Rain Ridin~

15-miles at Victoria

I'd made plans to ride with Charlotte...  but it was raining...  Hard to get up the motivation to go out in it, with a hot latte in front of me & my husband home...  I called - Charlotte said;  "I've invited others - be there or be known as a wimp!"  Well...  OK then!  Cards were on the table & I did really need to get Farah out.

Does it look wet?  We get out to Hwy 9

About four weeks ago we brought in a new ton of hay from eastern, WA.  It was supposed to be an alfalfa blend, which we don't normally feed, but it was nice & the price was right.  The last week, I noticed that Farah was getting "hot".  Not at all like her.  What had changed?  Feed...  When I had to get off her last week, to keep from getting bucked off, the thought had entered by head.   So on Fri., we put her back on the expensive Timothy with just a small amount of alfalfa.  It seemed today that it's going to be a week or two before I see improvement - since we started out with Farah puffed up like a toad, bouncing down the trail, grunting & snorting at the same time.  No one could get near us that she didn't threaten.  At least for the first few miles.

Charlotte & Aliento

Finally, after setting an incredible pace, she settled in.  It was good for her mind to be with a group of competitive, experienced horses.  Kathy is another that likes to gallop, so we did a LOT of galloping & Farah loved it.  She & Cinnamon went side-by-side, nose to nose :-)  My Garmin recorded 35 mph - I don't know what Kathy's recorded, but do know we did some fast work.  The horses all loved it, they blew out their lungs, worked up a full sweat & by the time I dismounted to walk back to the trailers, Farah had her head long & low, walking with her swinging stride, looking relaxed & happy.  Garmin Stats~

Back to some arena time tomorrow~

After the Thaw / Before the Rain~

Farah cracks the ice~

The day darkened from the beautiful sunshine of this morning to gray, heavy skies & the smell of rain was in the air.  Finally the ground has gone from rock hard, frozen & slippery - to muddy, wet & slippery.  I was amazed at how muddy it was & how quickly things had thawed. 

South down the Power Lines

Even though it seemed almost dusk, the sky was clear enough that the mountains were visible on the horizon under the clouds.  It seemed cold, though it was mid-30's. 

Ice melting on the wetland

Farah was again full of herself, wanting to gallop more than I wanted to, with the mud & still plenty of ice on the trails.

One of the pretty wooded trails~

I tried a couple of the old trails, knowing they were closed, but curious as to how much work I'd have to do to cut them back through.  Doubt it would be worth it,  a couple of the gates have been closed again - so someone has been checking things out.

Sure felt good to get back in the saddle, but I did quite a bit of walking too.  Very quiet, not even birds today.

Camping, Hiking Fun! - Day 2

Route to the Coast - 5.3 miles

Sunday we woke to sunshine!  That & a light breeze motivated us to hit the trails again - this time with the goal of reaching the coast.  After checking out the maps, we decided on the short way out from camp to give us more time to get out to the point.

John Tursi's hand-hewn underpass

This time we crossed under Hwy 20 further south & were rewarded with a beautiful walk through very large Douglas Fir on the west side, before the trail reached the coast.

Looking at the Deception Pass Bridge

At the point above, we were already well beyond the beach where we'd stopped on Sat.  We were on the North Beach trail to West point.  This was a really nice trail, with several spots where you could access the beach areas.  We were moving at a pretty good pace when Rascal had to make one of his many stops to shake.  As he did, the clip on his lead came free.  In the next millisecond...  he was Gone!  Butch called for him, but we knew it was pointless.  Nika was unconcerned - we decided there was nothing to be done but continue on down the trail.  A few minutes later a runner coming from the direction we were headed said that yes, he had seen a Beagle traveling fast up ahead...  If any of you know Beagles, you know that the one thing they can be counted on to do - is follow their nose...  Visions of all the terrible things that can happen to a loose dog were flying through our heads as we hiked.  It seemed like hours but after what was probably only about five minutes I heard Butch say;  "Hi there Rascal!"  As we'd come around a corner, there he was waiting for us on the side of the trail!  GOOD BOY!  Did I say GOOD BOY?!  You can bet that Rascal got way more attention than he wanted!

What made him decide to wait rather than continue on we do not know...  but I do know that we were very happy that he was safe.  Yes, we'd forgotten the pinch collars...  never again & the leads are going to have those snap ends replaced with a bull clip.

Our reward~

The light was just amazing!  The forest was so beautiful!  It was a perfect day & the perfect place to spend it!

Red of the Madrona

View of the Bridge & Cascades

View from the West Point

We came out near one of the many parking areas along this section of the park.  It seemed strange to come off the quiet forest trail & suddenly find lots of cars, people etc.  We headed back the way we'd come & took a short break.

Beautiful old construction~

On the hike back, both dogs were on their "A" game!  Rascal in the lead, Butch, Nika & me :-)  No more pulling, just setting a nice 3.2 mph pace & having a fine time!

Nika, Butch & Rascal

We returned on the same trails that we'd started out on, the day was growing short & camp was a welcome sight.

Our camp through the trees~

After a hot drink & snack, it was time to pack up & head back home, both of us wishing we'd had another day.  The drive back started out beautiful with incredible views of the Cascades as we were leaving the island.  A few miles south of Mt. Vernon though - we drove right into a heavy, dark cloud of dense fog.  Speeds dropped from 70 to 50 mph. in less than a mile.  The rest of the drive home was slower & it was a relief to see the lights of home!

We're already making reservations for more camping & planning trips with both the girls & their families this summer :-)

Camping, Hiking, Fun! - Day 1

First days hike - 4.8-mi.

It had been years & years since we'd just gone "camping".  When the girls were little & we managed residential multifamily - our only inexpensive escape was camping!  Since we were on-call full time, we had two, three-day weekends a month for our get-a-ways.  Our little Apache camping trailer saw lots & lots of miles over the years until we moved to the Homestead.  The girls were grown, we bought horses & life changed!  Now it seems to be changing again as we transition from our competitive years to enjoying more varied pursuits.

Great Blue Heron

 We were more than ready to get-away from the cold freezing temperatures, fog & gray.  Years ago we discovered that the weather on Whidbey Island can be very different & I'd made reservations at the only camp that is now kept open in the winter.

The dogs accompanied us.  These two have never had formal obedience training, so the first few miles were more about dog training than anything else!  Butch took Rascal's lead - he was the worst!  Nika liked to pull, but finally figured out that only one of us could be in front!  :-)  At Cornet Bay we were thrilled to see this Blue Heron.  The first I've ever managed to get a photo of!  He was quite a distance down the beach from us, but the zoom brought him in close.

Sat. started out cold & hazy, but the sun began burning through & it was much warmer than what we'd left at home!

Rascal & Nika

By the time we had our lunch break, the sun was already getting lower in the sky to the west.

Deception Pass from the South end of the Bridge

We made really good time on the trip back.  One big climb where we felt the burn, then a nice wide forested path on the return.

From the Cornet Bay youth camp

Back at Cornet Bay, we enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine.   The day was starting to cool down, Butch built a fire & we had somemores after dinner!

Ice Chunks~

Frozen & rock hard~

The water wasn't flowing over the trail anymore, but things had frozen up even more so than they were two-days ago.  It was worse than I'd expected - a slippy slide.

Farah loves this bunch grass~

 We had no choice but to go much easier.  I decided to use the Mylar Combo bit again & what a difference!  I had her attention, the battle stopped & I was back in full control.  You know, we've all heard it - "the bit for the job".   

Out on the power lines~

 It was a beautiful afternoon!  The sun actually felt warm on my back!  The ice on the ponds was gaining in thickness!

Back in the Woods~

 It looked like Winter in some places!  Here again is where we usually go fast, but not this day!

Ice Chunks!

 Ice chunks had fallen from the trees.  In the short time each day that it "warms-up" - the frozen snow/sleet falls off the branches, then stays frozen on the ground!  Little crystals reflecting the light~

Along our trail~

 It looked beautiful, sounded crunchy - but was no fun riding on, with Farah slipping almost every step.  

Mt. Pilchuck

 By the time we were back out, I was glad to call it a day's ride.  Doubt I'll go out again until it actually does warm-up.  With all the hours of cold that the ground has to continue to freeze, I can't see it getting any better - for at least a few days.  Farah was extremely disappointed that I didn't let her do our usual gallops!