Saturday, July 13, 2024 – A Nice Ride on Flash with Local Gal Sheila

Hiya Babe,
Had my usual morning before saddling up Flash for a twelve plus mile ride today. Just as I was about to leave, Sheila, one of the ladies I spoke with last night, and the only one that camped overnight, came by to see if we could ride together, so I finished up and met her at her campsite, and left from there around 11:00. She typically only does about two hours, but I told here I was planning on going on a longer ride, and she understood, but managed to stay with me almost the entire way. I took a bunch of trails and truck roads that I mostly hadn't been on before, doing more gravel than I normally like, but had to if I want to ride all the trails here. It was a gorgeous day, and most of the trails were in good shape, and once again, we managed to not lose a boot along the way. She rides a Morgan, who reputedly was a fast walker, and Flash did his best at the beginning to go slow for her on the gravel roads, then when we went onto the smaller trails, the terrain helped keep him slower without me having to fight him too much, but eventually he wanted to run up hills, which Sheila wasn't comfortable with, and once we started heading north back to camp, I had to let Flash go a bit faster, and she kept up by trotting occasionally. We stayed together until the last turns for camp, with her cutting over on Trail 29 and me going straight because I wanted to come in on 30, and as soon as she turned off, Flash started moving a lot faster. We only got about 100 yards or so, though, when I spotted two riders coming our way, so I moved over to the other side of the road at speed, until I was close enough where I felt it was necessary for me to slow down, only to discover the two riders, were two of the other gals I was speaking with last night! Seems they came out again for another day ride, hoping to run into us, but they got a very late start. It was amazing we ran into each other, though I would have recognized their trailer once I got back to camp. Of course, we stopped and chatted for a bit before I headed back to camp, moving along as Flash is wont to do. We caught up to Sheila at the assembly area (group camp), where she was chatting with another friend, and walking her horse Mimi back to our camp. After putting Flash away and rinsing off his boots at the hand pump, I walked back over to Sheila's trailer, where her husband Skip was just arriving, and we sat and chatted. Eventually, the other two gals, Carla and Jane, got back and joined us, and we ended up socializing until nearly 7:00! I finally had to come back and feed the horses, and of course, the gals needed to get home, but it was a very enjoyable day. They're going to try to come back again during the week, but Carla's got a foal due any minute, and Jane is haying as weather permits, so we'll have to see. They are planning to come here next weekend, and then the following weekend at Otter Creek, so it looks like I'll be seeing more of these gals! Anyway, enough chatting about chatting, it's time for shower and bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

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Thursday, July 11, 2024 – Rainy Bookkeeping Day

Hiya Darlin',
Was very happy to finally get a bunch of rain last night, and the first thing I did after my morning chores was to transfer all the water I had captured in my buckets and on the tarp in the back of the truck into the truck tank. I collected over 30 gallons, and that was even after I filled the horses' water tub! That's almost enough to completely refill my fresh water tank! Of course, I put a chlorine tablet in it to sanitize it. Very happy with that outcome! It will certainly allow me to do laundry on Sunday without having to run into town for a refill. Had breakfast after that, then decided my bookkeeping was overdue, so I spent most of the day doing that. It was too wet to ride, but I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. It's certainly cooler, thank goodness! Was getting tired of the very hot afternoons! I let the horses graze most of the day, until another trailer came in and I put them away for awhile. I let them out again after I went over and had a chat with them. A nice quiet day, so happy I was able to retrieve so much water! Next week they're forecasting a lot more rain as well, so hopefully, that will be enough, though I plan on making a run into town next week anyway, so if I have to fill up the tank, I will. Meanwhile, I'm grateful I'll be able to go to bed in cooler temps, and am looking forward to a better night sleep! Good night, baby! Love you!

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 – Errand Day

Hey Babe!
Another good night sleep, still with campfire smoke blowing my way, but I managed to sleep through it. I've been ready for the forecast rain, but every time I check it, it gets pushed back later and later in the day. The biggest portion seems to have missed us to the north, unfortunately. I wasn't counting on it in any event, so today I took a drive into a nearby town, Hamilton (home of Colgate University), which I was happy to discover had a Tractor Supply. I took two propane tanks in to them to be filled up, and they were kind enough to let me fill my water tank up there, though it took a very long time. I also was happy to see they carry Nutrena Balance right on their shelf, so I will likely pick up another bag next week. Then a quick stop at the Price Chopper next door to pick up a carton of grapefruit juice, before heading back to camp. I kept looking at my weather, and they said rain was coming in at 6:00, so just before that, I put the horses away and fed them early to avoid the rain. True to form, the rain finally started at about 8:40, which finally gave me an opportunity to get the various buckets lined up. I managed to mostly fill two small buckets, which I dumped into the horses water bucket, but left them in place in case it rains again overnight. I also had put the canvas on the back of the truck, and that caught a bit, but I'm not worrying about that until tomorrow. Not too much, but every little bit helps, I suppose. I'm just grateful for the cooler temps that will be following this, high only in the mid-70's tomorrow, thank goodness! Finally settled in for the evening, the usual. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Tuesday, July 9, 2024 – Ride Day at Brookfield

Hiya Darlin'!
Had a lovely quiet night last night, only one other couple camping in a tent (and who's campfire is unfortunately blowing right in my direction), but I still had a good night sleep. Got my chores and breakfast done, let the horses graze for awhile before finally saddling up Flash and headed out on the trails with Lola. Today was another hot day, but according the forecast, the last hot day for awhile, hopefully. We did a nice twelve mile loop, with trails that were both rocky and muddy, like Sugar Hill, though the mud wasn't as deep, and varied between gravel roads, stony two-tracks, and the occasional single track. The biting flies were pretty bad, and the bug spray only seemed to help a little, so after awhile, Flash decided to try to outrun them, so we got some speed up whenever the trail allowed. Fortunately, there were enough creeks and mud puddles for Lola to stay cool in, and the forest was cooler than in camp, of course. I stopped at the Cherry Ridge campground, just a little tent camping place not far from our camp, because it had another well pump, though this one had a wheel that you turned instead of a hand pump. I spun the wheel about twenty times and nothing happened, so that certainly isn't going to solve my water problem as I had hoped! It was a pretty nice ride, very quiet out in these woods. I figured I better get a ride in today since the forecast is call for rain tomorrow. I've arranged every bucket around the awning, hoping I'll catch enough rain to put off having to drive into town to find a water spigot, and I've even put out the canvas tarp over the truck bed to catch some more. Hopefully we'll get a lot of rain tomorrow! It will cool things off as well. Anyway, it was a lovely day, a nice ride, and I'm hoping I can solve the water problem fairly easily, because I really would like to spent two weeks here. Heading to the shower and bed, my love! Good night!

Monday, July 8, 2024 – Travel Day to Brookfield

Hi Babe!
Woke up early, got up around 7:00, and even so, it took me about two hours to get out of camp. Because it's a fairly short drive today, just over 100 miles, I left some stuff to be packed this morning, thus the later departure. I had a bit of a scare on the way down to Watkins Glen. The road is very steep in a few places, and I didn't do a very good job of managing the hills (I've been a little spoiled as the engine braking on the truck seem to be working just fine), and I didn't downshift the way I should have, and by the time I got to the main street, my brakes were literally smoking. I pulled over by the park and let them cool a little, but then I was reading that if you stay still too long the brakes could warp and stick, so after about 15 minutes, and since I knew I would be climbing uphill rather than down, I headed out, making sure I did a much better job of managing the hills. The only other bad spot was going downhill into Ithaca, but I handled that a lot better, so no overheated brakes. I stopped twice in Cortland, once at the Tractor Supply for propane and another muck bucket (to catch as much rain as possible, since water is problematic at Brookfield), and again at Walmart for a few last minute grocery items. We finally reached out destination around 2:00. I took it nice and slow! Last time we were here (in 2012!!) we parked in the Assembly area, which turned out to be more of a group camp, but this time I headed straight to the actual campground. Took me about an hour to scope out the best spot and get situated, then another hour to get settled in. There's a nice big grassy area next to me, so I put Apollo on the anchors and let Flash free, and they had a great time grazing most of the afternoon. I've decided to put them in the standing stalls overnight, as there really aren't any good trees for highlining here, and I imagine it's probably frowned on anyway. I will let them graze until too many other folks show up. I was thrilled that the place was empty when I arrived (and so was Sugar Hill when I departed, first time since I got there!), so I had my choice. Water is a hand pump only, no spigot, so I'll need to figure out how I'm going to fill up my tank. Fortunately the nearest town is only about 10 miles away, so that may be the easiest answer. I also was considering how well my new impact wrench might work on the little drill pump I have, but I think I might need an adapter for that. Anyway, got settled in, though it's quite hot, but there's rain in the forecast later this week, hoping I can recover some water from the awning, not the first time we've done that! You know I'll find a way, somehow! Hot and sweaty, heading to my shower and bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Sunday, July 7, 2024 – Laundry and Packing

Hey Sweetie!
Had a great night sleep, so glad I went to bed early. Spent the day doing a couple of loads of laundry, gorgeous day for outdoor drying, and started to pack up everything for our departure tomorrow. Used their garden rake to level off some of the ground that the horses stirred up, and scatter the manure further into the woods. Tomorrow I'll cover it all with leaves, so in a few days, you'll hardly know we were there! It's a fairly short drive tomorrow, so I'm planning on stopping at Tractor Supply along the way to refill the propane tanks. I was amazed that the last tank I opened last Sunday, and which I ran for about half an hour each day, plus the hour+ for laundry today, is still working! That means more than an entire week on one tank, which is fabulous! I haven't had to run any extra fans, much less AC here, so it's been very efficient, plus I've had enough sun on most days to help keep the batteries up. Looking forward to a change of back yard, though I learned from a phone call I made the other day that the water situation at the next camp may be challenging. Evidently, all they have is a hand pump at the horse camp, and some kind of wheel pump at the other, with no spigot to attach, so I may have to get creative, or I may just decide to only stay a week instead of two. We'll figure it out once we get there. My truck tank is about 2/3 full, as well as the trailer tank, so that will last us for most of the week anyway. Headed to shower and bed shortly, want to get another early night in! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Saturday, July 6, 2024 – Lazy Day in Camp

Hiya Babe!
Had a hard time sleeping last night, probably because of all the sugar in the two bottles of wine Steve and I drank yesterday, after 2:00 by the time I got to sleep. Dragged myself out of bed after 9:00, then spent the rest of the day reading and playing computer games. I half thought of going on a ride today, but just couldn't muster the energy. I did spend a little time moving the little door frame around the sewer area, though I had no success actually removing the screws, despite numerous efforts with my new screw removal kit. I did end up drilling the screws until they got so hot they actually melted the plastic frame, so at least I was able to get the frame off. There's so much damage and rust, the whole metal framework will need to be replaced, so I'm on the lookout for a mobile welder somewhere near the next few camps. A very lazy day, which I figure I needed, and I will be good and rested for tomorrow when I have to do laundry, repair the yard, get packed and generally get ready to go on Monday. Watched a couple of Warehouse 13's at dinner, planning on going to bed early tonight, don't want another 2:00 morning! Good night, baby! Love you!

Friday, July 5, 2024 – Fabulous Day with Old Friend Steve

Hey Sweetie!
A late night followed by a medium late morning, got my chores done, had a small breakfast as I was expecting my old friend Steve to come by today. The last time we saw him was at his wedding in Alfred, NY, hard to believe it was nearly five years ago now! He arrived right on time around 11:30, we chatted for awhile, then drove down to Matt's Place, the nearest restaurant, and one that you and I used to ride to when we were here, and had a great burger. Got back to camp where we broke open a bottle of wine he brought, which was later followed by a bottle of Biltmore wine that I had from my time volunteering there, and we had a spectacular afternoon of talking about times, old and new, and generally getting caught up on each other's live. We reminisced about the various Republican National Conventions that we all worked at as speech coaches, all of our family lives, and just never ran out of conversation all afternoon. We also climbed up the tower so he could have a good look at the wonderful view up there. He finally left after 7:00 just as a thunderstorm was making it's towards us, and I finally settled down for the evening. What a wonderful, memorable day. Again, feels like old home week visiting with all these high school buddies! So glad I decided to come to NYS this summer! Wish you were here! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Thursday, July 4, 2024 – Happy Independence Day! Nice Ride on Apollo

Hi Darlin!
So, the day I've been planning for has come and gone! What a lovely day! Slept in a bit, did my chores and breakfast, read awhile, then saddled up Apollo for a nice 4.74 mile ride with Lola. It was a bit warmer today, but as usual, it was cooler in the woods. We decided to go down on the Mohawk Trail and back up on the C Trail, since Mohawk wasn't as muddy as I expected the other day. Apollo did brilliantly, as always! Lola was able to flatten herself in enough puddles to keep her cool, so she was fine today, especially with the shorter distance. Got back to camp, gave Apollo a nice rinse off, then chatted with several campers that wanted to come say hello to him, and another that was interested in my spigot "adapter" when he saw me using a hose. I let Apollo munch on the nice clover grass they have here for a bit before putting him back on the line. I'm sorry to say that my noisy neighbors outdid themselves today, it was non-stop loud talking, yelling at kids and dogs, and just generally not the quiet atmosphere that everyone else in the campground was enjoying. Sigh. I'm hoping they're not staying the whole weekend, but not much I can do about it anyway. Spent the rest of the day mostly reading until dinner, then waited until just about sunset to climb up the fire tower. I was astonished to discover that the trap door up into the cabin at the top was actually open! You remember how it was usually locked before, but that nice new ranger opened it up just for us the last time we were here? Well, evidently, they leave it open all the time now, at least during the season. Even the windows were unlocked, but I didn't have a prop to keep them open, so all my viewing was through the glass. Several people came and went, barely staying more than a few minutes, but I was up there for the duration. Once again, the little lake to the west, Lamoka I think, had a whole lot of individual fireworks, but I stayed long enough for the Watkins Glen municipal fireworks, which was a bit later, but it was a good show. Worth the effort to get here for July 4, as I had planned! It's been a good stay here, seeing Lorna and Donna, and Steve is coming by tomorrow for lunch, so it's been like a mini high school reunion already. More to come, I'm sure! Anyway, it's a bit later than usual to bed, and I still have my shower to do. Good night, baby! Love you!