Number 2

I got to camp again this month....2 in 1 month is stretching my financial plan, but this trip was pretty inexpensive.  I am debt free other than my home, and am in the phase of saving enough cash to cover me for 3 to 6 months.  When I reach that number, then it's to pay off my home and be ready to semi retire in 2014.  Anyway, a few of us decided to camp at McCulley Farms the weekend AFTER their big fall ride.  Good decision!  We had a blast....there were only about 5 other trailers besides our group.  It was like the farm and trails along the Withlacoochie River  and Twin Rivers State Forest belonged to us.  :-)

We got to ride when we wanted, for as long as we wanted, slept in as long as we wanted and ate want we wanted.  We had fun around the campfire.... we played headbands, but ran out of headbands so I put my card in my glasses.

Stylin was still a little off from the previous camping trip so I rode my other mare Dixie.  She is such a a good old gal.  She is still going strong.  We do not have the same easy connection that Stylin and I have, but it was fun to ride her this weekend.

Cathy's horse Busta was still lame as well, so she rode my daughter's mare, Maybe.  She always enjoys little Maybe....she'll go anywhere and do almost anything  you ask of her.

From Friday thru Sunday afternoon....I relaxed and had an awesome time with my friends and horses.

Here are links to all the rest of the photos I took and that Mustang took.  Group 1   Group 2

And a parting video......  you can't see me, but you can hear my southern twang and see my mare's ears.

First Camping Trip of the Season

My riding buds and I went on our first "official" horse camping trip of the fall/winter season.  We were like little kids getting ready to go to summer camp!  This was a place that we had never ridden before and was for a good cause as well.  We went to Rock Springs Run State Reserve for a fundraising trail ride for the Children's Miracle Network.

Although the charity ride was just for Saturday, we went down on Friday to set up camp and scout out the trails.  The camping was primitive (just no electric sites) but they had a nice bath house and a barn for those who got there early enough.  We didn't, but we were able to set up around a nice oak tree and high tie the horses.

It was a 2-1/2 hour drive door to door, so that's not bad at all.  We do that occasionally for a day ride.  The trails were fun...not too much different from those at home, but we did have a little excitement.  I saw my first black bear on the trail.  We've always seen a lot of scat when riding in Central Florida, but never the actual live animal.  Cathy and I had split off from Marilyn and Mustang and were riding a parallel trail where we could just see their heads bobbing above the brush.  We heard Mustang give a squeal and wondered what she had seen or stepped in.  About that time we hear the movement in the brush between us...thinking it was just an armadillo or something small.  The noise continues and the bushes start moving...way bigger than an armadillo.  Now Cathy and I are getting a little nervous because we had seen a lot of hog sign.  We think some pigs are about to crash into the trail so we start hollering "go away.... get back....shooo".  It didn't work, but it did divert the beautiful young black bear from running right into us.  He crossed about 20 feet ahead of us and kept gettin' it across a big field of brush and palmettos.  Our ponies were champs; they didn't even care. It made my whole weekend seeing that critter and made me appreciate what I get to do with my friends and horses even more.  I am truly blessed.

As you can see by the picture above, Cathy rode my other horse Dixie for the weekend because her big guy Busta is still lame.  My 25 yr old Appy is still going strong - I was very proud of her.  She's only been camping twice before.

Here's a bunch of   PICTURES  that Mustang took during the weekend .... enjoy!

Hard Labor Creek State Park Camping Trip

Cathy, Traci, Mike, Marilyn and I spent a week in Rutledge, GA at Hard Labor Creek State Park. We've been talking about going for a couple of years and finally got our schedules right and made it happen.
We left early Saturday morning and made the 6 hour journey up I-75 and then through some country roads for a pretty easy trip. We settled our horses in their stalls and then scrounged the last 3 trailer sites for horse campers. (note to self - next time arrive mid week to get the best sites) The sites were very nice - each was pull through with a gravel area containing a fire pit and picnic table. We didn't try to ride that day and allowed our ponies to acclimate to their new home. We ate some yummy fresh fish and grits cooked up by Cathy for dinner. Campfire time and toddies topped off the first evening.

We got to take our first ride on Sunday morning. We had been forewarned that the trails could be rocky and had some good hills to navigate. I will admit that I was a little scared when we climbed our first steep hill. Stylin learned quickly how to dig in and pay attention where she was putting her feet. I couldn't enjoy the wonderful scenery for the first hour or so; I was concentrating on the trail in front of me so intently. The forest with all the fall colors, hills and the picturesque creeks , once I could relax and enjoy them, where absolutely breathtaking to us flatlanders. We wound up riding 4 hours, stopping to enjoy lunch on the trail. Back at camp, we settled in for a relaxing evening and good eats. Marilyn whipped up a 3 course camp meal for us. Drinks and stories by the campfire rounded out the second evening.

Monday morning was sunny and beautiful (although we heard that tropical storm Ida was going to cause some rain pretty soon) and we took off for another set of trails. We rode for 4-1/2 hours and several of us agreed that it was the most beautiful and interesting trail ride that we had ever been on. Our horses did their best to keep up with Marilyn's seasoned trail mule and all did a great job. All of our steeds were either shod and padded or booted up. We really put our Cavallo Simple Boots to the ultimate test and they held up. Another nice lunch on the trail - this time at a lovely setting by the lake. We were all a lot more comfortable and confident navigating the terrain that day and we had no mishaps. I cooked a simple crockpot dinner and we enjoyed another evening around the campfire.

Ida brought some hard rains around 2 am on Tuesday morning and didn't stop for 28 hours. We were told that the area received around 5 inches total. The campsites were set up to allow runoff so we didn't get flooded out, but we did have a soggy day Tuesday. We trudged around with our rain gear on to take care of the horses and spent some time touring the nearby historical town of Rutledge. We had an awesome breakfast at the local cafe and enjoyed bantering with our server, Ronnie. Nice young man - matter of fact, everyone in town was very friendly. There were several eclectic shops on the main street which we checked out as well. I got some reading time in at our rainy camp and later that evening, after another wonderful meal by Marilyn under a group shelter, we gathered at Mike and Traci's trailer to watch a DVD. We missed having our campfire that night.

Wednesday morning dawned grey and damp, but we were so glad the rain had finally stopped. We knew that the trails would be way too wet and dangerous for us Florida folks and ponies, so we spent the day checking out the neighboring towns and took a hike on one of the Park's nature trails. The rivers and creeks had risen and the water was rushing where it had been meandering before. We checked out a famous restaurant called The Blue Willow Inn in the little town of Social Circle, but didn't wind up eating there. We enjoyed Traci's white chicken chili for dinner and building another campfire.

On Thursday, we knew we had to get another ride in as we would be leaving on Friday. We chose to head back on some of the same trails that rode the first day and hoped to complete the whole loop. Some other riders from Florida joined us on this ride. It was a slippery, slidey, Georgia slick clay mess! The trails were still pretty, but we trooped through some knee deep mud and slippery slopes. The rains had rushed quickly down the hilly trails and made some of them kind of narrow trenches. Our horses would try to walk on the slopey sides of the trail instead of staying directly in the middle which caused Busta to slip and fall twice. Luckily, Cathy didn't get hurt badly, but is sporting a pretty colorful bruise from the second time. Stylin lost her footing on the way down one hill and we almost went all the way down. She scrabbled and caught herself before I had to step off. Whew..... a little nerve racking. We made almost the whole loop and were heading back towards camp when we came up on a washed out bridge! What?? We knew that we were not going to back track, so we followed the creek down a little way until we found a safe place to cross. We all made it back to camp safely and decided what an awesome experience it was. I was so proud of Stylin - she was a champ!

Our last dinner was hamburgers on the grill by Mike and all of our leftovers. We packed up Friday morning and headed home. I'm really glad that we went....... now we'll start thinking of where our big trip will be in 2010.

A side note..... there must have been a grand daddy long legs convention or a wild grand daddy long legs breeding frenzy. We were brushing them off the tables, our ponies, our chairs and ourselves all week !

Here's loads of pictures and a couple of videos taken by me, Traci and Cathy..... PHOTOS

Withlacoochee Fall Trail Ride

My friends and I had a great weekend near Jasper, FL riding along the Withlacoochee River and the Twin Rivers State Park. We went to McCulley Farms for their annual fall ride along with about 200 other like minded folks. We had wonderful cool weather, warm campfires, entertainment and great food to boot!
I got graphics put on my trailer to match our brand while I was there and I really like it. We joined their long guided ride on Saturday with 32 other riders and enjoyed a 4-5 hour ride along the river and sinks. We stopped at a spring along the way for a catered lunch....yum, yum!

Several different groups met up for lunch and then continued on their separate ways to meet back up at the ranch for a tack/yard sale. I was able to sell my Australian saddle in less than 5 minutes of setting it out! It paid for my weekend and my graphics - what a deal!

Due to the major flooding earlier in the year, we passed a refrigerator in one tree and a recliner in another. The McCulleys have a wonderful place and are very gracious hosts - if you ever get a chance, join them for one of their special rides or you can camp quietly any other weekend during the year. There are plenty of trails and you can camp with electricity or primitive.

Here are the rest of the photos that my friends and I took during the weekend.