Hey Babe!
Up once again at the crack of dawn, packed up and out of the camp just before 6:00. Elected to take Brown Bridge Rd. because it was flat and I was concerned about the sharp turns and aggressive hills on the other route. Glad I did, it’s wasn’t half bad, not nearly as wash-boardy as I thought it would be. The road into Dubonnet had some sand, though, so it was a bit tricky, and I was worried that this little four-wheeler with canoes on top in front of me, who evidently wasn’t sure where he was going, kept slowing down, but fortunately he stayed far enough out front so I got in okay. Found a spot without any trouble, got set up and was on the bus in plenty of time. Back to Schecks, saddled up Flash and headed out before 8:30. The first part of the trail wasn’t bad, single tracks and sand roads, but eventually we reached the roads section of this journey, seven miles of paved roads with traffic. Another woman on a young horse was there, Teresa, and she asked to tag along with me since Flash is “steady as a rock” these days. We got about 75 yards when I looked up and saw the back end of a big bear walking into the woods. He must have reached the road and turned around, but I didn’t see his head. Anyway, I asked Teresa if she saw it, she said no, so I just advised her to be careful, if they caught the scent they may sidestep into the road, and it was very busy. Flash hardly noticed, on sniff in that direction, but her horse did get a little jumpy, but she managed to stay on the trail. It was a bad place to cross, too, because there is a curve in the road, and despite there being construction there, cars were barreling down way too fast. Fortunately, another group caught up with us just then, and we all crossed together. I was glad when all the road riding was done! I had to put on and take off Flash’s boots several times, and mounting was pretty tough with my left thigh hurting as much as it is, but I managed it. The last couple of miles were really nice, and about a mile from camp, we passed a house that had put out a big watering trough and stapled a bunch of granola bars onto a board, with a big sign welcoming us to help ourselves! How nice! Finally reached camp at 24 miles and about 5.5 hours, at about 2:00. Settled down after I got Flash taken care of, nodded off a couple of times in my chair, had dinner, went to the riders meeting, now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
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