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
I had the opportunity to ride with my good buddies, Cathy and Traci, at San Felasco Hammock Preserve in Alachua County yesterday. I absolutely love these trails as they are the closest place around with such a variety of trails with rolling hills and creeks. We share the park with cyclists and they are all so polite....they either stop or announce theirselves so that our horses aren't spooked.
We saw a big ole rattler on one trail and a cottonmouth on another. The rattler was quietly sunning himself about 3 ft off of the trail. Later in the day, we stirred up several deer.
At one point, Cathy had a little hitchhiker on her helmet. Don't worry, no tree frogs were harmed in the making of this blog post. Of course her horse Busta went down in the water .... AGAIN.....
San Felasco is very beautiful....I wish they allowed overnight camping. It makes for a long day with a 1-1/2 hour drive out there, a 4-1/2 hour ride and then another 1-1/2 hour drive home. It's still well worth it!
Friday evening, my good friend Charlotte came over for dinner and we had a grand time catching up on each others lives. She doesn't ride anymore since her gelding died last year, but if she's ever ready, she knows that she can come with me anytime.
We had a great meal that my husband Bobby prepared and then chatted for hours. She was so sweet to bring me flowers!
Today, Bobby, Mom and I drove to Gainesville to celebrate my Mother in law's 78th birthday. We had a great visit and a yummy lunch. We stopped by my daughter's place in Melrose on the way home.
Here are the rest of the pictures of the weekend..... PHOTOS (I'll add Traci's photos tomorrow)
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 Farmsfor 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 thephotosthat my friends and I took during the weekend.
My daughter Jenny just turned 27 and we had a nice family get together for her last weekend. We enjoyed low country boil and cold beer. (of course there was iced tea as well). Jenny and her boyfriend Joel were there of course, along with me, Bobby, my sister Robbin, her husband Tim, their son JT, Mom and my good friend Cathy. She was the chef extraordinaire for our shindig. You can more photos of the day HERE.
Jen and I had a good mother daughter ride the day before and although the day was smokin' hot, we had a good ride and hung out to watch a Mounted Police/Posse challenge.
Jenny captured this touching photo of a police officer and his daughter and below you can see him making his run.
My two new foster cats are doing well, but my favorite little cat that I took in last year has been missing for a whole week. I saw him the day of the party, but he never greeted me Monday morning. I knew he would hide from all the people, but he usually shows right back up. He is my Siamese mix who acts like a dog. He runs and plays with the dogs and follows me back and forth to the horse pen when I feed up. I sure do miss him and hope he shows back up. Hope you are okay, Sammy.
This past Saturday, Cathy and I met our friend Traci and a new group she's riding with for a poker ride at one of our favorite places nearby - Black Creek Ravines. It was a nice day - not too hot - and we got to meet some new friends. There were 3 Freisians in the group....I've never seen 3 Freisians together on a trail ride before. They were lovely and powerful looking. Maybe you can see the pictures that were taken HERE. (these were taken by someone else and are on a Kodak online account)
Bobby and I had a very busy weekend. I took my Friday off and spent most of the day working in the horse pen, picking up poop, spreading it in the yard and trying to get the pen leveled out so we can use it to ride in as well. I've taken down the round pen and am using the panels as fencing. I rode each horse bareback for a little while just for fun. Although they all look fat and happy, Stylin's back bone was not feeling very good to my cheekies so I think I'll be bumping up her feed just a little.
Bobby and I spent all day Saturday at Emmaustraining and then this morning we had to go into church very early to help greet and show people around during our Consecration Service for the new community family life center that was recently completed.
After church, a friend from work brought me two new cats - a mother and one kitten - we'll probably keep the mom, have her spayed and try to find a home for the kitten. She had taken in the stray female and discovered after the fact that she was pregnant. Then another friend brought me a load of hay. We unloaded 50 bales and now have a good connection for hay through the winter. In between all of that, I've done 4 loads of clothes as well. I'm a little "wo" out.
I've recently begun trimming our three horses' hooves . Today was Maybe's turn. I've read Pete Ramey's book and lots and lots on line and purchased a hoof stand to make it a little easier on my back. I am just using a rasp and by doing a horse each weekend, they each will be getting trimmed/cleaned up every three weeks. That's makes it much easier to stay on top of any issues. I'm working on Stylin's toe cracks by making sure her toe is rounded (it used to be kinda squarish) and just started Lysol treatment today. Maybe's front hooves were a little long so I've been backing up her toes and and addressing her flares slowly. Dixie's feet are pretty good as they are and I just have to clean her up and roll her toes. I'm glad my trimmer and I have a good relationship and he always allowed me to watch and ask questions. I'll probably pay him to come out and check out the girls in a couple of months to see how I'm doing.
I couldn't have a post without a picture so I just took a couple of the new cats....they are dark, but you get the idea. Mom is a small black and white short hair and the baby is a calico type color. Mom looks young and is very sweet. We'll get her fattened back up and she may get to stay in the house instead of joining the other barn cats. She'll have to learn to get along with the dogs if she's going to stay inside.
We didn't let the rain stop us from having a fun time on the trails this weekend.
How can you not smile at this cute combination? This is Cory and Beauty. She hung with us on the 3.5 hour ride with probably half of it in the rain. Stayed in the saddle like a champ when her pony spooked and never complained.
Didn't we all dream of having a cute little pony like this?
Cathy was all smiles riding Maybe as well. Her stress free ride on a well mannered horse has given her more determination to put the work in with her horse Busta.
This is what we looked like after the first downpour.....first it was a nice, cool sprinkle, but then it turned into a steady rain. No lightning, so we decided to continue. The rain helped with the bugs and the heat.
The sun came out and held the rain at bay until we were loading our ponies back up in the trailers. We all got totally soaked again!
I am thankful for my sisters although we could not be together this Thanksgiving.
Today, Bobby, Mom and I drove to Gainesville to celebrate my Mother in law's 78th birthday. We had a great visit and a yummy lunch. We stopped by my daughter's place in Melrose on the way home.
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!
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.
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