Successful "Hunt"~

Our Ride~

As you can tell from this somewhat "different" route map of the Bracken Rd. tree farm, Farah & I went exploring again after her lesson with Sandra.  I wanted to see if I could make it to the river & maybe even find the route to the bridge on the Whitehorse.

I had all afternoon, so we could explore anywhere that looked either pretty or promising.  Way down into a a beautiful wooded trail, we found a tree had fallen from the hillside & blocked the trail.  I climbed up the hill & moved all the broken limbs.  I stood by a tree up there & asked Farah to follow.  What she did was so beautiful that I wish I'd had the camera ready.  She sat back on her haunches, lifted her front end off the ground like a Lipizzaner & in one graceful move leaped up the 5' embankment to my side!  I guided her around my tree & showed her the steep drop back down to the trail.  I let go of her reins & she made the jump down look as easy as the one up!

Finally we could see the Cottonwoods & I could hear water.  We went down, down & found the creek.  Crossed it to the far side, where there was a clear-cut, then followed what was left of a trail.  It too headed down again & this time we were rewarded with views of the river!  We made it right to the bank, but it was too steep to go down there.  The trail finally disappeared into the Salmonberry that looked like green lace tipped with bright pink blooms.

I knew we were So close to the bridge~!  Continuing on, I found it!  When we got there Farah knew right away where we were & was ready to either cross the bridge or go toward Arlington on the Whitehorse!  We started back.  At the river I took a couple photos, thought I'd put my camera back in my pack & we crossed.  I gave Farah her head going back & guess what?  She took us right back the way we'd come!  Just as we were coming back to the parking, Butch called.  He was home & wanted to take the bikes to ride the Centennial Trail from Snohomish - so I could familiarize myself with it.

Once home, I went to get the camera, it was gone...  So - it's either on the bank by the creek, or in the creek...  An excuse to get back out there & it was a ways out!  We headed over to Snohomish & rode the trail at dusk.  So very nice out there!  A pretty flat stretch so we cruised along at about 10-mph.  Only about five-miles - but workable on a horse - which is what I needed to know.  We had dinner at Fred's Alehouse.  Another gorgeous Washington State Spring day!  Feel so lucky to have been out there enjoying it!