, brushed my shaggy Apollo and rinsed him down as well, gave them a good dose of fly spray, and made sure their fly masks were on tight. I decided to try to see if I could fit one of the saddle cover pads in my baggage, and I miraculously managed to get my newest one at the bottom of my carry-on. Don't know if I'll be able to use it, but I figured it would be a good chair cushion if nothing else, and it weighs next to nothing. Finally settled down to some leftover Indian food and a little TV, refreshed my hair, took a hot tub, and crossed some more things off my list. Then, the best news of all, I received my Tanzania Visa! It seems all is right with my world right now, and so grateful for it! Fingers crossed everything goes well with my travel over the next two days. Can't wait! Heading to be early, I need to get a good night sleep! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hiya Darlin'!
A great night sleep without interruption, another great morning of chores and breakfast, then saddled up Flash and headed over to the trailhead to meet Susie and Poppy at 10:30. Arrived right on time, and we headed out to do the orange trail. Another fabulous ride! I can't believe how well matched my paso is to her quarter horse, though truth be told, her quarter horse is on the thoroughbred side, and it worked beautifully! Another day of side by side walking, trotting/gaiting, and cantering! A gorgeous day weather-wise, and a beautiful day for a ride! We did nearly 11 miles together in just over two hours, had a fabulous time! Once we got to the trailhead, we decided to trailer back to Chelle's so Susie could take a tour of my rig, then she headed off, and I settled down for the afternoon. I got down my two suitcases so I could decide which one to take, put some extra clothes in my "attic" and finally settled down for the evening. A wonderful day, the kind that makes me so glad to be alive and living the crazy life I lead! Grateful every day! Won't be long out of bed tonight, so good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Didn't sleep very well last night. We had a thunderstorm in the evening that upset Lola, so she was restless, then she finally settled down for a short while, only to get restless once again. The tapping of her nails on the floor kept me awake half the night. I don't even remember sleeping, though I must have done at some point. My alarm went off, and I quickly did my chores and breakfast before saddling up Flash and cut through the neighborhood over to Val's pavilion three and a half miles away. I was invited to try my hand at a drill team practice, and I was curious how Flash would behave in a crowd of other horses trying to do daisy chains and pinwheels. Turns out he was quite intrigued by it! Totally responsive to everything I asked him to do, and he won the hearts of the others in the group with his quick responses and cooperation. It was a bit chaotic at times, but he took it all in stride, quite literally! What a great horse! So glad he's feeling better! We practiced for about an hour, then we came home again, completing over 8.6 miles by the time we got home. It was quite hot, but there were calls for a serious thunderstorm and a temperature drop of more than 20 degrees tomorrow. The wind picked up in the afternoon, and sure enough, several bands of severe thunderstorms came through. Lola didn't like the first band at all, so I ended up giving her a benadryl to quiet her down, and she was better by the time the second band came through. And yes, the temps sure dropped after that! Where it didn't get below the mid-60's last night, they're calling for mid-30's overnight, so I put the horses' light blankets on. Did some computer work this afternoon, made my reservation at the hotel in Kilimanjaro for two nights, still holding out hope I won't need four nights. Of course, the price had gone up, though I managed to get the cheaper rate as a nonrefundable reservation for the two nights. I've asked for a refundable reservation for the other two nights, just in case I have to take my alternate, expensive flight. I got an email from American saying there was a change in my flight plan (no kidding!) and they need me to contact them, so that's on my agenda tomorrow. Hope they can come up with an alternative plan that won't cost me an arm and a leg! Whatever, I'm still going! Settled down for the evening, ready to get to bed and try to make up for all the sleep I lost last night. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Sweetie!
At the party last night, I met a woman from Maine who winters down here, a former endurance rider, and we decided to try to ride together today. I needed a little catalyst to get me going, since I'm still really tired from all the activity last week, but I just can't let Flash sit much longer, so we agreed to meet over at the Black Prong trailhead at 10:00. I was a few minutes late, darn it, but we weren't long leaving, so we headed out pretty quick. I decided to do some of the northern trails backwards from how I usually do them, so we started by crossing the street and going along 337 for a bit. We chatted and got to know each other, and was grateful her horse, though not gaited, moved out really well, so she and Flash were matched. Amazingly, Flash didn't feel compelled to be in front of her, which was astonishing! They went side by side walking for the first couple of miles, calm as could be. After we crossed back over the road, we started to pick up speed, and I gotta tell you, it was an absolute delight to ride with someone as enthusiastic about speed as I am! We gaited/trotted for a long way, again, side by side as if they were a matched team, despite their extreme breed differences and the fact the trails were just wide enough for two. Of course, we had to slow down for some areas that were torn up, but then we got a lovely section, and I mentioned it was a nice place to canter, so we took off and again, cantered/galloped side by side the whole way! What a fantastic ride! We saw a baby alligator about 3' long out on the green trail, and I saw a gopher turtle on the trail next to Helen's house. Nice to see some wildlife. We finally got back to the trailhead, got them some water, chatted a bit more, and then I went on my way home, completing a nearly 13 mile ride. I couldn't believe how well Flash did! He always pushed to be out front, but not today! Wonderful! Well, enough superlatives... Got back, rinsed him off and put him away, then started pulling out all my sewer hoses, plus the one Chelle lent me yesterday, to see if I had enough to reach her sewer trap. Alas, I was short about 10 feet, so I got online and ordered another 15' section, to arrive tomorrow. Gotta love Amazon! By then my energy was petering out, so I relaxed for a bit, watched a little TV, then settled down for the evening, my usual hot tub, shower, and soon to be bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin'!
Woke up to a foggy, misty morning, got my chores and breakfast done, then hooked up the little horse trailer, loaded up the gear and Flash, and headed down to Tidewater to check the yellow trail, which is slated for our work day on March 14. I was looking forward to seeing how he was feeling after the steroid shots in his hocks two weeks ago, and I'm happy to report that he seems fabulously fit! We did over 14.5 miles in less than two and a half hours, lots of gaiting and cantering along the way, with no apparent ill effects whatsoever, though I'll check in the morning to see how he's doing. What a pleasure it is to ride this horse! So much fun! Used my new Garmin watch for the first time (though it doesn't have a GPS), and it counted over 34,000 steps on my account. Did some adjustments on it later, trying to find a different activity to make it work better. Got back home, where, of course, the first thing he did was roll in the sand. Fortunately, much needed rain came in shortly afterward, and continued through evening. So lovely to hear on the roof! Skipped my hot tub, but had a nice quiet, enjoyable evening. Heading to bed soon! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Another early morning, but a must with the busy day planned! After chores and breakfast, I saddle up Flash for the first time since his hock injections, and we circled the pasture a few times just to see how he went. He seemed fine! Once Art arrived at 10:00, we headed out on the road for his usual walk with Lola, and Flash and I went with them, though we had to do some circles to keep from getting too far ahead, naturally! Got back home and got the trailer hooked up (I thought I had it lined up perfectly, but it turned out, maybe not so much!), got the horses loaded and arrived at Chi University just after 11:00, which was actually an hour early! I had misread my notes on it, but no matter, we let them graze on some of the lovely clover and foliage that's been popping out ever since last Sunday's rain. Not surprisingly, both my horses were brilliant during the lessons, with Apollo practically falling asleep despite all the poking and prodding, and Flash had that and even more to contend with, when they used him as a canvas to test the students' anatomy knowledge by having them paint different underlying body parts! He looked quite the Indian paint horse by the time they were finished! I was thrilled at how well he behaved, and there were many times when we were head to head in a snuggle while everyone kept working on him. A delightful day! Art came along and took some great photos, and was very helpful with Apollo, as they were able to bump him into the same session as Flash, so we didn't have to stay for a whole other session. That gave us time to stop at the hardware store in Williston to pick up some hardware so I can tackle my ladder repair job. Can't wait to get that done! So many other things on my To Do list, but the ladder is my priority. Got back home, showed off my new "paint pony" to Chelle and Eric before I gave him a quick bath to get off most of the kid-safe paint. Then I reviewed Chelle's list of instructions for the care and feeding of horses and plants before feeding my own and settling down for the evening. A long and productive day! Ready for bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Woke up early again, laid in until the alarm went off, did chores and breakfast, then saddled up Flash for the ride I promised Bettina. It was still in the low 40's when I headed out (not my typical fair weather riding!), but I was bundled and Flash was frisky. Art came by and took Lola for a walk just before I left, very glad of it, Lola's been missing her walks. Met up with Bettina and her friend Jen and we had a lovely 7.25 mile leisurely ride mostly around the area north of Camp Road. Once I dropped them off at the gate by the Black Prong Equestrian Center south gate, Flash and I took off at a gallop to get rid of the pent up energy he'd been storing up, and we moved out quickly for another two miles, never slowing down until we got back to camp. Rinsed him off and put him away, and had just sat down to check my email when Art came by to pick up his stuff and take the signs for TOG down, a more difficult task than you might think because of the super adhesive he had used. Then we ran down to Apex to finish taking the Bike trail signs down, and take another look for the two missing animals, one of which we learned later was already in Chelle's trailer. Would have been nice if someone had mentioned it, would have saved us half an hour! Back to camp, where I got busy sorting things out, packing, draining my tanks, etc., in preparation of my move tomorrow, which promises to be the shortest haul I've ever taken, over to Chelle's house. Forgot to mention yesterday, I finally heard, again, from my African outfitter, and it looks like we're still on track, just everything moving along like molasses in January. Fingers crossed I'll actually get an invoice tomorrow! Finally settled down for the evening, relaxed before doing a little more packing, no hurry in the morning, I plan on waiting until it warms up a bit, since it's supposed to be cold again overnight. That's all the news! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Another good night sleep, not quite so cold this morning, at least not enough to make the furnace come on this morning. Did a little computer work in the morning, but with the cold front coming in tomorrow afternoon, my main goal today was to take a nice ride on Flash, so it wasn't long before I was saddling up. I didn't have a particular plan in mind, which was a refreshing change, so we kind of meandered a bit, going out on the green trail to start (albeit "backwards" for awhile) but got back on track heading northward. About halfway around, Flash decided he wanted to get off the main trail and take an overgrown trail straight north, obviously bored with the regular trail, so I let him go that way. That eventually led us back to Hospital Rd., then Griffis, where we veered off onto another lovely trail I seldom use, heading all the way north to some sections I use for the Benefit Ride, though in reverse. Once we turned off Griffis Rd., Flash decided it was time to get some speed on, and we were galloping and cantering for the next several miles! Came back around, crossed 337 and followed the usual trail until we crossed again early, rejoined the blue trail and cantered back to camp. A fabulous ride on my little speed demon! I'm certainly getting a lot of cantering practice on him lately. Such fun! Rinsed him off, though he promptly rolled after going back into the paddock, then headed over to Helen's to visit with her for a minute, pick up the recycling that the neighborhood saves for the forest, dropped that off at HQ, took a quick drive down Gasline Rd, which they have apparently just graded, just to make sure the place I've selected for one of the food stations has enough room (it does!), then off to Jo's so Lola can have a quick play date with her four dogs and we could get caught up on stuff, since it's been a while since we've had time to chat. Got back to camp, fed the horses, settled down for the evening, finally finishing the rather slow mini-series and starting a new series, and heading to bed soon! Had to get as much done outside as I could, as the forecast is for bitterly cold weather the next few days, so I expect I'll have time to get my long overdue housework done. Well, maybe :-). Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Had a good night sleep, not surprisingly, and was up early again to do the final marker retrieval ride today, the white trail, with sections of orange along the way. Woke up to some fog and a flock of wild turkeys wandering around in the campground. Hit the trail, but something was really off with Flash today, he was moving like a slug, so unlike him, but I figured he was tired, until about the last five miles, when I rearranged all the stuff I had hanging off the saddle horn. I realized that my aluminum grabber was at the bottom of the pile against his leg, and I think it was bumping his elbow or causing some other distress, because a few minutes after I moved it, he perked right up! I thought maybe it was because we were so close to camp, but usually he gets excited as soon as we turn for home, so I really think it was the grabber. He still slowed down occasionally, but nothing like the majority of the ride, when he was doing barely 3 mph! All of those delays meant that even though I left camp by 9:30 and we only had to do 15 miles, we didn't get back until about 2:30, much later than I had anticipated. Anyway, I got him rinsed off, packed up my trailer, hooked up my truck at a 90 degree angle to avoid the soft sand and holes I dug when I arrived, and managed to pull it straight out, thank goodness! I finished loading up the horses and all the last minute stuff, said my good-byes, and headed out just after 4:00, arriving at Black Prong just after 5:00. Then the real fun began. I don't know, sometimes I can back right up into this space with only a couple of course corrections, but today I because the entertainment for the campground. It took me better than half an hour to get it right! I just kept overcompensating, and it's tough because there are so many trees and so little space. I really screwed up when I ran into the water spigot and broke it, so I had to turn the water off (thank goodness there's a bypass for the back spigot and camp host site!) after I filled up the horses' water buckets and my fresh water tank. That will hold me over until I can fix the pipe. Grrr! This is what happens when I get this tired, I guess. Anyway, I finally settled down for the evening, heated up the leftovers from the Indian Restaurant the other night just because it was the easiest thing to do, and chilled out for awhile. I actually had to put the AC on to cool it off before bed, which is going to be ridiculous after tomorrow, when the temps drop down to below freezing tomorrow night! Crazy weather! That's it, I'm done, tea, shower and bed forthwith! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!