Of Sunshine & Garmin!

On the Tin Bridge

Days like these are rare indeed!  Especially the end of February!  Jack drove Lynn up to meet me at Bracken.  It was so warm, so beautiful & with a light breeze.  If we could clone a day like this one & then use them when we needed - life in Western, WA would be grand & - we'd probably have so many people moving here that what's left of our open spaces would dissapear...

Whitehorse Trail heading to Darrington!

Someday - someday - we'll head out this way & go all the way to Darrington!  I hope Farah & I will be the first to do this one too!  Years from now - that's for sure.

I'm without my Garmin & feel positively naked without it!  Garmin had updated all their software & I'd updated all of mine last week with the assistance of a Tech.  We checked to be sure that my 310 was synched & all seemed to be fine.  Right - just fine, until I tried to download the miles from our ride on Tue.  No matter what I did - nothing happened.  So - Wed. I called again - got Tech support & we went through All the steps - nothing...  Even switched computers...  nothing.  So - the Tech said;  "OK, we need to clear all the information on your device."  Not the words that I wanted to hear.  We did that - still data would not transfer.

After another long period on "hold" - my tech told me that Garmin would be sending me a brand new 310!  Something in the device had glitched.   My new one should be here on Monday & my old one is on it's way back to Garmin.  Really a super company to deal with - I just hope they're done updating the software & that my new one doesn't have Any issues!

The Stillaquamish - still low

The parking area was almost full when we arrived at noon & almost empty by the time we were leaving around 4.  Farah lead going out, but settled enough that Sophie lead heading back.  WE did a couple nice trots & even worked up some sweat!  Everyone so happy to be out enjoying such a nice day!  The trails were amazingly dry & holding up well to all the traffic.

Happy Dance!

If you look~

OK, the sun came out!  It was warm!  I could not do anything but saddle up & ride!  Since the trailer wasn't hitched, decided to ride from home & make another attempt to find the old trails that used to get us over to Paramount Stables on 99th. 

I saw tracks from ATV's & tried to follow them.  I knew they had to be coming onto "my" east side, from somewhere to the west of the power lines.  I checked every opening into the trees that looked like it might possibly become a trail & finally...  Success!

Green, Very Green!

It was absolutely beautiful with the trees covered with hanging moss.  The trail was rough, but nothing a good horse couldn't get through :-)

More hanging moss~

Once we came out of this trail, I finally reconized what we called the "big downhill" which it was then & still is.  Down, down to the creek & old rotted bridge - that had been rotted then.

Old Bridge

 Once across the creek, I was in for a surprise!  Someone had been working on the trails, opening them up & doing some grading.  Trails & more trails - some I'd never seen!  We just kept going & going.  Finally at 8-miles - we came to a gate.

Ben's House

Dogs started barking & a man came out.  Ben introduced himself & professed his surprise in seeing a horse & rider!  He filled me in on what had been happening with the 600 acres that are still - amazingly enough - undeveloped.  It was supposed to all go to houses, but with the economy - just has not materialized - yet.  Ben was the one working with his tractor to open some of the trails & do some repair at the crossing by a large pond.

There were plenty of other paths that we could have taken, but it was getting late & time to start for home.  It was dark when we got to our gate & found Butch home!  Farah was Very happy to have arrived back in time for her dinner!  I was thrilled to find more miles - several more than I'd hoped & more to explore!