Hi Darlin’,
Had a good night sleep, though I had to put in earplugs because for some reason, Lola was uncharacteristically restless, which surprised me considering how tired she must have been after a nine plus mile ride! I ended up having to give her an allergy pill just to make her sleep, and finally I was able to get to sleep. While the big group went out with the local trail guide, Tim, and another guy on a white mule, I spent the day resting and doing a few odd chores, like finally clearing out the back of the trailer and cleaning out the water filter, which for some unknown reason still had some of those leaf-like things getting trapped in it. So weird! Flash whinnied for quite a while after Apollo left with the group, but finally settled down. I thought I might go on a short ride with Flash but felt so tired, I ended up just reading, and rather surprised I didn’t fall asleep in my chair doing so! The group got back around 4:00, though I didn’t see them come in. I went out to check on Kris’ horse only to discover that Apollo was back in the paddock munching away. I joined them again for drinks and dinner, and even got a “to go” plate for later in the weekend as they had cooked so much food. I’ll give them their due, these southern gals sure know how to cook! I brought Lola with me, and was glad when she behaved herself. They’re all leaving in the morning. Meanwhile, more new neighbors moved in right beside me, a younger couple celebrating the husband’s 35th birthday, they seemed nice, too. I finally made it back to the trailer around 8:30, settled in for a quick one hour of TV, but am more than ready for bed, despite having rested for most of the day, well, apart from a bunch of chores, like fixing my water and clearing out the trailer. Noah and Steve came over and did some work on my stairs, but it looks like they’re going to need to be replaced, or at least re-welded, though a new set will probably be better. Another repair I need to make! Anyway, time for shower and bed, looking forward to a long ride tomorrow, then a sort of rest and prep day on Sunday. Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Archives for May 2021
Thursday, May 20, 2021 – Long Solo Ride on Flash
Hi Sweetie,
Well, I’m still in search of a trail worthy of recommending to anyone, sorry to say. Haven’t found one I’d even care to go back to, really. I did my usual morning routine, and since most of the group was driving ninety minutes somewhere to visit an Amish farmers market, I had decided to take Flash on a “short” trip today, but, as usual when the trails are poorly marked, that turned out to over nine miles, and a lot of them are really tough miles! We headed first to a destination called the Wave Rock, which was essentially a bluff, but it was unusually smooth for quite a distance, which is somewhat remarkable. Then, despite my GPS in one hand and the map in the other, I still ended up getting turned around because of poor trail markings and renegade trails that aren’t even on the map! Grrr! I ended up going a silly circle in rough terrain just to get out of it again! Finally I got back on track, at least for awhile, but I was plagued by the same annoyances for the entire ride. The boot that wasn’t in great shape got completely twisted, so I had to take it off, then at one point Flash slipped on one of these flat rocks in the middle of a road and went down. I managed to stay on during his first effort, but he slipped again and I came off on the second, slamming my hip onto the rock, so I’m sure I’ll have a nice bruise there by the time I get home. I passed a marker for the Indian shelter, which was still a mile away, and that was the last marker that I saw for it, even though I went on 4 or 5 different trails to get there. There was one quarter mile section of trail 33 to the lower waterfall that I like, but it didn’t last long and got worse afterwards. Flash’s second boot slipped off, so finally I took that off as well so he was barefoot most of the way. I got tired of narrow, knee-knocking trails so I stayed on more of the wider trails, but of course they had more gravel so it bothered him more. I must have backtracked more than half a dozen times trying to follow my planned route, and even then, I ended up on trails that didn’t match the map very well. So even though I was on the back of my horse, my usually mellow happy place, I was so frustrated and annoyed that it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. At least we were able to go faster and not have to worry about the big group, but still, it wasn’t as much fun as I hoped it would be. Lola came along this time, though, which was mostly the point of going out alone today, and she enjoyed herself for sure, though she got ahead of us a few times and had to come a long way back to catch up with us when we backtracked. Anyway, I finally got back to camp, spent some time working on my weekly reports in advance, was hoping to set up the accounting as necessary but the signal is so bad here it’s almost impossible to get on the internet, whether it’s my Verizon hotspot or the ranch wifi. Didn’t need that added stress here either! Like always, though, I’m glad I came, just don’t expect me to do it again! I learn from every experience, and Flash was really good today, despite the fact I’m sure he was tired and sore from yesterday. Anyway, a long hot shower and bed is in my immediate future! Good night, babe! Love you!
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 – First Ride at Seven Springs
Hi Babe,
After a casual morning, I started saddling up Flash and one of the group, Chris, came up and got Apollo to ride today, using her saddle. It wasn’t long before we were off. It had been suggested that we ask about the local trail guide Tim, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found today, so we decided to go with the trail I had already planned on, about ten miles mostly around the outer perimeter, or so I thought. Just out of camp we were on the Three Sisters trail, where there are some stunning carvings right in the rock wall, quite remarkable. We hadn’t gone too much farther when, according to my map, we were near a waterfall, and when we saw a sign for the waterfall trail we followed it. Oddly, that trail didn’t take us to the waterfall we were near, it cut us way off our route to ANOTHER waterfall that we would had reached had we stayed on our original course in about a mile! Weird! The trails are reasonably well marked, better than some I’ve seen, but there were still numerous intersections with little or no signage, and some were on the ground in pieces, so not very helpful. Glad I had my GPS map tracking us! Well, it was a nice waterfall, though they had dressed it up with a washing line full of laundry, which I guess some would consider cute, but I just thought it was a bit tacky, and took away from the natural beauty of the spot, but that’s just me. Anyway, I managed to get back on track right after that, and we made our way up to the old saloon, which was a nice picnic area. I wish it had been marked on the map that it was a picnic area, as we had stopped shortly before that on the top of a hill in the woods and had our lunch, which was nice, but not very convenient for those who had trouble climbing up on their horses without a table or mounting block to help them. Still, we made it okay. It was decided that we would skip the final far loop in favor of getting back to camp so we didn’t wear ourselves or our horses out too quickly, so we headed back down the gas pipeline in a beeline for camp. Unfortunately, that route, though open and straight, was quite steep, with several ups and downs that were quite challenging. With the gravel, we put the boots on Flash and Apollo, which helped a lot, but one of Flash’s boots was a lot worse for wear by the time we got back. It was a mostly pretty ride today, but slow going, because of the hills, one place in particular had a very steep slippery rock the horses had to literally slide down. And with so many of us, eight of us, we had to keep stopping or slowing down to wait for things, well, suffice to say that 8.5 miles over better than 3.5 hours was the slowest ride I’ve been on in a LONG time. Everybody did well though, and there were some pretty sections, but we’ll definitely avoid the pipeline in future! Too many nicer side trails. We didn’t run into too much mud, fortunately, but I’m worried that boots will be needed to be used on the gravel, and that when we do run into mud we’ll have to be very careful about not losing them. Anyway, we got back, then the rest of them rode down to the Rattlesnake Saloon, which is in a nearby cave, and evidently they were shooting a music video down there, even though the place was technically closed. I didn’t go because I had already taken off Flash’s bridle by the time someone mentioned it, no worries, I’ll check it out tomorrow. Got everything put away, had dinner with the group again, fed the horses, then finally got back to settle down for the evening. I ordered a new pair of boots for Flash, but can’t get them until next week, so I’m having them sent to Loretta’s, and I got the final contracts from the union, so I’m officially working again! Yeah! Now I can get my health insurance back, and make contributions to my pension plan, which I haven’t been able to do for a year and a half, thanks to this crazy covid thing. Anyway, a busy day, so I’m heading to bed shortly, as soon as all the pix load up, which is taking a long time because there is almost no cellphone signal here, and I’m barely in range of the local wifi, so that’s another challenge here. So I’m off to shower and bed once again! Good night, darlin’! Love you!
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 – Setup, Shopping, Repairs and Hanging Out Day
Hi Darlin’,
It was still raining when I woke up this morning, and several times during the night as well, not a real heavy rain, but there was likely some accumulation overnight. It looked like it was going to be drizzling for a good part of the day as well, so I decided to do some other stuff. First after breakfast, I went down and registered, there was finally someone in the office, then I drove into Muscle Shoals to do some shopping and fill up with fuel. I managed to find some diesel at $2.84, which was even cheaper than at the Walmart, though it’s been going up steadily since the new administration shut down the XL pipeline in January, and it’s likely to keep going up, how far, who knows? Once I got back to camp I put up the fence to make a nice paddock (I got permission from the office), so the horses where able to get out and roll, which, of course, made them happy, along with an abundance of clover, then I had a few repairs to do. First, the hose had a few leaks that I had to fix, then the electrical plug did turn out to have a couple of loose wires, as I suspected. Meanwhile, the crew I met at Wind Creek arrived and was getting set up as well. Two of the men came over and visited with me awhile (and helped me with the last hose repair, not that I needed it, but what the heck?), and we spent the afternoon and evening back and forth, right through to dinner, which they invited me to again. Eventually it started getting dark, so I left, put the horses back on the highline and settled down for the evening. Lola got a treat with lots of leftover fat from the steaks they grilled, she scoffed that down along with a whole can of food and then tucked away some dry food as well, which is good because she hadn’t eaten much in the last couple of days. We’re all planning on riding together tomorrow, and one of the ladies’ horse is lame, so she’s going to ride Apollo as well. Anyway, I’ve watched an hour of TV, and now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, Sweetie! Love you!
Monday, May 17, 2021 – Drive Day to Seven Springs
Hi Sweetie!
Well, Google Maps did it to me again, taking me on backroads where I shouldn’t have been even when the map I downloaded was all major highways. I did do a stretch on an interstate I don’t think we’ve ever been on before, I-22, which goes from Birmingham to Memphis. Going through Birmingham, like any city, was a nightmare, but we managed to make it okay, except for one tiny road that made a sharp right onto the last road before we got here, that was also steeply uphill, and I ended up scraping bottom. I discovered the stairs are all out of whack again, another job on my list! Left late because I got into some conversations with some folks this morning, managed to sell a few more books (at least my fuel is getting paid for 🙂 ), so it was almost 10:30 by the time I left. Arrived here a bit after 3:00, but both offices were closed and there wasn’t anyone around. I call both “emergency” numbers and left voicemail on both (good thing it wasn’t an actual emergency!), no one ever got back to me, no one ever showed up. I had no choice but to pick a spot and park in it. Hardly any of the sites are level here, and there are very few highline posts. Since I know my new friends want to stay near the barns, I didn’t want to get too far away, and about the only posts I could find were at the top of the hill at a full hookup, that’s where I ended up. Unfortunately, the hookups are right by the road whereas the highline is tucked way back, so there’s a long yard between me and the horses. Had enough hose for water, though, thank goodness. Maybe they’ll let me put my fence up and create a nice paddock for them, there’s quite a bit of nice clover in there. I didn’t unpack much else, though, since I may have to move tomorrow when I finally check in. They seem very lackadaisical here, which I trust will work in my favor but we’ll see tomorrow! Got the horses settled, and got me settled. There’s a horrible cell phone signal here, but I can just reach the guest wifi here, just enough to watch Prime on my computer and screen share with the TV, which couldn’t stay connected directly for some reason. It started raining during the evening, and this place is already known for muddy trails, so I’m expecting to spend a lot of time wet here! Anyway, it’s been a long and tiring drive day, so I’m heading off to shower and bed early. Good night, babe! Love you!
Sunday, May 16, 2021 – Prep Day, New Friends Arrive
Hi Babe,
Spent the morning doing my usual chores and breakfast, then got busy with laundry and housework, don’t want to take one camp’s dirt to another camp. Worked off and on with that, as well as putting stuff away in preparation for my departure tomorrow. Just after lunch, some of the folks I met down at McCulley Farms arrived, and we spent some time chatting in the afternoon, culminating in a nice hamburger dinner, and another chance to do my Snowy River, especially now that I’ve got it cleared through the union, yay! I had planned on going to Owl Creek tomorrow, but they’ve got me persuaded to come to Seven Springs, where they are all heading off to on Tuesday, and since I’ve never been, and they seem reasonably affordable, and because it’s supposed to get really hot later in the week and I’m not sure I want to be without electricity like I would be at Owl Creek, I’ve decided to change my plans. It’s a little further to drive from here, but about the same distance to Loretta Lynn’s from there, though I’ll have to take back roads rather than the freeway, but it would be nice to get on some new trails and new terrain. Getting tired of the same old places, after all! I’ve heard it can get muddy there, but it’s been pretty dry all week so hopefully it will have improved somewhat. Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve gone on muddy trails! I remember last May everywhere we went was muddy for weeks! Anyway, this place started getting busy (unusual for a Sunday night), and there were several first-time campers that drove right to the end of the road, and couldn’t believe there wasn’t a turnaround at the end! They had quite the time turning around, and ended up camping at the end of the road, putting up paddocks in that whole area! I can’t believe the park folks haven’t figured out they have to put a turnaround at the end of this road! Anyway, got back to the trailer, put a few more things away, and settled down for the evening. Be ready for a shower and bed soon! Good night, my darling! Love you!
Saturday, May 15, 2021 – Finally, A Nice Ride on Black Trail
Hi Darlin’,
Well, another good night sleep, got the chores done, then saddled up Flash and went off on what turned out to be a decent ride for the most part. I also put boots on him since the dirt and stones, no matter how few they seem to me, have been bothering him, which really shouldn’t surprise me considering they’ve been on nothing but sand for the last six months! I reviewed my notes from last time we were here and recalled that the black trail across the road was the nicer one, so today I headed off in that direction. Of course, the first mile was on the same old trails out of camp, but we finally crossed the road and got onto the nice part of the black trail. It seemed it didn’t follow my GPS exactly (which means their map is wrong!), but I quickly backtracked and managed to follow my entire planned route, which was really nice. The trails are wider, which means no knee-knockers (thank goodness!), it still went along the edge of the lake in a few places, and had a few challenging grades which made it interesting. The footing was better in most places as well, so at least we had one nice ride here for a change. I won’t regret not coming back here, though, I’ve been here enough. We were back by 1:30, and I spent the rest of the day reading and just hanging out, nodding off once or twice in my chair, despite the fact that the campground was rather noisy today. Finally settled in for the evening, now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Friday, May 14, 2021 – Frustrating Ride on Apollo
Hi Sweetie,
NOTE TO SELF: Don’t ever come back to Wind Creek again! After another great night sleep and breakfast I saddled up Apollo for a short ride today. Since so many of the trails I’ve tried to take here have been impassable, I decided to not plan anything, just to go wherever I felt like. I know the place well enough now that I figured I couldn’t get lost. Unfortunately, even on the trails that you would think would be the most traveled, there were still dozens of trees down that had to be circumvented, some on hills that made getting around them very problematic. Many trails here are so narrow that you’re constantly having to push yourself away from trees (if you’re quick enough) to keep from knocking your knees. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough and banged up my newly repaired knee pretty good, both yesterday and today. You would think that a state park would have the resources to keep their trails clear, but these are as bad as the most neglected national forest I’ve ever been in. The only alternative are washed out gravel roads, which they also neglect, they could use some grading. Apollo was sluggish and not happy about the stones on the trails or the roads, I probably should have put boots on him, but they didn’t seem that bad to me, but he was really fighting the trail most of the way, making the whole experience unpleasant. We only went about 5.5 miles, but that was more than enough for us! Even Lola seemed bored, kept trying to wander off. Anyway, tomorrow I’ll take one more ride on Flash to the trails across the road, my notes from last time I was here indicate those are a little wider and hopefully a lot more pleasant. We’ll see. Grilled myself a nice piece of chicken, had rice and fruit salad, then settled down for the evening. Good news! I finally managed to persuade Equity into giving me a contract, so I should be back up and running on my health insurance and pension forthwith! Yay! Time for shower and bed, so good night, babe! Love you!
Thursday, May 12, 2021 – Nearly Ten Mile Ride on Flash
Hi Babe,
Had a very good night sleep, without earplugs! I haven’t had to use them since I got here, it’s nice and quiet, and now that I’m in Central Time, it seems it’s more in sync with mother nature and my circadian rhythm. Except a strange thing did happen. After I fed everyone including myself, I decided to wait a bit before heading out on my ride so that it would warm up. It was a very chilly morning, was glad I put my turtle neck on, but when I came back inside and sat in my chair and started reading, I nodded off and woke up almost two hours later! Yet I had had a good night sleep! I guess I must just still be releasing the pent up tension or something. Anyway, it was nearly noon by the time I went out and started saddling Flash, but soon we were off with Lola coming along as well. We started on a section of the yellow trail, which was very nice, as a lot of it follows the shoreline of the lake. Then I had planned on doing the blue trail, which looked like it also followed the shoreline, and there was a long section I hadn’t done before. Well, I didn’t get very far, there were so many trees down it became impassable. I had to double back and find another trail, and I finally found one that looked like it would also meet up with the blue trail later on, which it did, but it was also impassable! Honestly, if they’re not going to maintain their trails they should just close them so you don’t get a mile into them before being forced to turn back! I wandered around cross-country for awhile until I finally found another trail that was better, but it was not a pleasant experience for any of us for awhile! Saw some deer and birds, of course, and the weather warmed up beautifully, but it was spoiled a bit by the frustration of blocked trailes. We finally made it back to camp, and there were quite a number of new trailers that had and were still arriving, so I guess it’s going to be a busy weekend. I decided to fix the electric fence to a bunch of trees in the hope that Apollo couldn’t escape, and let them wander around in it a bit until it was dinnertime, then I put them on the highline, and put their blankets back on, since it’s going to be another chilly night. Thank goodness I have the electric fireplace for nights like this! Grilled myself an Angus burger for dinner, gave Lola some extra food since she went on the ride today, and settled down for the evening. Just saw a beautiful space station flyover, nice and bright and long, and now it’s about time to take my shower and get ready for bed! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Wednesday, May 11, 2021 – Taxes DONE!
Hi Darlin’!
YAY! Got my taxes done AT LAST! Whew! It was so complicated this year, what with selling the house and becoming widowed and everything else that happened last year, but I managed to get it done by noon. Meanwhile, because of the rain and the soft ground, Apollo pulled his old trick of pulling a couple of fence posts out with his teeth and escaping out into the campground with Flash in tow. I had to stop everything and go get them back, and I had to put them on a highline, which I really didn’t want to do because it is so muddy and if they stand in one place for long it will only get worse! It was so gloomy here this afternoon that the street light came on around 2:00 and stayed on all day. I’ve even been running my electric fireplace for heat because it’s been so wet and clammy and cold. It’s going down in the 40′ tonight! I put the light blankets on the horses this morning, Flash was shivering a bit when I fed them. Now they’re settled in as best as I can get them on a highline, though it’s going to be a muddy mess before long. Nothing else I can do if Apollo is going to do his Houdini impression! I decided I deserved the rest of the day off, and relaxed with a movie and popcorn. Got everybody settled in for the night, now it’s time for me to get to bed, too! Good night, sweetie! Love you!