Hey Darlin'!
Another fantastic day on the Red Rock Ride! I can't believe today is the last day, though my body is sure craving a break! Sorry to say that despite using every trick in the book, I still didn't get a very good night sleep, but I went to bed so early, there were enough fitful hours to at least provide me with a little rest. Because we were going to the Grand Canyon, which is on Pacific Time, while here in Utah we're on Mountain Time, there wasn't quite the need to rush around this morning, and we didn't even have to load up on the bus until 8:30, which seemed luxury enough. We drove about 90 minutes into the Kaibab National Forest, then the Grand Canyon National Park, seeing some wildlife for a change! We say a very well-bodied coyote, then, as we were going through the meadows, an entire bison herd, with dozens of babies, were right along the road, so we got a good long look. Once we got to the lodge, the plan was to kill some time, which I did by walking a short 1/4 hike to Bright Angel point, then having lunch at the bus, then driving up to the mule corrals and getting mounted. Today I was on a black mule named Cassie, and she was a peach! The North Kaibab trail is nowhere near as striking as the Bright Angel Trail from the south side, but if you haven't been to the Grand Canyon, it was still pretty dang impressive. We only went down two miles, had a break, then rode back up again. I managed to luck out again and be in the first group out and back, which was nice. Once we got back, we helped unsaddle the mules, then eventually took a group picture in front of the mule barn. We headed back to Kanab, arriving back at the hotel just after 5:00. I immediately put on my bathing suit and went down to the hot tub, something I've been hoping to do since yesterday, and that did a lot to relax me. I'm hoping that will help with my sleep tonight. Eventually I came back up, showered, and headed over to the restaurant for what was absolutely, undoubtedly, the best prime rib I have every tasted in my life! I finally had a pretty good appetite, first time in days, and I managed to eat at least two thirds of eat, mostly skipping the bread and baked potato in favor of a nice tiramisu dessert. Then there were a few awards, i.e. Most Improved Rider, which went to young Ashley, and a special award to Kelly, for being the only male rider besides the wranglers. He was very patient, but then, all the women here were truly great. I'd never believe that 38 women of such varied backgrounds could get along, in any other venue that with horses and mules in the mix. It was incredible. Then, as a huge surprise to me, every rider received a beautiful denim jacket with Red Rock Ride on the back and a patch on the front. Gorgeous! I honestly don't know how they make money on this ride, with all the goodies they provide. They could charge twice the price and it would still be a bargain, in my mind. Anyway, finally got back to the hotel, did most of my packing, set my alarm, drank a second cup of sleepytime tea, and praying I get a good night sleep! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
What a day! This morning we were supposed to have breakfast at 5:30 and be on the bus by 6:30 so we could get a jump on the heat of the day. It's been unusually hot this week, and the dryness has made it hard to keep drinking all the extra fluids I need to cope with this stupid cold that I have. It's moved into my chest, at least, so I'm not getting dizzy, but like the last couple of days, I've felt okay in the morning, but by the end of the day, it's been tough going. Well, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, despite how tired I felt, but eventually I must have fallen asleep, because I ended up sleeping through my alarm, which never happens! I woke up and it was already light, so I knew I was in trouble. It was almost 6:10, so I had to rush around and finish packing (we're moving to a hotel in Kanab at the end of the day, yay!) I was all set to have a nice breakfast, I haven't had much of an appetite, but I ran out of time and managed to grab a banana and lunch just in time to get on the bus. I was glad they didn't have to wait for me, but I was frazzled by the time we started moving. It wasn't too far of a bus ride to the trailhead, which was, in fact, the same trailhead where we ended up on the Snowy River Long ride the other day, though we headed in a different direction. The most interesting thing about this ride was going through the slot canyons, which were narrow, tall and beautiful. It also had water running through them, so it was delightfully cool when we were in there. About ten miles in we stopped for lunch, and wrangler Hank took us on a short hike up to see some ancient petroglyphs. They were impressive, but had been all but destroyed by idiots carving their own initials and dates on the same wall. Hank then took us to another spot where apparently these idiots haven't found yet, and showed us another amazing petroglyph that looked like an elaborate map of some kind. Very stunning. We did a lollipop loop back to the bus, where we had to say good-bye to our mounts, (good-bye Whinnie!) and to strip all our stuff all the saddle, as tomorrow, we're going on new mounts, all mules. We were all grateful to be on an air-conditioned bus, and they even showed most of a movie (Sargeants 3 with the Rat Pack, which was filmed locally) before arriving at the Best Western in Kanab 90 minutes or so later. Once I got my room, I promptly took a long hot shower (the only flaw in this whole week has been that all but Monday, my showers have been barely lukewarm) and crawled between clean sheets. I was so tired, I was sure I'd nod off immediately, but it didn't happen! I may have dozed for a short bit, but that's about it. Finally, I got up when my alarm went off at 6:30 and managed to get dressed and walk the block to Houstons Trails End Restaurant where we had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and banana cream pie. I still couldn't eat too much of it, though I the pie was delicious, and I'm hoping the sugar rush will cause a sugar crash later, and I'll finally be able to sleep tonight! I'm at the point where I'm too tired to sleep! I'm sure I would be fine if I were healthy, but this cold has really dragged me down. To add insult to injury, I started getting a cold sore this afternoon. Typically I either get a cold or a cold sore, never both, so I must have really been exposed to a heavy dose of germs somewhere. I'm guessing the airport on the way out here. Should have worn a mask! Anyway, I'm in bed, writing and loading pictures, and I'll soon be on my way to sleepyland with the help of some sleepytime tea and some Tylenol pilfered from Cathy. Sure hope I sleep tonight! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hey Baby,
Woke up feeling a little bit better, at least I wasn't dizzy nor did I have any chills, so even though I wasn't 100 percent, I felt good enough to tackle the ride today. Today's ride followed the Butch Cassidy trail, which led to a hideout about was about 7 or 8 miles from our starting point. The terrain here was a lot different, lots more trees, many different kinds of evergreens, not so many hoodoos, but some nice red rimrock. The pre-lunch trail was lovely, the post lunch trail was essentially through a draw that had a trickle of water going through it. Apparently, it's a spring that produces water all year, which makes sense, since they had to have water for their horses. Tales were told at lunch, so it was an enjoyable ride. I was getting a bit tired toward the end, but I had added yet another pad on the saddle (I'm up to four now!), so it was a bit more comfortable this time. I had most of a sandwich for lunch, but I still wasn't hungry at dinner, I barely ate one rib and a mouthful of potatoes, and just a little salad. I guess that's a good thing, but I sure hope I get my appetite back soon. Anyway, I'm cutting this short to get to bed, because we're leaving at 6:30 instead of 8:00 tomorrow morning, and we have to pack, as we're moving over to a hotel tomorrow. Good night, Sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Went to bed last night with a scratchy throat and a little cough, woke up dizzy with chills. Not what I was hoping for! One of the gals got me some Alka Seltzer Cold Plus and I was able to eat some oatmeal for breakfast. I definitely felt a bit under the weather, but not enough to skip the ride, so we headed out to Thunder Mountain. The first part of that was more of the spectacular hoodoos, plus traversing some narrow crossings with big dropoffs, but nothing we couldn't handle. We stopped for lunch, and at first I sat in the shade, but then I got the chills again, so I sat in the sun and warmed up, but it was pretty hot. I was drinking enough water, so I don't think it was strictly dehydration, I think it's just a cold. One of the other girls had a cold and ended up staying home today, so maybe it's just something going around. As I was getting ready to remount after lunch, I was standing next to my horse on the hitching rail, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on my butt on the ground! Obviously, I fainted or something, which practically never happens to me. Literally, I've only ever fainted twice before in my life! Anyway, they got some electrolytes, which worked to revive me, at least enough to finish the ride, though I have to be honest, it was tough going! Once of the wranglers, Clay, drove me back to camp while the bus went on a shopping trip, which is not loss for me, and I spent the rest of the day in bed, napping and trying to drink more liquids and electolytes. They were kind enough to bring me another fan, as it was very hot in the cabin and the one fan on the wall wasn't cutting it, but the second one did the trick. I'm pretty sure I have a fever, and I've several dizzy spells this afternoon, but it's coming and going. I wasn't even aware of the time when another organizer, I think it was Tom, brought an EMT to check me out. For some reason, he didn't have a thermometer, but he checked everything else, and I was fine. Tom brought me a little dinner, but I could barely eat a few mouthfuls. I managed to get a quick shower in, and I'll heading to bed early, with high hopes that I'll be recovered enough to go tomorrow, but if not, I'll sit tomorrow out so I can still get in the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Kanab. Nothing worse than getting sick on vacation!! Anyway, heading to bed, taking some Tylenol, keeping my fingers crossed. Good night, darlin'! Love you!