Hey Babe!
My body clock is definitely on ride time again! In bed by 9:00, though it took me a bit to get to sleep, woke up at 5:15 (it’s already daylight, which is why it’s not bothering me too much!) and was on the road to McKinley before 6:00, and that wasn’t even trying very hard to be quick! Arrived at McKinley with just a few rigs ahead of me, lots of room to park so I ended up about where I was last time, right across from the outhouse. Got the water bucket and hay bag filled, had breakfast for me and Lola, caught the bus at 8:00 and was back before 8:40, and on the trail by about 9:10. Though this leg is billed as 28, I looked it up and saw that last time we came through here, my app registered less than 25 miles, though when extracted to Google Earth it was just a bit over 25, which agreed with two other ladies who mapped it. This truly is a beautiful trail! All along the AuSable River, no road riding, all woods except for the very end where the area around the camp had been clear cut awhile back. Lots of bridges and water stops along the river. Flash was full of energy this morning, so I just let him do his thing. He was passing groups of horses all along the way. He finally started to slow down a bit at mile 14, and really got sluggy around mile 18, but then at about mile 21, Linda and her little Paso came up and passed us, and Flash decided to follow them the rest of the way. I turned out to be the perfect thing, because he was so tired he hung back off her tail and I was able to give him a loose rein, which is exactly what I’ve been trying to get him to do forever! I don’t know if he’ll remember it after he’s rested, but I’ll take it in the meantime! Got back to camp just after 3:00, got him squared away, played ball fetch with Lola for awhile to wear her out, made dinner, along with a Big Valley (there’s just enough signal here, whoo-hoo!), now I’m ready for shower and bed. One more ride tomorrow, less than 24 miles, then a day off in Luzerne. Looking forward to that! Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Babe!
Up early this morning, to start the first day of the second ride. I was ready by 6:30, but Jimmy decided to wait to follow the bus, then we never saw it leave and ended up being way behind. He got on the bus as soon as we got there, and I unloaded Flash with no problem. I had loaded him all saddled up, so it only took a few minutes to get his boots on and be ready to ride. The lake was quite a bit calmer today, with the wind from the west laying it pretty flat, so I had very little problems getting Flash into the water. Once we accomplished that, we headed west on the trail. There was one other group that started the same way ahead of me, and it wasn’t long before we caught up and passed them. We were just past the halfway mark when we started running into the riders coming from the opposite direction. Other than the few roads in town, the rest of the ride went smoothly, Flash seemed good and strong, and since tomorrow is another rest day, I pushed him a bit to keep up a good pace most of the time. We arrived in camp before 11:00, having left the beach about quarter to eight, so we must have averaged over 4 mph, which was just fine with me. Spent the afternoon doing laundry, finish my deviled eggs for the pot luck supper and did some packing, took a quick ride out to the Dam Store to pick up some ice for my neighbor and check my email and do my Spanish lesson at the same time. Riders meeting was at 6:00 pretty quick considering there’s no ride tomorrow, but Jeff was nice enough to mention me and my book, and to ask if I’ll do my poem again on another night, to which, of course, I agreed. Then came the supper, and then I decided to get back on “ride” schedule, was showered and in bed just after 9:00. A lovely, easy ride to start, but things will get a little tougher after this, but I’m ready! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!

Hiya Darlin’!
We did it! Flash and I completed the first of our two Michigan Shore to Shore rides! Since I had arranged for a return trailer trip to River Run Camp, I didn’t have to get up so early to move my trailer to the shoreline, and managed to sleep in a little later (though my body clock woke me at 5:00, I managed to go back to sleep until 6:30), had breakfast and thought I had a little time to get on the trail early, but the bus was back by 7:15, so I ended out being the last out of camp, again! No matter, I knew I would pass people, and we did. Most of the way was more beautiful forest, fairly level with good footing, a beautiful ride. We had a little bit of road riding in the town of Oscoda, and then I missed a marker and went over a bridge to a flashing light (which I remember was part of the instructions), went straight and ended up on a beach of Lake Huron that had obviously not been touched by any other horses ahead of me. Not to be deterred, I spent about 10 minutes getting Flash into the water, so we could accomplish yet another major project (those of you who have been following me for awhile know the objective started with feet wet in the Atlantic on Assateague Island, then the Pacific in Oregon, then the Gulf of Mexico on San Padre Island, then Lake Ontario to complete all four cardinal points), so now I’ve done the second of the five Great Lakes, and will have the third, Lake Michigan, by the end of the month if all goes according to plan, leaving me Superior and Erie to complete that goal. After he finally got fairly comfortable in the lapping waves, we headed back to find where we missed a marker, and found the right way, with a different flashing light, and Flash was much calmer getting into the water there, for which I was grateful. Sarah was there on Apache, and she went out further, so Flash was braver and followed out a bit, too. Too cold for swimming, though! Flash was full of energy today, and kept a good four plus mph averaged. Amazing after all the miles he’s gone! He’s going to love having a few days off! Got him loaded up into Julie’s trailer with no problem, and was back in camp in no time, back by noon! Sad that I won’t see many of these people again, it’s been a great group, everyone got along so well! But I’m sure I’ll be seeing some of them again at some point. Got Flash squared away, filled my water tanks, had lunch, then the crash came. Started reading, went up into the bedroom to be more comfortable and promptly fell asleep for an hour, woke up for a minute, fell asleep for another hour. It’s like the crashes we experienced after working a convention, nonstop for a week, full of energy, then when it’s over, a total crash! Finally got up and did a little cleanup and reorganizing, and got out my solar panel, all that I had the energy for. There are a few campers left, so I had a conversation with Barb from Missouri, then took a walk around camp and had another conversation with her and another man, then got involved with a political discussion with the two Sams I met on the first day I arrived at Stoney Creek. Funny, they’re good friends, and one’s a Republican and one’s a Democrat, so we had a lively discussion, but everyone still gets along, just the way a democracy should be! Finally got back to the trailer just before nine, having a drink, waiting for the water to heat up, then it’s shower and bed! Amazing experience! Love you, babe! Good night!

Hey Babe!
By comparison, today was SO MUCH EASIER than some of the longer days! Though I was in a spot that wasn’t exactly easy for me, I managed to go “cross country” and get out with no problem, then it was almost all pavement to the next camp less than 30 minutes away, which is a relief! I’ve been in this camp before, too, a couple of years ago, so I had no problem finding it, and I timed it perfectly after the first group and before the second group, so I had time to stop and reconnoiter for the right spot, and managed to get in right across from the well, perfectly located since I’ll be here almost a week. After the bus ride back, I got Flash saddled up, and was the last one out of camp, which suited me just fine. We were at mile seven before we finally caught up to anyone, and still managed to stay separate for most of the ride, which is a lot more relaxing for me. Today I just let Flash do whatever speed he wanted. We only had 17 miles to do, so we’d get into camp in plenty of time even at three mph. He did pick up his pace a few times, and he seemed to be in good spirits again today, though I’m sure he’s ready for a rest! Me, too! Today’s ride went through some really nice forest, but also through a lot of clear cut and burned out areas with wide open spaces. Rain came in last night, but was just a little bit of drizzle this morning, and it didn’t really rain most of the day, it was cold and windy, which was worse on the open areas. Still, it was a very nice ride once again, and I had to gear to keep warm (though I could have used just one more layer to be toasty!) and getting into camp by 1:45 was a treat! Settled in to read for the afternoon once I got Flash squared away, then we had the riders meeting early at 6:00, and an awards ceremony hosted by Sarah and Carrie from Canada. I contributed an award to Sam Bump for her eagle eye, she was amazing at spotting wildlife no one else noticed. Had to put on the fireplace while I was running the generator just to get it a bit warmer in here, never got above low 50’s today, brrr! Anyway, just one last ride to the beach, and the first challenge of the month is done! I might just even sleep a little late in the morning! I’ve arranged it so that I’ll be riding to the beach, then hitching a ride for myself and Flash back to camp so I don’t have to move the trailer again, yoo-hoo! Hopefully I’ll be able to do the same on the first day of the next ride, which goes in the opposite direction, starting at the beach. At least the next one has layovers, lasts a lot longer but will be a lot more relaxed, hopefully. Well, that’s enough chatter, time to take my shower and get to bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetie!
Happy 34th Anniversary! Celebrated in the best way possible, on horseback for miles in the woods! Ended up at South Branch, where you and I came way back in July 2013. Remember we rode to the Bear Store for ice cream? Where they had a little zoo? Also ran across some ORVers because I guess we got on the wrong trail. Anyway, it was a beautiful ride today, I can understand why this is everyone’s favorite section of trail. No road riding, paralleled the Au Sable River most of the way, lots of little bridges to cross, water access, great footing, everything you could want on a ride! It was billed as 28 miles, but according to my GPS, it came in at just under 25, so I actually arrived in camp an hour before I was expecting! That was a good thing, though, because I had to unhook and go into town for fuel, I wasn’t able to get any in Luzerne the other day (they weren’t open when I went by), and I’m getting too low for comfort, so I ran into Hale (past the Bear Store!) to get gas and power steering fluid, plus some ice for Sam G. Got back, took the trash to the dumpster (first campground to have one!), then hooked back up again to be ready to go in the morning. Flash was great today, though he had so much energy starting off, he wanted to race after every horse in front of him. Eventually, I just had to let him run himself out, which took a couple of miles, then we mostly stayed away from other folks just to stay settled. Made good time, though! Made soup for dinner, went to the riders meeting, now I’m wrapping up for the evening. Good night, my darlin’! Still love you after all these years!

Hiya Darlin’!
Had the best night sleep for more than a week last night, it paid to take three ibuprofen! I also felt less guilty because I made sure to put liniment and a blanket on Flash last night, and he was in MUCH better spirits this morning, actually walking up to me instead of avoiding me like yesterday, so he’s apparently forgiven me. The first group left very early today, about 5:35, and I was nearly ready by then as well, so I left about five minutes later. No one came right after me, so I had a nice relaxing drive over to McKinley Camp. Despite the clear-cutting around the immediate area, the camp was good for me, everyone just parked along the edge of the road and highlined on trees, no posts here. Arrived early enough to get a load of laundry washed and hung out before catching the bus! I needed it, I’d just about run out of riding clothes. Got back to Luzerne, broke everything down and was once again the last one to leave, but quickly caught up with a lot of riders. Flash was actually in high spirits this morning, not only wanting to catch up but to pass a lot of folks as well! Only 23+ miles today (map says less than that), but we had to detour around the boardwalk at Luzerne, apparently not safe for horses, waiting on repairs. That meant a few miles of road riding, but once that was done, it all became forested single track, my favorite! Gentle hills added to the pleasure, it was a wonderful ride. There was one waterhole just about halfway (one of the horses in the group that was there laid down in the pond!), and it was really a lovely ride. Flash did a great job of alternating between fast and slow, and we were back in camp by about 3:00, ahead of several groups we usually follow. Let him graze, got set up, unhooked and went up to fill up with water (too far for hoses this time), did my Spanish lession while I was waiting, then dinner, then riders meeting. I did the Snowy River poem for them tonight, figuring this was the best night (tomorrow is a long day and we’ve got rain coming in on Sunday and Monday), as a thank you to all of the amazing folks of the MTRA. Truly, I’ve never seen such a dedicated group of folks, and they have been doing it over generations. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Back at camp, put liniment of Flash, blanketed him, made my tea, and as soon as that’s done, I am SO READY for shower and bed! Long day tomorrow! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe!
Another really long day for the both of us. Was out before 6:00 am, heading from Walsh Rd. to Luzerne, which is one of the trickier places for a bit rig. The organizers figure out the best place for me was by a new outhouse, and gave me instructions to make sure I didn’t go the wrong way, and that I turn around so I can get out easier. I managed to do that without hitting any trees, no small feat here! Before I left, I put some liniment on Flash, something I should have done last night, and it caused him to twitch all over! Another rider, Sam, did the same thing earlier with her horse Bandit, and it created the same affect, oddly. Anyway, she said it went away in about 15 minutes, and was fine, so I went ahead to take the trailer over, since today was a long day. Once I got back, Flash wasn’t too thrilled about the whole idea of getting saddled up (understandable!), but we got it done and headed out of camp before 9:00. Today’s ride was nearly 28 miles, and after yesterday’s 27+ miles, I don’t blame him! It was more road riding than I like, though most of the roads were sand, sometimes deep sand, there were a few really nice wooded sections to go through. Probably the best part was the 4-5 miles just before we got to camp, but by then, Flash was so exhausted, he had trouble getting up some of the hills, he’d stop to rest occasionally, there were several times today when I got off and walked a bit just to give him a break. The last few miles were alternating between “camp is near, let’s hurry” and “I’m too tired to lift another hoof”, to “Please can I just stop and roll in all this nice sand?” As pretty as the terrain was, it was hard to enjoy with all that going on. Anyway, arrived in camp just before 5:00, rode him up to the bus to get our pail of stuff (everyone else is in the main camp except me and two Canadian women, Carrie and Sarah), and have worked non-stop since then. Highline up, feed and water done, more liniment (no adverse reaction this time), stored everything for tomorrow, had dinner, drained the gray water, and on and on. At least there’s a decent cell phone signal on one side of the trailer. Glad to have the two girls attending the riders meeting and taking notes for me, I couldn’t walk all that way, at least 150 yards. I’ve heard tomorrow’s camp will be easier to get into, hopefully there will be some hints from the meeting. Still have my Spanish lesson to do and my shower, but I should be able to finish and still be in bed by 9:00, a necessity these days! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie!
Well, this morning I waited until the first wave of early birds left camp, and tagged along at the very end so I could go my own speed, figuring there would be enough stops for me to keep them in sight, which there was. It was fairly straight-forward, but there was one very dicy spot on Pickerel Lake Rd that was so sandy, if anyone stopped, they’ve be stuck for sure! I was extra careful to keep moving, and managed to make it through, though there was a couple of times when I felt like I was surfing! Glad to hear these are the last “seasonal” sand roads we’ll be going on, we’ll be on good tarmac or gravel after this. Walsh Road camp is laid out nice, you just have to come in and turn left, it circles around, come down the middle and all the sites are nicely angled, so I had no problem getting in, nor will I have any going out. Johnson Creek, which we left this morning, was pretty tight, but I made it! Forgot to mention, we saw an elk on the road on the way back to camp yesterday, magnificent animal. Anyway, got to camp, had breakfast, which I couldn’t finish, so I guess my stomach is shrinking (yay!), then hopped the bus back, got Flash ready and headed out, second to last out of camp. Only Ron on his mule came after, and he was trying to be last, his mule is too reliant on a buddy, and he was trying to school him on that, but as it turned out, Flash was so slow today, he caught up after a couple of miles. We rode together for awhile before he took a break, by then Flash seemed to have more energy, so I let him out a bit, even running for a mile, but that was the only one. He’s obviously tired, and I want to finish the week, so I kept him at a walk most of the rest of the time. Leapfrogged two groups of women back and forth the rest of the trip, doing the last 6-7 miles with Sam (who borrowed my hose to get water out of her 55 gallon drum), still managing 3.9 mpg, but arrived last except Ron. It wasn’t a terribly exciting ride, a whole lot of it was road riding, not my favorite, but there were a few sections that were pretty nice. At least we got here! Arrived right on 4:30, so not as late as I originally thought, and for the first time in several days, we have a decent cell phone signal. I thought I was going to lose my 379 day Duolingo streak last night, but I managed to find a tiny spot in camp where the signal held long enough for me to get a lesson done. I think we’ll have good signal from now on, except at River Run, not sure how I’m going to handle that! I remember have to go to the Lumbermen’s Memorial to a signal last time I stayed up here, I suppose I’ll be doing that again. Anyway, it was a long day, and tomorrow’s also a long day, hopefully Flash (and I) will be up for it. I’ve been surprisingly fit enough to do this, only taking ibuprofen at night and that’s mostly to help me sleep better, haven’t needed it during the day. Taking the opportunity to get caught up with my diary and other internet chores now that I finally have a cell phone signal, hope it doesn’t take too long! Went to the riders meeting, now it’s time for shower and bed, before dark again! Crazy! Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Babe!
Another exciting day on the trail! I decided to leave with the early group, and that ended up not being the best idea. The folks in front had no concept that those of us further back were in such dust it was like driving in a sandstorm! Wheeling down gravel roads at 30 mph in 20 yards of visibility was NOT my idea of safe, so next time, I’m going at the end of the pack and waiting a few minutes for the dust to down and drive at a more sensible speed. Everything came off every table, there was stuff everywhere on the floor, and I can’t even find the time magnet that was on the fridge! Finally got back to Flash, got him saddled up, then had a hard time finding the right trailhead out of camp. Everyone kept pointing in one direction, but most of the horses seem to be going in the other direction, but I discovered they were taking “shortcuts,” which a lot of the return riders seem to do. Being a Newby, I want to take every mile of trail I can. Today started out nice in the woods on a mostly sand and dirt road, but there was a lot of road riding today, so I started off with his boots on. The weather was perfect, low 70’s and sunny, but we added a couple of miles because of detour at a culvert repair, so instead of being a nice short 16.9 miles, it ended up being over 20. I put Flash back in conditioning mode, doing a mile slow, then a mile fast, pretty much all of the way. I probably wouldn’t have done that if I had looked ahead and saw that tomorrow is 28 miles, but hey, I’m living day to day on this event! We passed through an active lumber operation, I saw some fantastic machinery that was cutting pine trees about a third of the way up, gathering them in bunches like someone picking flowers, then moving them over to another place to get picked up. Flash was brilliant, didn’t faze him in the least, not even when I had to pull off to one side to let a big track piece of equipment go by. Managed to get back to camp by 2:00 or so, with Flash once again speeding up during the last half mile, sensing that camp was close. Spent the afternoon visiting and trying to relax a bit, went to the riders meeting, then promptly showered and went to bed. It was still light outside! I feel like a kid again doing that! Anyway, a good day, I hope that Flash is up for the long day tomorrow! Not like he has much of a choice! Good night, my love!

 

Hi Sweetie!
Well, evidently too much relaxing yesterday led to a terrible night sleep! I doubt I had much more than an hour! Even so, I got up with the alarm at 5:15, and I had things so well organized that I was pulling out at 6:00. I had decided I needed to get to camp early, because it takes me longer to get situated because of my size, and I decided to delay breakfast and have it before the bus ride back. All that worked out just fine! Got back and saddled up Flash, and we were headed out by 9:10. There were so many wonderful sections of trails, it’s hard to come up with superlatives! A gorgeous ride along the ridge, beautiful deep dark forests, every imaginable kind of tree, simply stunning! There were a few sandy roads, and a couple with some gravel, but the rock here is mostly rounded so it doesn’t seem to be bothering him too much. I did put his boots on when we turned onto Osmun Rd., but then I made a turn off very quickly after that (a wrong turn, as it happened), and ended up on a hiking/cross country skiing trail that got REALLY dicey for awhile. Bogs, low hanging limbs, downed trees, creek crossings with a single board across them, just a lot of challenges, but Flash handled them all with trust and aplomb! I even had to get off once and walk across a board over a creek, and he leaped across as best he could. That happened a couple of times. He was very muddy by the time we were done! I was always heading in the right direction, south, just parallel to the horse trail. Eventually, I found an old overgrown forest road (my second attempt) that managed to get me out to a road. I thought it was Osmun, so I turned right, thinking it would take me south, but I quickly realized it was going west, definitely NOT the right direction. I pulled out Google maps on my phone and realized I was on Walsh road, had to go back east a bit, but finally hooked up with the horse trail, along with a couple of other ladies that weren’t sure which way to go at that point either. According the GPS trail I loaded in, we were going the right way now, and we perservered! Eventually we reached the lake that had a boat launch, everybody got a drink, Flash got and apple and we rested for a short time before hitting the trail again. I was delighted that Flash’s pace stayed consistent throughout, averaging four miles per hour, though a couple of times he sped up trying to keep up with other horses. I had to slow him down, and for the most part, we stayed on out own, and he was very relaxed. He even sensed when camp was close (how to they know?) and picked up speed toward the end. It was confusing when I got to camp, took a minute to get my bearings, but I picked up my bucket of stuff out of the bus (highline,etc.) and made my way back to the trailer. Stayed focussed on chores until Flash was settled, repair a couple of leather ties that broke with all the leaping he was doing, and finally settled down for a few minutes, before finishing off the deviled eggs I made last night for the pot luck tonight. Time flies when I’m so busy! Had the riders meeting, then the pot luck, then shower and to bed, early naturally! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!