Glorious Day to Ride!

Unedited Stellar Day!

Aarene & Patty usually ride out at Victoria on Thursday's with their group - Joyce had been invited a few weeks ago & invited me on this day.  Mel would be riding Jesse.  I was happy to be included - it's too seldom that we have the opportunity to ride in a group.  First one there - as I parked & walked around the front of the Bronco...  There was steam escaping from under the hood!  No!  No Way!  Not after just putting $1,500 into it in the past couple weeks!  I got the hood up to find water & antifreeze everywhere!  I called Butch!  He said he would come up!  Thank heaven!  I put the hood back down just as everyone else arrived.

Mel on Jesse, Joyce & Target

Though we all left as a group, with Farah in the lead, soon Patty & Aarene moved on ahead - riders on a mission :-)  Farah wanted to go catch them, but she was also enjoying the company of her VBF Target!  Jesse gets totally ignored if Target is with us :-)  Joyce wanted to do the south loop - so we headed that way.

Mel does the heavy work!

We went ahead & took the short trail that connects the two roads that make up this loop.  Someone had marked it closed with rock - but I hope to ask at the next PRA meeting about this section.  Farah remembered that a vine maple had almost gotten me last time we were on it & stopped just short!  Good Girl!  Joyce had her saw & Mel did the work to removed the maple!  Thanks Mel!  She also plans to come help out at Linda's trail-clearing work party the first part of June!

That loop - without going to the Monument - is 14.5 miles & we did it in under 3 hrs.  We walked the long downhill - & included the maple cutting :-)  Butch kept me posted - he had arrived at the Bronco, diagnosed which hose had the hole, then gone to Mt. Vernon.  That was a mistake!  He said the traffic of people going to the Tulip Fields was Awful...  He was back at the Bronco & had it finished when we returned!  Yippee!  Farah was surprised & happy to see Dad - she had a hopeful expression;  "Did you bring any mash?"

After her bath :-) All Shed out & sleek!

 Once home, Butch & I had lunch out on the patio, then Farah got her well deserved bath!  I was flat out amazed that her shoes had stayed on for this ride!

Nails hanging out the hoof wall~

We're at just under six weeks & we've gone quite a few miles - a lot of it in the granite sand of the high desert of Southern, CA.  Justin is due today - good thing!