OH! Did we Ride!

Connie & Farah

It was just an incredible day to ride!  When the weather keeps going on & on & on like this - it's nirvana to a rider!  Clouds moved in as we were leaving & the temperature was cool.  As we climbed up towards the Monument - we could see a wispy haze hanging over the Sound.  Dawn & Jenna came with us today - both game for whatever riding we wanted to do.   I'd forgotten my GPS - big drag... but we headed over to the east & south by the most direct route.   Both Linda & I were surprised to find that the trails were still mostly passable.  A big hole, a lot of Salmonberry - but all in all, we traveled further than either of us had expected. 

Jenna & Dawn

At one point we were moving along a beautiful trail through the trees when Linda asked me if I remembered the year it had been so dry that the only way we could clear trail for a ride was with hand tools?  Yes I did remember, as well as a lady who came riding by smoking!  That memory suddenly moved be back in time & the trail clicked in my mind.  How the trees had grown, I'd worked in mostly sunshine that day - now the trees are so tall that it's all a shaded   mountainside.

Linda & Count

Finally, we were brought to a stop by a low ravine area where there had been a bridge over a wetland.  With all the Stinging Nettle & unable to see the trail - we turned back.  Making the climb back - we heard voices!  Lots of voices!  Coming around a corner on a single-track trail - we were blocked by at least 20+ bike riders, all off their bikes.  The guys in the rear yelled forward - telling their companions to clear the trail for horses!  They were ignored & all these people were suddenly trying to get on their bikes to move off in front of us.  Farah was in the lead - we were doing a fast trot & I could feel her want to take up the chase ;-)   The poor guy in the rear quickly pulled aside - again yelling at the other riders to make way.

We were actually picking up speed & quickly moved right up to the next riders!  They couldn't get off the trail quickly enough now & the four of us thundered by!  One guy said;  "Wow!  This is the first time this has happened!"  By the time we'd come to where the trail merged with the logging road, there was only one biker in front of Farah & she was bearing down on him! :-)  At the intersection - were more riders pulled aside & talking!   The four of us didn't even break stride, quickly outdistancing them.  Fun - did I say we had Fun?  Oh yes we did!  Nothing like showing those guys just what horses can DO!   (Evil smile :-)

The only sore spot - & boy is it sore is my poor left knee that Farah slammed into a tree!  It was a big tree & the bark scraped the skin right off my knee under my tights!  Luckily it was a glancing blow to the side of the kneecap - or I would have been groaning on the ground.  She felt me hit - she knew she'd made a BIG Mistake!  For the rest of the ride I used my heel to let her know that those sides had better BEND!  

Five hours later, we were back & I'm already looking forward to our next ride!