Woke up to a beautiful day, just a nip in the air this morning, quickly being replaced by warm, sunny skies. After a late breakfast we saddled up the horses and head out, going uphill on the 50 Year trail, figuring uphill to burn off any excess alfalfa energy at the beginning of the ride would be good. It got a bit rockier as we got higher, but there was still plenty of sand around for the most part. After a bit of climbing, we eventually came to a plateau for a while, a bit rockier, but not too bad. We came to a gate and passed through, and it seemed as though we were supposed to turn to the right rather than straight, (at least that's they way the sign seemed to indicate), so we went right for a while until it came to a T. Again, it seemed like the cutoff we were looking for on my GPS was right about there, so we turned right, but that just led us to an overlook. We came back and went the other way, which then switchbacked it's way down the hill until if finally reach what was more like a road, but the sign then clearly said turn right, so we did. Passed quite a few free range cows in this section. Moments later, we came to two gates side by side. The one of the right said it was the entrance back into Catalina State Park, the other wasn't marked other than to close the gate. It had a cattle guard with a cowboy gate next to it, though it was partially filled with dirt so probably not a problem, but having had bad experiences with cattle guards previously, I wasn't about to try it. Anyway, we agreed to take the park entrance, then followed what seemed to be the main path trail ahead. That eventually narrowed until it became a wash, did a river crossing, and figured out we were way off track according to my GPS, though we were heading south, which was the eventual direction we wanted to go. We followed the wash until it became almost impassable, then we cut west in an effort to rejoin the original Sutherland Trail. Just before we reached, but since we were clearly heading in the right direction, we stopped and shared an apple with the horses, resting momentarily before moving on. Again, the trail alternated between sandy and rocky, but nothing too tricky. The views of the mountains in front of us were spectacular, with a bit of snow dusting the top after the rain we had the other day. Moments after beginning again, we met up with Sutherland trail and followed that south again. There was one tricky spot that went down some actual steps that someone had build into the side of the ridge, and were a bit close together for a horse going down, but we managed to make it without any drama, though we took it nice and slow. That brought us to a creek crossing and another climb up the other side, but part of that stairway had a bypass for horses, which helped, and the top steps were wider apart, making it much easier. We started picking up a lot of foot traffic at this point, and soon we dumped out into a parking area. We found the Bridle Trail on the far side of the parking area, and that brought us straight home, passing by a group area and several campgrounds. A very nice ride, a bit shorter than we expected because we cut off a significant corner of my proposed route when we missed where to go when we came through that double gate, but that just means now we'll have to go back again in the reverse direction to find out what we missed! Just under nine miles, the perfect length for me, and even Hubby's been getting fit enough lately to hand in there for 3+ hour rides. Got the horses bedded down for the night, and enjoyed a relaxing Friday evening.

After a week of the usual chores, writing, laundry, vehicle washing and various mundane activities, and determining that this may be our last ride here at Bumble Bee, we decided to make today's ride a long one, and the one place we had heard about but hadn't been to yet that fit the bill was a spot called Hidden Treasure. I drew a map on Google Earth and downloaded it into my GPS just to make sure we didn't get lost, since the last thing we needed on a 12 mile ride is to get lost. We headed south along the east side of the ranch, on a lovely trail I wish we had known about before, it was very nice. Apollo was full of beans this morning, and shied at every piece of rusted metal, downed saguaro cactus and other extraneous junk that we passed by. Eventually, he settled down and was his usual sane self. The trail took us down to a gate that, unfortunately, only had a key lock on it, so I guess I missed the instructions, but we followed the fence a little east and found a break in the fence by the wash that is near the pipeline and managed to get through there. We then followed the pipeline for a few miles looking for where the Black Canyon Trail crossed it. We thought we saw a shortcut ATV road a little before my GPS told us to turn left, and that ended up taking us in the wrong directions, so we cut back to the pipeline and stayed on it until we finally did reach the BCT. West from there, and before we knew it, we were at Hidden Treasure, an oasis of sorts. Evidently there is an underground river that pops up along the wash occasionally, including one down on the ranch, and here there is a very small pond several inches deep, filled with bulrushes and cattails, surrounded by cottonwoods and even some grass, a very rare occurrence here in the near desert. Cattle pens have also been built here, with a ramp for loading onto trucks. We stopped and shared a couple of apples with the horses, and an ATV with a couple of guys came by, asking us if we had seen any quail, as they were out hunting. Hadn't noticed any, and told them so, so they moved on. After a little rest, we rejoined BCT and started heading south back to the ranch. This was truly a beautiful section of trail, though a bit challenging in a few places. Lots of cutbacks in order to cross arroyos, mostly a sand trail which made it particularly nice, until we finally joined the road that went straight down to Bumble Bee. We debated whether to stay on the BCT, but that would have added additional mileage, and the sun was already getting low, and we figure the most direct route would just get us back in time, so we took the road. It was a great ride, and surprisingly, neither of us felt overly tired. We've been walking fairly regularly, and I think that's been helping a lot, getting us back in shape now that Hubby's fully recovered from his broken bones. Got the horses put away, and had a lovely evening!

The rain moved out overnight, but the clouds remained, at least high clouds that veiled the sun. We saddled up and this time, headed north on the main road, then turning west once we got through Bumble Bee, taking a previous route backwards, until we took a turnoff that headed us east toward the mountains, though on a road we hadn't been on before. The road was a bit rough, but we eventually came to the end of it, where there is an abandoned mine. I've noticed when I look on Google Earth that there are a lot of primitive roads around here that seem to just end, and I'm learning that these mostly lead to abandoned mines. Good thing they didn't have satellites in the old days, the old prospectors would never be able to keep their strikes secret! On the way back down, something had the horses at full attention, likely something they smelled. We saw some hoof prints coming up the hill that looked very fresh, probably elk or some similar large deer, so we figured that was it. They finally settled down again once we got to the crossing of the Black Canyon Trail, which we again headed south on. So far, this is our favorite trail, it's a really nice section. Had a nice canter once we hit the main road, then got back to the ranch safely. Didn't bother to wash the horses, since the paddocks are nothing by mud, but we did move them to a different pen because the one they were in had gotten so chewed up during the last couple of days. Once it dries out, I'm sure it will be fine again. Had another relaxing evening, it was really quiet since both our RV neighbors went to Sedona for the weekend. Terry and Martha just got their new RV on their new pickup, so they've been busy the last couple of days trying to get everything moved in, and it took a little longer to pack up than usual. So no happy hour tonight, just a nice quiet evening!

After a couple of days of rest, we saddled up to take another ride today, this time heading south on Black Canyon Trail, which we haven't done since the first ride we took here. Tried to find an alternate route, but our first attempt didn't work out. Looked it up later on Google Earth to learn where we should have gone, so we'll know for next time. Once we reached the pipeline head by the road, instead of crossing, we ran north on the main road for a short distance before picking up a Forest Road that skirted around above the wash, which was lovely. We stopped at a rock outcropping for a quick apple before heading out again. As I suspected, the road ran into the road that takes us up to the mountains on the east side, and we dropped down into the wash and took that back to the ranch. A very nice ride, no drama, thank goodness. Gave the horses a bath when we got back, the dumbest job at any ranch, since it only lasts about one minute once the horses are let back into their paddock, even though we did let them stand around to dry for some time. A lovely ride! Managed to get some writing in when we got back as well, so a productive day as well.

After spending the last two days diligently working on my next book, we took the afternoon off and went for a ride on what quickly became our favorite trail. We had been on Black Canyon Trail heading south, but this was the first time we headed north, and it was a very nice ride. It wasn't as rocky as the other end of the trail, and not as much of a climb, fairly even, twisting through some growth, keeping the horses very engaged. Really nice! We crossed a road, circling around trying to find a way back to that road, but we missed the turned I had pegged out on Google Earth, which was a wash that looked a bit overgrown, but ended up having to go cross country once we determined we had gone too far. I managed to weave a path around the cactus, down into the wash, and back up to the road again, which we then took all the way down to the main road just north of the town of Bumble Bee. We hadn't actually seen the town since we've been here, though it's little more than a collection of small cottages and a row of mailboxes. One of the buildings is apparently the original station along the old stagecoach road from Phoenix to Flagstaff, where customers of the stage line would spend the night on the three-day journey. The road is only marginally better now : -). Weather was perfect, even warm today, so after we put the horses up, I opened a bottle of wine and Hubby and I sat around on the tack room porch with the neighbors and some of the hands, and chatted for several hours, until the sun went down and it started getting chilly again. Another great day here in Arizona!

The good news is that Billy was moving much better today, though he's still unsure about jumping on things, which is understandable, but he raced down the stairs this morning, and ran around greeting everyone in the barnyard, his usually squiggly self! After breakfast we saddled up and headed to Antelope Falls again, taking a couple of alternative routes along the wash now that we knew where we were going. This time when we arrived, I hiked up the trail to where the actual "falls" were, thinking it was a ways up, but it turned out to be just around the corner, less than 100 feet around. It was a pretty sheer cliff-face with a good-size pool of water at the bottom, but there was no waterfall, not even a trickle anymore, though you could tell where water would have usually run. A very pretty spot, with a campfire ring which was obviously built by the locals, no doubt a great party spot for ATVers, though someone had left a big tire in one little pool of water for some reason. We rested for a while and shared some apples with the horses. Just as we were getting ready to leave, a couple of ATV's with some older guys showed up, we chatted for a few minutes before heading back off to the ranch. A very nice day, warm temps but a nice breeze that was actually a bit blustery at times. Got back around 4:00, bedded everyone down, putting blankets on the horses because it's going to be cold the next couple of nights, and settled down for the evening.

After a week of writing, we finally decided it was time to get out of the bungalow and give the horses some exercise. Beforehand, we borrowed on of the employees little tank tote and emptied three tanks of black water to a nearby dump We received our new Cavallo Trek boots for the horses yesterday, but unfortunately, they sizes apparently run smaller than their simple boots, because even though they were both Size Ones, Hubby's new boots just wouldn't fit on Clio, so we had to resort to using his old boots, which he had to put duct tape around just to make sure they stayed on, they're in such bad shape. Apollo's Size Threes fit just fine, so we got a chance to try them out today. These boots are much lighter, and have a single velcro keeper strap in front, which is a significant improvement in the design. Plus, they're sold as singles, so if we ever do lose one, I only need to buy them one at a time. Off we went, out the road toward the south, endeavoring to get near what's been called the Spanish fort, or the Indian fort, a three foot high wall on top of a hill. We headed in that direction, and probably passed it, not realizing we couldn't get there with the horses, it required a hike up some serious grade. We just rode out for about 1:15 or so, until Hubby had said he was ready, and then we headed back again along mostly the same trail, though we did do a slight diversion to come in by The Big House rather than along the wash, just for variety. Apollo seemed to lift his feet much more readily at the jog, which I attribute to the lighter boots, and it was a pretty good ride, though much of the trails were pretty rocky. Never did quite pin down the location of the fort, but good exercise all around. About halfway on the return, we heard a siren, and eventually saw a paramedic van approaching on the road. When we arrived back at the ranch, we found that it had arrived there, apparently a girl training a green broke horse (using a halter, no bridle!) was in the arena when they brought in a small herd of cows as entertainment for a saddle club that's here this weekend, and, not surprising, the horse went nuts and threw her off. She had some lower back pain (which of us doesn't when we fall off a horse!), and I guess they took her away, though I'm not sure. In any event, we headed back, put the horses away in the small corral which they had been moved to (to make room for the saddle club), fed them and relaxed for the evening.

Got up a bit earlier today to make sure we got back from our ride before it gets too late, as Friday the sun was just about down by the time we got, which is cutting it a bit close to not getting back before dark, so we were out before 11:00 this morning. We took about a 7.5 mile loop that was roughly northeast of the ranch, which started along the wash. We heard gunshots of apparent target practice, so before we went around a turn I called out, and the shooting stopped. As we came around the corner, a couple of shooters waved at us to let us know they had heard me and stopped until we passed. Being Sunday, it was quite busy out in this area of BLM land, with numerous ATVers and picnickers, but the horses paid not attention. They were pretty sluggish this morning, not used to being ridden three rides in a week, particularly since the one on Friday was so long, but eventually they became engaged with the trail. The wash alternated between sand and sharp rocks, and many times we followed the ATV trail, as it avoided most of the worst sections, but weren't that great either, very rocky. About halfway around, the turnback on the loop, was very steep, with an almost 40% grade according to my GPS, but at least it got us to the top of the hill quickly! We stopped at the top for an apple break before continuing. Beautiful views up here, though it was pretty rocky, and the road was quite challenging, with lots of hills and dales along the top. Another nice ride, though! During the course of our ride, Hubby and I debated the pros and cons of staying here or moving on, and by the time we got back, I checked the weather, and there's a polar vortex moving down in the next week, so the place we were planning on going in Payson would have lows in the upper 20's by the end of the week, compared to upper 40's, low 50's here at Bumblebee, so we decided that if it was okay with Kelly, we'd stay here for a few more weeks. With a great cell phone signal, this is a good place for the audio conferences I need to facilitate in a couple of weeks, and it's pretty quiet here, and very reasonably priced, so our focus is now on just staying where it's warm for the winter, and at the moment, this is the place! Spoke to Kelly when they came up to feed the horses, and she smiled and said, "I knew you'd want to stay longer." Other than having to accommodate a very large saddle club group this weekend, we should pretty much have the place to ourselves, except maybe a few folks occasionally. Having made that decision, we settled in for the night, satisfied that the next few weeks will be comfortable, and living will be easy with water and electric!

Saddled the horses and got out a little late for our four-hour ride today. I had tried to plot a GPS course based on the hand-drawn map that I got from Kelly, the ranch manager, but it was mostly guesswork on our part. We did manage to find most of the landmarks, and actually did pretty well until the end, when we hit the farthest wash, where we thought we were supposed to turn left, which we did. We followed the wash another mile up into a cove, climbing all the way, until the trail simply petered out. We headed back down the valley again, until we reached where we had turned left, and went the other way because there was an interesting rock formation that I though would be a good place to stop for an apple break. Turns out, that was where Antelope Falls was! So instead of left, we should have turned right, which quickly dumped down into another wash where the rock formation and the trail up to the falls were. There was a small pool of water in the rocks where I was able to collect some in our portable bucket for the horses, then we split a couple of apples between us all. There were two ATV 4-wheelers parked there, and after a while, half a dozen guys came down the trail that led up to the actual water fall, though according to their report, there was only a tiny drip at the moment. We all chatted for a while before heading back toward the ranch. The trail along the wash is like so many here, it's more of a general direction rather than a precise trail, so we meandered here and there on our way back, cutting through the campground on the road this time, though we cut back down to the wash to stay off the main road. Got back to the ranch by 5:00, having completed nearly 12 miles, about 2 miles longer than we expected because of our wayward trip up the canyon. A great ride, Hubby even held up well the entire trip, despite being longer than we expected. A gorgeous day!

After picking the brain of one of the other campers here yesterday (who left this morning, leaving us pretty much on our own here today), I managed to make some sense of the hand-drawn map the manager Kelly gave me yesterday, and plotted a 6+ mile trip for today. We headed south out of the ranch, past the "Big House," and climbed up for a while on Black Canyon Trail. Rather rough going, not too steep but pretty rocky, until we finally hit the plateau full of huge saguaro cacti for a while, before finding the "Big Rock" that signaled our turn to the right. We weren't sure if it was the right place, but we were following tracks from the group that had gone out yesterday, and when they disappeared and we backtracked, they did turn at a big boulder, so we followed those roughly down hill until we reached the pipeline head, which was clearly marked on the map. Once we crossed the road and went down a bit more, we finally came to the wash, which was mostly dry, mostly flat, and mostly sand, and we soon had a wonderful canter along the riverbed. One last turn up a beautiful, narrow canyon, under the bridge of the main road, before following the wash back to camp, before finishing our 6.75 mile ride back at the entrance to the ranch. A much more interesting ride that we thought at first that it would be, and were happy the rocks didn't continue for the entire trail. Gave the horses a quick rinse off before settling down for the evening.