Continuing On...

Heading south~

There are those days when you just must continue on...  I didn't want to, I wanted to curl up in a ball & hide under a blanket & feel sorry for myself.  I talked to Linda - she was willing to ride...  I just couldn't get up the motivation to trailer out.  At 25 degrees this a.m. everything was frozen & the roads were slick.  By the time things finally started warming up - it was noon.  So - I pulled myself up by my bootstraps & saddled Farah.

Our hill on the way to the trails~

I usually walk out the first 1/2-mile from home & hoof-it up this hill to warm myself up.  Farah drags along behind - totally unmotivated - Until we hit the trails!  Then she's ready to go - her motivation is always finding that patch of emerald green grass that she can devour in a minute flat!

On our way~

It warmed up way more than I thought it would!  My jacket stayed on the back of the saddle.  Since I'd been wondering about the orange gate for a while - thinking that it has probably been closed again - we headed down to see & yes I was right..

Orange gate - locked

I wasn't fast enough to get a photo of the pretty doe who jumped up the hillside as we rounded the corner.  We turned back & headed north.   Down this trail - then a right turn & we'd have come to the housing construction.

Perfect December afternoon~

It really was a beautiful, if short, afternoon.  As we continued north we ran into another ATV, going slow.  He pulled off - really nice gentlemen with a granddaughter I think on the back.  He told me it was the last day of Black powder hunting...  I was surprised - since I thought ALL hunting was over for the year.

We checked out the lower wetland

Going on north to where I turn to 4-mile rock - instead we turned through the Moss Woods & started back.  I'm so close to the mileage goal I had for this year...  I still don't know if we'll make it...

The Star at the barn

We timed it just right again & made it home just at dark.  Of course each day sunset comes a few minutes earlier - so for the next couple weeks we'll be chasing nightfall~  Farah gave me a gift today...  I was just pretty much along for the ride...  When we turned for home I thought for sure that her usual antics would start & dreaded it.  She did start champing the bit, did one little buck - but then straightened out & hit her good walk.   I just kept the reins steady on her neck & she was good all the way back!  Maybe it was all the times I'd turned her back on Sat., but at least this ride - was a good one for us both!