Tuesday, April 25, 2017 – Short, Solo Ride to Recover Lost Water Bottle

After a leisurely breakfast, I saddled up Apollo and hooked up Clio to a retractable leash in order to pony her along (these two have NEVER been separated, and if we tried, there would be blood, so no risky business here!) I headed out the same road we went yesterday, of course, and a walk and occasional jog. Hubby had things to do and didn’t want to come, so off I went! I knew for a fact that I had lost them within the first 3 miles, and I suspected I lost them going up the first hill once we got off the road, which was about two miles out. It was a long climb with numerous berms along the way, and we had leaped from one berm to another, so I figured that was the most likely place. I still looked along the side of the road, just in case, and I certainly did find lots of beer cans and other beverage containers, but no Disney metal water bottle! I soon reached the hill and headed up, and sure enough, about 2/3 of the way up I found the metal bottle, and a plastic bottle (for Lola), and a little notebook that had dropped out as well. Having already gone two miles, I considered completing the short 5 mile loop, but that would have meant a lot more climbing, and I was concerned for little Billy dog, as I had brought him along on this trip, and he was already looking a bit tired, so I headed everyone back down the hill and we took the relatively flat road back to camp. Billy still had trouble keeping up, poor thing! I so hate that he can’t go on long rides with us anymore (unless I decide to fix him up some kind of buddy saddle for him to ride on!), but he is at least 13 now (he was a stray, so we’re not quite sure his age) and it’s just getting to be too much for him. It was another beautiful day, though, and everyone behaved perfectly! We were only gone a bit over an hour. Our original plan was to stay here until Thursday, but the weather forecast is showing a beautiful day tomorrow and a very high chance of rain on Thursday, so we’ve decided to head out tomorrow instead, to avoid getting the alfalfa in the back of the truck wet. It’s only about 150 miles to our next stop (Owl Creek Horse Camp in the Bankhead NF in Northern Alabama), but we have numerous stops to make along the way. Fortunately, there is supposed to be potable water there, so filling all the tanks may not be necessary, but I’m waiting for a call back from them to make sure. If it’s a hand pump, I’ll be getting water before we get there!! Anyway, it was a pretty quiet day again, and a nice little ride with a successful end, but we’re looking forward to our next, new back yard!