Jerry and I decided to spend the last three days of 2011 doing one of the things we most enjoy. Not snow skiing, there is NO snow. The weather had been dry and clear all of December, perfect for camping and riding. We hauled two of our horses north three hours to Oroville where there is a nice Equestrian Campgrounds near the reservoir. Although it is winter and the leaves are fallen from most of the Oak trees, the Live Oaks and pines lend a bit of green to the hills. The camp was empty, we had our choice of sites. This place is usually best in the spring, by May the temperatures can reach the 100s, been there, done that. Fall can be nice but very dusty, winter is usually very wet with muddy, slick trails. This December weekend was good.

We rode the trails each of the three days we were there. The first two days were cloudy and very chilly, nice riding weather. There had been just enough previous rain to keep the dust down. Both horses were eager to go. That is my view of the world atop 'Rock'.

We rode from late afternoon until sunset on day one.

Day two was overcast and cool. From sections of the trail, the resevoir can be glimpsed. It's at it's winter's low mark, but there were still plenty of boats out there, big ones. The trail meanders through the foothills; woods, meadows, creeks and the lake.

A nice clear stream to drink from.

This pleasant rest area is halfway on one of the trail loops. We didn't stop to picnic but I did get the travel journal out of the mailbox and jot a message that we had been there. I always enjoy reading what the other riders and hikers have written.

Of the three days riding, the last day was the best. Still chilly but the sun shining brightly and a clear blue sky. We rode a couple of hours before packing up camp and heading home.

This is NOT the camp we packed up that last day of 2011. This camp that Jerry and I had set up in the Colorado wilderness in 2006 illustrates how I most love to camp. Roughing it, an outdoor campfire to cook over, close to nature. In 2000 - 2001, I spent almost a year traveling and camping across the USA with a dog, a horse, a truck, a horse trailer and my tent. A great adventure. Several months ago, Jerry and I began discussing taking a month long vacation this summer, traveling through the western states with a horse and mule each. I was imaging trailering to different wilderness areas, 'packing in' our camp supplies on the mules, you know 'roughing it'.

Well surprise, surprise, surprise....... This is how the ol' cowboy of mine pictures traveling across the USA. Gag...... pampered.

Our new traveling hotel. Four horse stalls in back and in front the human's living quarters complete with shower, toilet, kitchen, couch, table, microwave, surround sound stereo, television, air conditioning, heat, bed with mattress, running hot and cold water...... CAMPING???? Who kidnapped my mule-skinner, cowboy, macho-man husband? I want him back!!!

There he is riding away with crazy cowdog Cort. This man who dragged me up the mountains in November after our first (and last so far) snow to ride horses in the freezing cold has morphed into a luxury seeking camper. I am bewildered. I am planning to bring my tent and bedroll along on our trip and pray it doesn't rain much. I guess if he wants to cook in that indoor kitchen, I'll still eat his meals. Maybe I'll even use that shower, if I have to.

Happy Trails however you travel them!

Point Reyes, Part 1, Ride to the Coast

Ten days ago we loaded up two horses and headed to Point Reyes, on the coast, north of San Francisco. Hot and dry at home, the weather predicted rain along the coast and coastal range for the weekend. There, on the windshield, our first raindrops since spring. The drive was nice and I was hoping that the rain wouldn't ruin our trip.

We arrived at the campground safe and sound, quickly set up camp, saddled up the horses and hit the trails with some friends who had been there for a few days already. It was very foggy and damp in the forest, so refreshing!

The trails were bordered by lush green trees, bushes and ferns. It smelled so good!

Back at camp, the horses are napping on the high-line. A group of our friends had been there for several days already. We all enjoyed a pot luck dinner and a surprise birthday cake for one gal. Jerry had made his delicious cherry cobbler which everyone always gobbles up. The group warned us about the persistent raccoons hanging about the campground, scavenging any bit of food left unsecured. One couple had stashed all of their food in coolers in the bed of their pickup truck the first night, only to find all of their food eaten or destroyed in the morning by those pesky coons.

We kept all of our food and horse feed locked up in the horse trailer. But in the morning we found raccoon prints all over the hood of our truck.

The second day was rainy enough for slickers, it was more of a fine mist and it was deliciously cool! We took an easy trail along the foot of the mountains, mostly flat, some wooded areas, and we had to ride through several cattle pastures with lots of momma cows and new baby calves. Not many pictures, my lens was wet and the pictures were awfully splotchy.

On the way back we stopped to watch this fella browse along the trail. Then he decided to mosey along ahead of us for quite a distance before he turned and disappeared into the thick underbrush.
After returning to camp, the others in our group packed up camp and went home. They all had previously ridden the trail over the mountains and to the coast before we arrived, it rained the day they rode to the beach.

We woke Monday to a beautiful day! After eating breakfast and packing our saddlebags with a lunch, we headed out. The trails are nice and well manicured, no dust, lots of green and even flowers still in bloom. So many wonderful trees, many of the large ones were Douglas Firs, and numerous Bay Laurel trees with that wonderful bay scent.

This is the view I had of Jerry and Cheyenne for most of the ride. Cheyenne was eager to be walking out at quite a clip while my mare and I were happy to quietly stroll along the paths.

We would catch up with the boys for some yummy green grassy snack breaks. But notice old Cheyenne, he is looking ahead wanting to be on the move again.

Some stretches of trail in this rain forest area were still wet and muddy, we did some slip sliding around on the steeper slopes. Lots of climbing uphill on the way to the ocean.

We loved these trails, cool wet and refreshing. Not humid at all. And No Dusty Trails!

to be continued.......

Point Reyes, California Part 2

The way was very well marked and there is a very large network of trails in this park. Hikers, bikers and equestrians with no motorized vehicles allowed. Many of the trails are for horses and bicycles only. We started at the Five Brooks Trail Head 6.0 miles ago and at this point it was 0.7 miles to get to Wildcat Camp on the beach.

The trail is drying out, the trees are further apart and the sunshine was streaming through.

We've reached the summit of our climb through the wet rain forest surroundings, and catch our first glimpse of the ocean. The narrow, slick-with-mud, steep trails were now behind us. I was giddy with anticipation......

We frequently dismount on rides to give the horses a break, especially on the steeper down hill trails. The horses seem to enjoy it and we get to stretch out our tired limbs and rest that part that sits on the hard leather seat. This was long, tough ride and we all appreciated the breaks.

Just zooming in on the coast ahead and below. My focus and settings aren't that great on the trails, most of the time it's get out the camera and shoot fast while my mare is walking along.

Cheyenne kept wanting to look out to sea, his mane blowing and his nostrils flaring. The blues were incredible but I haven't taken the time to adjust the color on this picture.

The remainder of the ride to the coast is along this two track dirt road. There is a camping site next to the beach that folks can hike into and the road is used by the Rangers to service the outhouses and check the campground daily. The road runs the entire way but it is a much more scenic route to ride or hike the trails.

Steep switch backs take us lower quickly. It is dry and windy, and the vegetation is completely different on this furthest west slope of these coastal mountains

Here we are, finally at sea level. It was lovely.

One last bit of narrow, steep path, just a few steps from the sand and the Pacific Ocean.



To be continued............

Point Reyes, California, Part 3, The Pacific Coast

We made it! Tracks tell that we weren't the first riders on the beach that afternoon.

Our destination, the Pacific Coast. The waves were high, the wind blowing and the roar of the surf constant. Both horses were on high alert.

First close-up look at the big noisy ocean.



Once she figured out the waves weren't attacking, she focused her attention on the globs of kelp littering the sand.







As we s l o w l y walked aong the beach, my mare kept watch between the waves, the kelp and the small rocks that tumbled down the cliffs beside us. Horses point their ears in the direction of their interest, her ears were spinning like little wind mills. I did not take bunches of pictures, there was the greater need to use all of my skill to keep my hot, red-headed, firecracker of a horse between my legs!

It was a great time.
I think I need to return to this sweet place.

HAPPY TRAILS!

Rendezvous

Jerry and I are members of the Backcountry Horsemen of California (BCHC). The purpose of the organization, in part, "shall be to perpetuate the common sense use and enjoyment of horses in America's backcountry and wilderness". The group is made up of regional 'units' involved in education, service, and the love of the backcountry. The yearly state Rendezvous combines classes, training, contests, clinics and competitions all in one busy weekend in March.
We made it our first camp out of the year, packed up our tepee tent, grub, some clothes and headed to Merced.

Jerry enjoys being camp cook and that's fine by me. He gets up first to get the fire going, and by the time I crawl out of my bedroll; hot, strong, camp coffee and a hot breakfast are ready.

The last time we went to rendezvous, we took our horses and entered a few contests. We decided to go without animals this trip. I had forgotten how much simpler camping is without having a string of horses to care for, I enjoyed it.

We both entered some of our photographs in the Western Art Show. Amateurs, we enjoy photography and take a lot of pictures. Three years ago, Jerry entered one of his photos and was awarded a third place. This year he entered one photo and ........ drum roll please....

He was awarded FIRST PLACE in the photography division. Yeehaw.

and......

I earned a THIRD. woo hoo!

and......

also an honorable mention.

Just in case you were wondering, yes there were more than our few photos entered. If you can see the little green sticker on my black and white, you'll see entries already numbered in the 30s when we brought our pictures in.

It was not our typical camp out, our little camp was squeezed between campers at the Fairgrounds. We were in a perfect spot to watch the Trail Trial Classes in the Arena.

There were groups competing in the Dutch Oven Cook Off. It sure smelled good out there.

These very cool Iron Mules were used to teach packing techniques. Jerry hung out here a bunch, sharing yarns with the 'old timers', learning a new knot or two, and sharing a few tips of his own.

We both completed enough 'Gentle Use' classes to earn our first pin. There were great classes and awesome speakers. The core classes I took included, Gentle on the Trail - with Campsites - Concepts - Stock Management - With Plants and Animals. Mostly common sense stuff but with so many more people enjoying the backcountry, we feel it is so important to be very gentle on the land so it can be enjoyed for generations to come. We learned camping concepts as kids in my family; don't pick the flowers, leave things cleaner than when you arrived, no littering and pick up other's litter, a big thanks to my Mom and Dad.

It was a fun weekend. We came home and Tristan had a new Science Project from his teacher.... find, pick and identify 50 California Wildflowers. yep, that's true, pick 50 wild flowers... we discussed gentle use of wild plants and I loaned him my digital camera to capture images instead. I offered to write a nice letter to his teacher, he passed on that.

Enjoy your trails, but please don't pick the Wild Flowers.

Camping in the Woods

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.

On this ride I neglected to take any pictures of our actual trail riding. I was too busy steering the mule.....

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.