This camping area is a short distance from our house, less than a half hour drive. We trailer here for day rides but this weekend we met with several of our riding buddies to camp and enjoy the trails together.
I love this area. Temperatures soared near 100 degrees in the central Valley, were in the 80s at our house but it felt much cooler and more comfortable here in the tall trees. We set up our tents, settled the horses in, set up the camp kitchen and went for a couple of very pleasant trail rides.
The 'boys' saddling up for our ride. At this campground we 'high-line' the horses and mules to keep them from wandering away. Ropes are stretched from tree to tree, the animals are tied with a lead rope just long enough for them to reach the ground to munch their hay, they can move around a bit, and are quite content. It was Millie's first camp outing, her first time being high-lined and she was a perfect lady the entire time.Jerry made dutch-oven biscuits, gravy, sausage and hot, strong camp-fire coffee for breakfast.
We washed dishes, saddled up, and were on the trail by 10 am.
Hey there Amy, hurry and get that lunch out of those saddle bags so we can eat! Amy rides Remington with a cool Australian saddle, more comfy than a western or huntseat saddle on the long trail rides.
Our trusty mounts are tied while we break for lunch. Pistol, in the foreground, was my ride for the weekend. The second mule is our little Millie, Jerry's trail partner this trip. In the background is Rock, my mare, who was ridden by Tristan all weekend. Tristan usually rides Cheyenne who stayed home with a sore hoof and the colt Wrangler stayed home to keet him company. I drove home from the campground to feed and check on them, the dogs and the cats.A few years ago, I thought mules were fine as pack animals but swore I'd never ride one . Now I have to admit that I am quite fond of them and enjoy the ride. The difference between riding a horse and a mule can be compared to riding in a luxury automobile versus a 4-wheel drive diesel truck.
I enjoyed our first campout of the season but was glad to get home, take a cool refreshing shower, and relax.
Now we have lots of projects to complete around home to prepare for our big Cowboy Memorial Weekend Party here.......
more about that later, I am off to bed.
4 comments:
Sounds like the weather, and the temperature, was PERFECT! Looks like so much fun. I love Amy's saddle and I'm glad it's working well for her. I keep trying to convince Robert that an Aussie saddle would be perfect for him...not as uncomfortable as a Western saddle (his saddle SUCKS, even with the cushy tush pad on the seat), not as "barely there" as an English saddle. I guess I just need to take him up to the tack shop and let him sit in a few.
P.S. I KNEW you'd enjoy riding a mule!
Looks like a great place for trail ride, so pretty and those big trees make it look like it would be cooler there. Would love to trail ride there, IF I could get on a horse again.
you sure do know how to have a good time. hope some day to join you.
ps send me your address again I want to send you something don't worry it's not irises you said you had plenty. What colors do you have?
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