Hiya Babe,
Woke up a bit early but did a lot of work on my shoulder, and I swear I felt something shift in the center of my back this morning. Hopefully that will continue to progress toward a full recovery (after 15 years). Read a bit, did my usual chores, finished up the final maps for the event this weekend, did a ridealong with Ranger Rick down to Apex to set up our fix for the projection screen, then a quick ride down to Tidewater to show me the new campsites they're building down there. Seems they're simply moving the old ones to the new sites, rather than expanding, don't know what that's about. Got back to camp and had a couple of conversations with some of the carriage folks before getting back to my computer to do some more work. Got all the Press Releases out to the TV stations, gathered some volunteers for Friday's session to set up as much as we can, and finally settled down for the evening. I think we're in pretty good shape, the latest attendance numbers are about the same as our final numbers last year, and we still have four days to go! Hope it's a record! Had my hot tub (which I am SO GLAD I bought!) and my shower, now tea, cookies and bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Thursday, January 30, 2025 – A Busy, Productive Day
Hey Darlin’!
It was a great, busy productive and tiring day today, beginning with hooking up with DeDe, a long-time forest volunteer, in one of the few permitted quads allowed in the forest, and we headed out first up to the north end of Black Prong to take down a tree that’s been blocking one of the undesignated trails (though it will likely be used at the FITS ride next month), then trailered down to Apex to work on a couple of sections of trail that just needed some general clearing. While we were there, we checked out the bike route for the Taste of Goethe, and I’m very happy to report that the water crossings have been mostly filled with gravel, so the bikes won’t have any trouble getting by, thank goodness and the Forest Service! We also checked a couple of other trails, and I was able to make some adjustments to the map I worked this morning for the signs and their placement. We finished up with that around 2:00, came back to camp, chatted with a couple of campers, worked on that map a little bit more, but found myself nodding off a bit. It’s been a tiring couple of days! Fed the horses, then headed over to Willards for a TOG meeting, which took until after 8:30, but we got a lot of things settled. I think we’re in pretty good shape for the event! Took a hot tub almost immediately when I got back, showered, having tea and shortbread cookies, and soon be in bed. Good night, baby! Love you!














