Set the alarm to try to get an early start, and did manage to be on the road out to Dupuis by 11:00, not exactly early, but good enough, as it’s only about a half hour drive. There were a number of other trailers in the parking area, but it seems they had ridden in the morning and were just socializing over lunch before departing about the time we were saddled up and ready to go. Headed out on the “Teal” trail (what can I say, we’re in Florida, teal is one of their favorite colors :-), which turned out to be absolutely gorgeous for the most part. The first section, going counterclockwise on the loop, was an actual grass and sand trail, rather than a road, and wound through palms and brush in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Then it changed into a broad road and grassy area that followed the powerlines, and then turned off back into a more wooded area. We then took a little detour to the right in search of the pier via the back route (which turned out to be correct, but not where I thought I had turned), and eventually we arrived at a picnic area with a nice canal for the horses to drink from, and a covered picnic shelter where we stopped for lunch. Since we knew it would be a long ride today, we had brought oats for the horses, so they were quite happy. After lunch, we headed up the road away from the pier, regained the Teal trail, then cut right to the yellow trail, which would eventually loop us back to the equestrian, without having to backtrack on some of the Teal trail, which is how that loop works. The Yellow trail was equally gorgeous as the beginning of the Teal trail, but in a different way. This area had obvious had a fire in the last few years (prescribed or accidental, we weren’t sure), though in some areas the brush was even thicker. The Yellow eventually merged with the Red, and soon we were back at the barn. What a great day! About 12 miles including our detour, and never got lost once! The trails were very well marked, with painted spots on the trees every 20-30 yards, whether you needed them or not, and most of the intersections were reasonably well-marked, though you would definitely need a map to find your way around. Fortunately, those were provided at the kiosk in the equestrian center. We’re seriously considered hauling the RV up here for a few days next week to explore some of the many other trails in here. What a great spot! Only possible concern is they are very down on dogs here, but I have had a couple of people tell me that as long as we park well away from the campground host, and keep the dogs under wraps as much as possible, that they might be overlooked or ignored. It’s a chance worth taking, anyway. If they kick us out we can always just go back to Brother’s house and commute if necessary. Anyway, we arrived back at camp more than 4½ hours from when we left, having got in lots of trots and canters, enjoyed perfect weather (warm and a bit windy, but the wind kept the temps from getting too hot), and having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We topped off the day by going into Indiantown to top off our generator gas tank and stopping by a hay provider to see what her hay looked like. The last stuff we bought up in northern Florida wasn’t very good, and frankly, terrible for the price, so I wanted to make sure this stuff was better before we committed to buying any. Turns out to be really excellent coastal, nice and green, for $7 a bale, so we definitely will be back next week to pick some up. Headed home, satisfied Dupuis will likely be in the Top Ten or even Top Five of our favorite places!
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