After a rainy day yesterday, it was back on the trails again today, once again weaving through the neighborhood, down to Hungryland. This time, instead of going to the gazebo, we had noticed they had opened up a pass-through gate along the canal on the southernmost edge of the WMA, which had previously been blocked off. We didn't know how far we could go, so we went exploring. It was a good mile from the gate to the corner of the section where the canal turned south, and we followed that nearly another mile, almost to Route 706. Down and back fit the allotted time frame we had set aside, and we did a huge amount of jogging and some cantering as well, to up the condition of the horses and us. Hubby's back is still doing fine, the dogs had a great time, and the horses, of course, we once again brilliant! Another gorgeous day in Florida!

After a week of recuperating from completing the book, plus doing a bunch of other mundane stuff, the weather has finally turned perfect and Hubby and I have, at last, been able to take a ride! With the Cattle Drive looming, we simply have to get ourselves and the horses fit before we head up to St. Cloud. Hubby's acupuncture has been doing wonders for him, he's feeling much better, and we have high hopes that this will solve his back problem, if not permanently, at least for a long time. So under gorgeous skies, we saddled up the frisky horses and headed down the driveway. We decided this time to take the dogs, as we'll only be going past a few houses before reaching the canal, then heading back out to the Hungryland WMA. It's not a thrilling ride by any means, but it's nice, and it gets everybody back into the swing of things. Apollo was brilliant, he was so frisky yesterday when I trimmed his feet I was afraid he would be hard to handle at the beginning today, but he seemed so grateful to have something else to do, he was fabulous. The last few days, the horses have been hanging out at the gate, looking longingly down the driveway, so I know they were ready for a change of venue! We did a bit more jogging than we've done in a while, for conditioning as well as to check out Hubby's back, and he was fine when we got back. He's feeling so much stronger, and he's able to sit his horse so much better now that he has improved his posture considerably. Acupuncture seems to be doing the trick! Anyway, another very nice 2 hour ride to start our conditioning, we have plans to do at least 2 more rides this week. We'd love to ride every day, but there's some nasty weather in the forecast, and until it's absolutely necessary, we're still fair weather riders for the most part! And the dogs finally got some exercise, too, Lola's been going crazy with only tennis balls and frisbees to catch!

Well, today will be the test for Hubby's new acupuncture treatment. He has his second appointment this afternoon, so we decided to take a two-hour ride this morning beforehand, to see how he holds out. Two hours is about the max he can do these days without his back really starting to bother him, and that's if we don't do too much jogging. Well, we headed out the driveway and up the road to the first canal, then turned east to the next canal, then north. Previously, to get to the Hungryland WMA across the canal, you had to ride down and up a steep incline, usually through a few inches of water, but my brother had told me they had put in a bridge. I was expecting an actual bridge, but instead, they had put in a metal culvert and completely filled it in, making an actual road with a gate across it, with a horse pass next to it. Wonderful! We decided to ride into the WMA to a pavilion that's about ¾ of a mile into the area, took a short break, then came back out again. On the way back, we carried on along the canal all the way to Indiantown Road before making our way around the neighborhood back to the house, finishing at just the two hour length we wanted. Hubby said he was just starting to get a twinge in his back, but nothing like the way it used to be, so progress is made! Afterward, we headed back to the doctor's office for another treatment, which helped even more, before settling down for the evening.

Though the trail map indicates a good choice of loops, they are almost all at least 10 miles long, but Hubby said he was up for that, so I planned out a route that would take us west on the main road (no motor vehicles) until we met up with a left turn that would take us to a primitive camping area, then pick up the Grasshopper Sparrow Trail west, then loop back around on the main road. We headed out walking and jogging on the straight as an arrow road until we reached our turn, only running across a few patches of standing water on the road. That changed a bit after the turn, the water became deeper and more often. By the time we went through the camping area, the water was everywhere. We changed our plan, deciding to take a shorter loop south on the Ozmore Trail to the Boundary Trail, then back north on the Kilpatrick Prairie Trail. Problem was, the water was between ankle and knee deep on the horses almost all the way, and after about ¾ of a mile, we agreed that it was likely not to improve, and that no one was having much fun (except Lola, who was right in her element, leaping and jumping around the sawgrass), so we turned back and retraced our route back to the campground, getting a few canters in once we got back on the high ground of the main road. No doubt, if it were drier here, the trails would be fantastic, albeit kind of boring with all the flatness, but they've had so much rain here in the past few weeks, it's just too wet. We got back to camp, got the horses away, and settled down for the evening, as usual.

Bound and determined to plan a route that doesn't take us into the brush today, I mapped out a route that appeared on Google Earth to be sand roads almost the entire way. I always try to map as much of an area as possible, which gives us ample opportunity to see many different parts of the forest, and today was no exception. We headed south out of the camp, then east, and within a mile we were on a new road heading due east for a ways. Then we turned north for about 50 feet, then east again, along the back of some rather trashy homesteads with lots of junk, dogs in kennels and cows and horses in pastures along the way. That eventually turned north, and we were doing great so far, every trail more like a road, which made us both happy. Then despite a forecast with NO rain in it, it began to drizzle, though very lightly at first, then it stopped, then it started again, until it was hard enough for me to put on my poncho (Hubby decided he was already too wet to worry, though I'd asked him several times earlier if he wanted one.) Finally, we had to turn west again, and the road I chose, which looked perfect from the satellite, had evidently overgrown some since that picture was taken, because we quickly started running into overgrowth again, which by now was quite wet overgrowth. Much less than our previous encounters, at least, but still enough to cause us some concern for half a mile or so. Apollo once again turned into a bulldozer, picking up his pace and literally plowing through, and my only recourse was to grab my hat and lean over his neck, letting the branches skim my back as we went by, getting me drenched in the process. Hubby only caught a bad branch once, when the stampede strap on his hat broke, but otherwise we made it through, once again bursting onto a two-track trail, covered with pine needles. Whew! Happily, the rest of the trip was clear sailing, and we even got a bunch of canters in on the way back. I've been holding back since my fall two weeks ago, but we can't ignore the need, so we worked on cantering, trying to get him to slow down, as his habit is to start to canter, then get faster and faster, then catch something out of the corner of his eye and sidestep, which doesn't always end well for me. We managed half a dozen canters, with me doing my best to slow him down, and eventually he relaxed and was more cooperative. I hope when we get to my brother's house we can trailer them over to a nearby public arena and run them to death for a while, until they learn there is such a thing as a slow lope! Anyway, completed another 7.5 miles in good time, got the horses settled in, filled the RV with water for showers and hopefully a couple more loads of laundry tomorrow (drying weather permitting), then settled down with a nice bottle of wine and a barbecue chicken dinner.

After a nice rest day yesterday, and having played bulldozer a bit too much on our last ride, I did my best this time to plan a trip on roads I could actually see well on Google Earth, not paying any attention to what GE has marked as a trail. This proved to be a bit easier, but we still ran into overgrowth that had apparently sprung up significantly since the last GE picture was taken of the area. This time we circled the perimeter of the campground to the north, then crossed the road early and barely found the trailhead on the other side. There was a pretty big ditch on the side of the road that had been made by heavy equipment, but my big guy just stepped over it and hauled himself (and me) over it. Hubby and Clio followed, and we stayed on a two track trail for quite a ways. Even so, there was a lot of lumber that had fallen over the road, really amazed at how little maintenance goes on at this forest Fortunately this section was a lot more open, so getting around them was pretty easy. We turned north, still following a rather nice track, getting a bit concerned when a road that should have been on the left wasn't there, but as we continued on, the road eventually turned west, and I realized that when drawing the map, I had taken a shortcut because I couldn't actually see the road at that point. In any event, we stayed on the road, which stayed on track, and circled back east again, crossing the main road, missing a fork to the south, which, thanks to my GPS, we quickly realized, and got back on track. Then we came to a section that had a big berm, and several large trees blocking the way. We had to climb over trees to reach the top, then over a tree that laid across the berm and dropped directly downward. A bit tricky, but my guy managed it okay. Clio hesitated a bit, being the smaller of the two, but Hubby managed to move her to where the tree was slightly lower, and made it down okay. We followed that to a T, then turned left. That part of the trail, unfortunately, began to be overgrown again, not quite as bad as Monday, because there weren't any trees down that we couldn't get around, but lots of branches that were horse-head high, which meant lots of ducking and scraping for us, and a lot of bulldozing for Apollo. One time Hubby lost his hat and almost lost his glasses as the brush became too thick. Fortunately, that didn't last too long, and we soon came back out on a two track road, much to our relief. The rest of the way was pretty uneventful, thankfully, and we made it back to camp after completing our seven mile loop in relatively good condition. The weather was perfect, low 70's and sunny, with just a light breeze, just what we come to Florida for! Settled down to a drink and dinner and relaxed in this beautiful, live oak, mossy-covered park!

With rain coming in later in the week, we decided to take a longer ride today, so after noon, we saddled up and headed out the horse trail which passes right behind our site. I had again mapped out a route on Google Earth due to the lack of a trail map, and we headed west across a field to a clear trail. We managed to stay right on track for most of the trip, with most of the trail good two track roads, many of which didn't look like it had had any motorized traffic on it for a long time, if at all. Occasionally we would be on a motorized road, and sometimes we had some lovely single tracks that were just perfect. Eventually, we got back to the main road, and I asked Hubby if he wanted to go straight back to camp along the road, or do another small loop I had planned across the road. Since we didn't want to arrive in camp through the front entrance (there's a leash rule we didn't want to break), but Hubby didn't want to take the loop I had planned, we decided to try to find a trail that took us back to camp without going by road. That choice turned out to be misguided. I found a road the looked like it was going back east, but actually ran more north. I thought eventually I would find a trail that crossed southbound (and in fact, Google Earth indicated such a trail), but it was impassable. After going too far east, we turned back and attempted to take what looked like a trail south that we had seen but decided was too impassable. Considering the alternative, we decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, we ran into a number of downed trees (and I forgot to put my camp saw in my saddlebags), so I resorted to jumping up and down on them until they broke enough for me to move them, or go around, which was very difficult. Apollo continued to be a bulldozer, these trails were almost completely overgrown, and only visible because of a small, pine-needle-covered indentation on the ground. After what seemed for forever, we FINALLY came out on an actual two-track trail, where I consulted my GPS and discovered we had, indeed, pushed ourselves southward, but also eastward, and the trail we crossed was the same trail we had come out on. A short mile or so later, we were once again, back at camp, though an hour after my estimated arrival from my original plan. Hubby had acquired some bruising and bleeding from running up against hard limbs, so I had to clean those up. Before putting the horses away, I walked them down to the dump (yes, this place even has a dump!) and rinsed them off with a very short hose there. Got them fed and bedded down for the night, we congratulated ourselves on our persistence (survival of our own dubious choices), and settled down for the evening.

After another decent night sleep and leisurely breakfast, we saddled up and took another route, north of the campground this time. Being the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the place was full of hunters, so we kept off the main trails and tried to follow a GPS route I had created from Google Earth. Dozens of miles of trails here, and no one has a trail map of any kind. Even what I found on the internet was hugely lacking, with nothing comprehensive whatsoever, which is what led me to simply scratching out a route from Google Earth. We wanted to check out a primitive campsite on Trout Lake, as we're hoping to find a place to go tomorrow, when we have to leave Doe Lake, but that is still in the area so we can meet up with a friend of ours who recently moved from PA to Palatka. Trout Lake wasn't really accessible for an RV though, the tree limbs were too low for us to get in, so we had to find an alternative. We swung north around Trout Lake, missed a turn I had planned, but continued to follow trails until we soon came back to camp, barely an hour after leaving. Again, most of the trails were well traveled, though we did get off on one that was pretty overgrown, my Apollo had to push through like a bulldozer to clear the way. Occasionally we came across a downed tree, but I was able to move it or go around it. Overall, the ride was a bit too short for my taste, but it left us time to solve the other logistics problem of where to go tomorrow. After putting the horses away, we headed out in the van to a place marked on a map I had that was supposed represent dispersed campsites that allow horses. Our first stop where called the South Firetower, but when we got to where we thought it should be, there was only a clearing, not a tower, and there were wood posts blocking the entrance for anything wider than a small car, so that was out. I kept heading south to try to find a way back that didn't require us going back over the many miles of potholed dirt road we had just traveled, and came across an official campground known as Big Bass Lake. I drove in to look at the map on the kiosk, hoping it would confirm where we were and if the fire tower site was where we thought it was, and had a lovely chat with the campground hostess, who told me, yes, there USED to be a firetower there, but no more. After a few minutes, I asked if they would allow horses there, and she said, no one had ever asked, and she didn't see why not, but she called her supervisor, and then the top ranger, and they all agreed it would be okay! What a find! Every time I had called the office here, they insisted the only non-primitive horse camping was at Doe Lake, with a group, period! Anyway, we drove around, and Hubby found the perfect site for his satellite signal, plus it had a great little clearing behind it that would make a perfect, concealed paddock for the horses! Fabulous! We told them we'd be back by mid-day tomorrow, and went on our way, happy that we were able to so easily solve our problem of where to go for the next few days! Perfect! We went back to camp, fed the horses, and then I went off to the dining hall to listen to an advocate, named Michelle, for the Great Florida Cattle Drive 2016 that's being held in January, and which Hubby and I have already signed up for. I learned a few things I didn't know before, but mostly it was a repeat of information I already had. Because I wanted to talk with Michelle afterward, I hung around while the club had a meeting, learned a few more rather surprising facts, listened to them discuss the horse slaughter problem that is apparently prevalent in Florida right now, and then run off on some tangents, as most meetings tend to do. I finally had to leave because we hadn't eaten yet, and I knew Hubby would be cranky by now without food, so I asked Julie to ask Michelle is she would stop by for a few minutes before she left. Fixed dinner, and not long after, Michelle and Paula, (the good officer) came by and we ended up chatting for nearly 1 ½ hours! Eventually, they left, Hubby and I watched a quick one-hour TV show and headed off to bed.

Had a decent night sleep, so after a late breakfast we saddled up the horses for a short ride. I've been taking ibuprofen regularly to keep down the swelling, but it's still pretty painful in many regions of my body, but I thought I would be fine for a short ride. We saddled up and headed out to the north along the beach, passing through an open gate and circling the lake itself. At one point, we took a side path that created a large loop that was very nice. That trail was more narrow, and overgrowth brushed against us often, but it was quite passable. Eventually that loop brought us back to the same intersection where we turned in, took the short trail back to the main lake perimeter trail, and completed the loop. Of course, the trails are sand, mostly hard-packed, typical of Florida, and flat, of course, no hills or grades of any note. We came in through the back gate, and attempted to get back down to the lake so as not to go through the campground, and were promptly stopped by one of the club officers, who lit into us about being in an area where the horses aren't allowed (not marked that way from the trail side, but it is on the campground side, so we never saw it), questioned us as to whether we "belonged" there, and even more for the fact that the dogs weren't on a leash (they were sitting next to us, resting peacefully). We apologized with a smile the whole time, despite the fact her attitude was quite harsh, and made our way up the camp driveway, which is apparently okay to pass through the no horses allowed area, and made our way back to our campsite. It was a great ride, though it was a bit spoiled when we were accosted. We put the horses away, and shortly afterward, my friend Julie came by with a friend of hers, and we shared a bottle of wine and a grand tour of our RV (her friend was looking for ideas for her next unit) and generally socialized. Eventually it was close to dinner time, and we gathered our contribution (an apple pie), and headed down to the dining hall, where we enjoyed a lovely evening of fellowship before heading back for the night.

After another good night's sleep, the clouds went away, a cold front came in, with temps overnight in the mid-30's, brrr! The horses were very frisky, especially my Apollo, and unfortunately at one point he spooked and took off, and I almost managed to stay on the whole way, until the very end when I, as I was just regaining my balance, I tried to do a one-rein stop, which threw me off balance again and came down in a tumble, landing right on my tailbone, ouch! After a couple of minutes of recovery, I climbed back into the saddle and continued. I had selected the shortest loop I could find, just under 6 miles around what is marked on the map as "woodland road." Turned out, a lot of those roads were under water, and we spent a lot of time wading. Plus, there was a lot of overgrown trees that we had to fight our way through at a few points as well. I ended up changing the route a bit to get us out of the woods and back on a road, but that made the trip nearly 8 miles. Overall, it was a rather challenging day, I was bruised both front and back (the horn on my saddle beat up my stomach a bit), so Hubby was kind enough to put the horses away while I went inside and took some ibuprofen, find a comfortable position to sit in, and pack on some ice packs, followed by a heating pad, where I spent the rest of the evening until bedtime.