The "Distance Dream Team" is my dream come true. Wishing horses were back in my life and wanting to learn more I started taking equine classes at SIU, about 15 years ago. That's how I learned about the sport of endurance riding and met my dream horse, a little 3-year-old Arabian mare named Minnatrix (AKA "Minna" then "Trixie"). I was blessed to have her as my assignment in an SIU training class and she taught me much more than I could ever "teach" her. When SIU put her up for sale my heart sank when I knew she was priced too high for us. My loving husband surprised me for Christmas in 2007 when he sold his guitars to buy her for me. Trixie is now 15 and we have been entering AERC endurance rides since 2012. Life brings us our ups and downs, but my once very distant dream has become a distance dream come true.
10.13 miles today. Sunny and in the 50's with light gusts of wind, a beautiful day. After two months in the pasture Trixie has put on some weight in her neck, shoulders, and tummy, so we only got to the 5th hole on the cinch. Her feet were trimmed yesterday, so we kept her bare feet on soft ground as much as possible. Added a little section of Clint's pasture to our usual run down the road to be sure we got 10 miles on soft ground. It worked! Lots of cheap sweat after 2 months as a pasture potato. Washed her off and rubbed her down before she went back to the pasture.
A little humorous comment here on our bio above. Yesterday my husband called me to confess that he could not resist and bought himself a "Taylor" steel string to replace the Martin that he sold to buy Trixie. It wasn't as expensive as the Martin, but it was not cheap either. That's OK, I have my dream and he has his!
10.12 miles today. Overcast, some sprinkles, 49 degrees F, windy. Stayed closer to the road today to avoid sinking in the turf moistened from the rain last night and today. Still only to the 5th cinch hole, but there was a lot less cheap sweat (lather). Worked on keeping my heels down and under my hip with my back straighter (not slouching).
10.02 miles at Cedar Lake with lots of rain and slippery trails. I had to change clothes from my morning ride with Apache before Trixie and I went out to Cedar Lake for some technical work. The temperatures were dropping, so I got my winter rain pants and they were GREAT! I also switched to my heavy yellow poncho in case any hunters were around. We were hoping to do at least 20 miles, but we started too late and we didn't have enough daylight. The hills and rocks slowed us down more than I guessed. I didn't put any boots on her bare feet because the Gloves would not stay in the mud and I don't want to put glue-ons on until we go to Yellowhammer in March. The trails were BEAUTIFUL as always with surprisingly little mud. The rain has brought the water levels up everywhere, so crossing streams was more interesting and the water rushing over the spillway was loud. The person who made the newish trail that I call the "Turtle Trail" knew how to keep it drained, so the footing was GREAT! The rain turned to snow by the time we got back to the barn. So it was about 40 when we went out and about 35 when we got back. It's getting colder still tonight.
To help me keep track (and double-check the LeaderBoard, as requested) I'm going to start putting the year's total mileage in each entry after that day's mileage. As of today (we don't ride on Sunday's) Trixie and I have 30.27 miles and this agrees with the LeaderBoard.
10.25 miles today for a year total of 40.52 miles. It was only 19 degrees with strong gusts of wind when we left to ride down the road, so I tried out my Mom's ski goggles to keep my eyes balls from freezing and it worked GREAT. My Mom was an avid skier back in the 60's, so these are the "bug eye" type that were all the rage back then. My Mom was quite stylish. [My Mom, by the way, passed away last March after I spent three months trying to get her to recover from a surgical procedure gone wrong. I think of her a lot while I ride.] I also wore my balaclava under my helmet in addition to the helmet cover. Since I was covering up my head so well, I only thought it fair to put a fly mask on Trixie to help keep the wind out of her eyes, too. We must have been quite a sight going down the road. Folks in passing vehicles gave me a chuckle in addition to the usual wave. The only complication was the fact that I had left my helmet, with cover, in the tack room after being soaked on Saturday. Since my tack room is not heated everything that was even damp froze and I couldn't get the frozen helmet cover velcro to work. After today's ride I brought everything home to thaw out and dry up before tomorrow. We rode slowly today with just spurts of speed to keep the sweating done to an absolute minimum. Even going slowly, she averaged about 7 mph. I was surprised when I looked at my watch after we got back. She is still doing this all barefoot, so we walk across rocky driveways and ditches. Also, since the ground is frozen solid now, it is a lot rougher on her feet.
THANK YOU! This is lots of fun already. You do great work. I am trying to figure out how to wear my jammies in a pic because I usually wear a nightgown and/or sweat shirt and pants to bed. It's too cold for the nightgown and the sweat pants won't look much like jammies. I may have to purchase some jammie bottoms.
10.18 miles today for a total of 50.70. It was 18 degrees F when we started and I forgot my goggles, so my eyes were awful for the first mile or so. We kept it slow to prevent sweat from freezing and the wind was not as bad as it has been, so that helped. It took about two hours to do those miles, so we averaged only about 5 mph.
10.13 miles today for a total of 60.83. It was 47 F and light rain. Took only about 1.5 hours, so we averaged about 7 mph. The poncho and rain suit under worked well, but was a little warm. The rain stopped all the activity at mile 4, so there was not much to spook about.
10.06 miles today for a total of 70.89. It was about 30 F and my husband joined me on Belle to ride at Cedar Lake. We went slowly and after 8 miles my husband was done, so we tied Belle to the trailer and he waited there while I went and did another loop on the trail to the north of the parking lot. The sun was getting low and I didn't want to leave him waiting so we did those last 2 miles with quite a bit more speed. I think Trixie was glad to be able to run after all that walking.
10.13 miles today for a total of 81.02. It was 7 F today, so we bundled up and walked most of the way. We missed riding yesterday because our furnace died and we spent the day getting that fixed. My left foot started aching from the cold, probably an old frostbite problem. I'd forgotten what it was like to have your face sting until it went numb. I'll post a pic of our cold gear to give you all a chuckle.
10.28 miles today for a total of 91.30. It was 18 F today and gusty at times, but the layers and goggles did a good job keeping it from causing pain. :) The snow is completely gone from the roads except for one stretch right before mile 2. It was almost as if they didn't treat or plow it...strange. We walked a lot to keep the sweat down and we meandered around Clint's pasture a little more to get a little more hill in our ride. This was Trixie's first day out since it snowed and she spooked some, but not that much. And there were no snow plows!
11.19 miles today for a total of 102.49. After lunch it was 33 F and a beautiful sunny day so we went to Cedar Lake to do some more technical work. The trails were mostly covered in snow and the only tracks we saw ahead of us were deer, rabbits and coyote. At one point there were no tracks at all and there was something really beautiful about being the first to trot through the snow on the trail. To avoid being stuck in the dark, we made sure to turn back in time and got a little further down the ''Turtle Trail" this time than in the past. On the way back we came across a woman walking two dogs and a young couple taking two dogs out for a swim in the lake. The trail to the north of the Pomona boat dock road is turning out to be a wonderful addition to this ride. There are still a few places we have to go off trail to get around some fallen trees that are too high for my short horse, but the scenery is really beautiful there along the bottom of the bluffs and the trails are not very worn. We did a fair amount of trotting for the rugged terrain and Trixie did not sweat that much, so conditioning is progressing nicely.
10.38 miles today for a total of 112.87. 39F and overcast with a 50% chance of rain. The rain held off until we were back at the barn and the warmer temperatures were a nice break. We did our usual run down the road with a little more meandering in Clint's pasture and on the way back a little steer desensitizing by Larry's pasture. Larry has some really sweet black angus there now and they were a shock to both horses to see for the first time. Trixie kept up a pretty good trot even hitting 9 mph a couple times, but mostly about 7 with some walking near the scary barn at 4.5 miles, the snow banks at 5 miles and the big dirt pile at about 3.5 miles. The horse in the paddock at 3.5 miles was really happy to see her and trotted alongside us as far as he could. Overall a pretty good ride with some increased energy. Our work is paying off. OH! We made it to the 6th hole ion the cinch!!!!
14.10 miles today for a total of 126.97. 30 F and sunny with a little wind. We decided to add another big hill to our ride by crossing over 127 and riding up toward Etherton. About half way up the hill there was a pit bull guarding its yard, so we crossed the street until we were well past him. He never moved or made a sound, but we didn't want to threaten him. Near the top of the hill a friendly black lab came out to play. He kept running up to us and then running ahead of us trying to entice us to run faster. He picked up another doggy friend a little further up and the two ran along ahead of us until we came to another farm where there was a dog that was more interested in protecting than playing. We kept going until the GPS hit 7 miles to try to make it an raven mile and that happened right about where Old Rock Hollow Road started (or took a 90 degree turn, the road signs were not clear). On the way back the black lab came out to play again and the pit bull was in a new post, but just as quiet and still as before with his eyes glued to us. I can tell that Trixie is getting in better shape because she is picking up a faster trot on her own. After we crossed back over 127, we came up behind an Amish buggy walking up the steep hill. We usually trot up that hill and I didn't want to spook the horse, so we went way off to the side in a large grassy area to pass. The guy in the buggy must have thought we were challenging him because he picked up a trot and was catching up to us. Trixie started to spook at a roadside rock, so we stopped and let them pass. As they passed they suddenly sped up and took off in a marvelously fast trot with those beautiful long legs and they vanished around the corner pretty quickly as Trixie spooked at the scary barn and then a cardboard box. They did excite Trixie and her racing spirit came back for the rest of the ride. She actually got up to a 12 mph trot as we got closer to home. Considering all the trotting, she was not as sweaty as I expected. She had one blob of lather on her cheek piece, which was probably from the Amish excitement. A fun rides today.
14.19 miles today for a total of 141.16. 27 F and sunny when we went out, but it warmed up to about 40 by the time we got back. We left a little earlier than usual and we didn't run into the dogs on Etherton Rd until the way back. They must have been inside. We worked a little on the scary cardboard boxes on the roadside and the culvert/curb/drain that seems to be predatory. We also started going in a circle in Clint's pasture around the stand of trees where he has a deer stand. The deer have cut out some pretty little trails through the grass there and across a stream in a ditch. The ditch was pretty steep, so we didn't attempt to cross. That's for another day. Trixie remains at the 6th cinch hole, but we have less padding in her saddle pad and her neck still has some crust.
16.06 miles today for a total of 157.22. About 60 F! We started our ride with Ella and Megan in the driveway and the adjacent pastures. They are registering for the GDD using Belle and Apache so we all took our jammie pictures and then rode 2 miles in our jammies. After they left I did my usual ride down the road into Etherton. Since we already had 2 miles, we just rode until the GPS showed over 9 miles and then turned around. It was a beautiful sunny and crazy warm day. The wind kept us cool. I've noticed that it takes Trixie 2.5 hours to do the 14 miles stretch and it almost always takes her about 1.5 hours to go out and only 1 hour to get back. Amazing what the way home does to a horse!
10.13 miles today for a total of 167.35. About 35 F and cloudy. First day back in the saddle since my stint in the hospital and Tori came with me riding Apache. Tori is going to help me keep up Apache's miles on Thursdays and Saturdays, so that is really nice. We lost a lot of ground in February, though, so the horses were both rather slow on the way out.
14.08 miles today for a total of 181.43. About 35-40 F cloudy until the end when the sun came out. We rode to Etherton today for the first time since my hospital stay. Trixie seemed really sluggish. Not sure if it was her February break or just her temperament.
13.27 miles today for a total of 194.7. In the 50's and sunny until the sun went down. We rode to Etherton and when we got to the top of the big hill we ran into Jill and Claire riding by a farm I pass by. They invited me to join them on the trails in the woods behind the farm and so we got some really good technical hills in, but not quite as many miles. They were riding slower than we usually ride and I had to skedaddle to get back to our barn before dark. It was really nice to ride with someone else for a change. The new trail and horses gave Trixie a little energy boost, which was a great relief.
15.21 miles today for a total of 209.91. Nice sunny day in the 40's. We rode further down the Rocky Hollow Road today to try to add the mile we missed last Saturday. Trixie kept a better pace than her usual desire to walk/plod and we finished in a little over 2 hours.
10.24 miles today for a total of 220.15. Rainy and in the 30's F. I rode Trixie and Tori rode Apache with us and we kept up the pace to about 7-10 mph so Tori could get back to her class on time. We tried to get Apache to pass Trixie to pick up more speed, but Apache did not dare pass Trixie. The horses could have done the extra 5 miles, but Tori did not have time. It's great having Tori help get more miles on Apache and she is an awesome rider.
15.15 miles today for a total of 235.30. Cloudy and in the 30's F. Long slow ride today. Trixie was bored and slow. The Etherton hill is still a good addition.
Got back from Yellowhammer Endurance Ride about 9 PM last night and although we did not get an endurance completion (rider option) we did cover some miles on Thursday 3/17 (30.11 miles) and again on Saturday with Molly riding Apache 3/19 (13.47 miles) to give us a grand total of 278.88.
8.12 miles today for a total of 287. Rode the first two miles with Ella on Apache and Megan on Belle all at the walk. It was a nice start for her first time out since Yellowhammer. We were also trying out our new Wintec Pro Endurance saddle. After Ella and Megan left we did the next 3 miles down the road at a moderate jog (6-7 mph) and then we sprinted home (10-13 mph). Her HR was 52 when I dismounted. That's my Trixie. I'm not sure if the new saddle is right. She had sweat in the front and the back of the saddle area, but was dry in the middle where I sit.
1.7 miles today for a total of 288.7. Rode Trixie with Ella and Megan on Apache and Belle around in the barnyard. My back was sore after a while, so I decided not to ride down the road. I got the gullet changed in my Wintec saddle, fixed the electric fence where the deer tore it up, anmd washed out the water trough instead. Hopefully I'll be able to ride Trixie Monday while Apache is resting for the Rock Bridge Canyon ride.
7.20 miles today for a total of 295.9. I tried to enter this earlier this evening, but for some reason it didn't publish. We are getting ready for the Indy Run and trying to use a Stonewall on trial. Unfortunately the cinch I got was too long, so I had to use the wintec today. She kept up a nice 9-10 mph sprint without much encouragement. It was nice to feel her energy.
7.42 miles today for a total of 303.32. Finally got the right cinch to be able to try out the Stonewall Cliffer on trial. It took a while to rig it since it has stirrup loops instead of hooks--had take apart stirrup assembly down to straps. I shortened them by two holes and I think they could have gone shorter still. We were shooting for a 5 mile sprint down the road, but Trixie slowed a lot so we added on a couple miles. The sweat pattern looked dryer in the middle than the ends...not sure what that means. Also, since there is nothing in front on this saddle, there was nothing to help me stay put when Trixie spooked at things and slammed on the brakes. The seat is on the small side, which isn't a propblem, except tend to slide into the rise more and that may prove painful after more than 7 miles. We'll see.
13.62 miles today for a total of 316.94. Went to Johnson Creek for some hill work and used the Stonewall Cliffer on trial to see how it was on hills. It didn't stay even on Trixie's back and it wasn't a secure ride going down steep hills, so I am going to return it. Trixie didn't have much energy today and I'm wondering if the problem is the saddle. She started acting like this when I started using the Stonewall. I could be that it is uncomfortable and so she doesn't want to exert herself.
Just got back from a week at the Hoosier Horse Camp and the Indy Run. On 5/14/16 we did the 50 mile ride and clocked 48.26 miles on our GPS for a total of 365.20 total. We took it easy to be sure Trixie would get a completion and ended up going out late on every hold except the last one and got 11th place. It was a great ride!
5.95 conditioning miles today for a total of 371.15 miles. It was 93 F when we went out, so we did our short loop and even that put lather on Trixie's chest. We went 8-12 mph, so it was still a good workout.
1.98 miles today for a total of 373.13 miles. Just rode Trixie over to my Dad's place for Afton's birthday party for pony rides. Cedar rode Apache. Trixie was spooked by the crosswalks the most but a lot of other things along the way. We didn't get all the way to the water, so we'll have to try that another day.
5.92 miles today for a total of 379.05 miles. We had a goal of riding out to Angelica Point, my former thinking place. My Dad wanted us to go by his house first, so we did. Apache went crazy when we left, but the neighbors were nice about all the screaming. Today the scariest thing seemed to be rock. That's a problem here because there are a lot of stone walls and stones set along property lines and stones used for landscaping and cobblestone driveways. The green crosswalks were only mildly scary. The beach was scary because the water kept jumping at her, but she was very good about doing what I asked. Unfortunately it was high tide when we were at Angelica and the wind died down, so we got mobbed by mosquitoes, but I think I got a good picture. I'll see if I can figure out how to get it here on this blog. While between Angelica and Strawberry Points we got into a patch of bog that had Trixie almost up to her belly, which was scary for me too, but she got through it fine. A beautiful beach seashore ride!
8.24 miles today for a total of 387.29. It started out cool (60 F) and partly cloudy with some really dark clouds, but the clouds cleared away as time went on and we never needed the rain suit we packed. Today our goal was to figure out the trails across the street on the Mattapoisett Land Trust. Last night we went to their website and discovered that the trail system we were looking for was actually called the Old Aucoot District and we downloaded the map they had here: http://www.mattlandtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Old_Aucoot-revised.pdf With the map we found our way to Point Connett through the woods. It took quite a bit longer, but it was a nice walk through the woods. Not much trotting is possible with all the stones, stone walls, roots, and bogs, but it was a lovely day and we enjoyed the ride. We crossed over the two streams that drain the cranberry bogs on the other side of route 6, but they were both dry. On Point Connett we stopped to say hello to my Dad first, then we went to the beach and with much reluctance and a lot of coaxing Trixie FINALLY went out into the water beyond the emerging sandbars. It was about half tide, so they were only partly out, but she did not like the waves the wind was producing, especially when they crested over near her. Now our waves on Point Connett are pretty small, being a protected cove in Buzzards Bay, but they were still scary to a horse from the midwest. Next we went to Angelica Point cove which is even more protected and the tide was further out with lots of nice big sandbars. These sandbars did not bother her and she easily ventured out into the water chasing seagulls. WE were delighted to see a two-shell scallop on the sandbar because they have been gone for some time after the oil spill in 1985. We also saw lots of horseshoe crabs. On the way home we dropped by my Dad's to borrow some clippers to help clear a bypass around a fallen tree on the trail back home. We got that cleared pretty well, so next time it should go more smoothly. A wonderful ride!
6.45 miles today for a total of 393.74. Again it was cold at first (60's) and then warmed up (70's). Diane rode with me today and she rode Apache. Wee went by the Land Trust Trails to Point Connett and started down Cove Road to Angelica but saw that it was a very high tide (spring tides) and the gravel on the road was hurting Trixie's newly trimmed feet. So we went by my Dad's place and then to Sandy Beach where we found only a very light breeze producing very tiny, mild waves. We got both horses to stand in the water after much coaxing and eventually they stood calmly. Tribe tried to eat some seaweed, but changed her mind. Apache kept trying to drink the water and then eventually just settled to splash. A couple times we though she would lie down, but Diane was able to keep her on her feet. Then we started back and as soon as we were on the trail Caeli called to meet us at the trail head for the kids to sit on the horses. It was really nice to ride with Diane. I hope in some way it paid her back a little for letting us keep the horses there.
7.42 miles today for a total of 401.16. It was a beautiful sunny day that was forecasted to get up to 80 F, so we left for a ride in the late morning, exploring more of the Mattapoisett Land Trust trails. It was high tide when we got to Point Connett, so we just hung out with my Dad for a bit and then waded in the waves on the beach, talking to Margo and Dom. After the rain, the trails are a lot boggier by the Buckly bridge, but nothing we haven't dealt with before. At one point we heard another horse neigh and Trixie got very excited, answering and picking up a trot, but we found no other horse. We did discover some nice grass mowed trails around Grace Pond. They are great for trotting. We'll go back there again.
8.26 miles today for a total of 409.42. We explored some more in the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) and went to visit Polly Henshaw by the trail that ends at her farm. Polly wasn't there, but Trish Carlson was and we chatted a bit before we went on our way, completing the investigation of the upper loop called the "Hiller Trail" by route 6 and "Coleen's Trail" where it connects to the lower loop by the Henshaw's "Dead End" trail. We didn't have clippers today, and every where we went had already been cleared by me or by previous riders, so we moved along quite a bit faster. There was a beautiful stone wall that went along the property that borders the east side of the MLT behind Angelica Avenue by Crescent Beach. It was as high as 5 or six feet in some places and the moss and lichen indicated that it had been there a very long time. When we came out onto Angelica Ave on Point Connett Merry and Ralph were out walking to my Dad's house, so we walked along with them and visited with my Dad a bit until they all went in the house and Trixie and I headed to the beach for surf training. It didn't take very long to get her to go in past the surf and then we walked down the beach in knee deep water. After a bit of that we went back to the house and got her some carrots and then headed back to the MLT trails and to their barn. It was partly cloudy and in the 60's F.
8.64 miles today for a total of 418.06. We used the MLT Trails to take us to Hollywoods and then Pieces Point and across Sandy Beach to Point Connett. We got a little mixed up in the Hollywoods area, taking a street too soon, but we figured it out and happened to see the front of the sprawling red farm house by Grace Pond and that it was for sale and it included some horse pastures across the road with a water spicket. When we got to Sandy Beach, it was low tide, so we walked around on the sandbars in front of my Dad's house for a while and then we went to the house and my Dad gave me my sandwich I had waiting in the frig. While he was getting it, he asked me to get the mail, so we got it and delivered it to him on his steps (by pony express). On the way back by the MLT trails we tried to figure out the main loop a little better and marked where the northern side comes into the Hiller trail. Then we looped around it again in the opposite direction just to be sure we got it right and we came up behind Polly Henshaw walking her dogs. We had a nice chat with her and she told me that she was the one who created those trails nad maintained them for many years. She was greatly relieved when the MLT took them over. So YEAH I finally met Polly! We were trying to trot on that loop and Trixie is definitely out of condition, and the rocks and roots did not help, but she did it.
11.23 miles today for a total of 429.29. On the MLT trails we used the "loop" as our trotting ground and then again on the mowed trails over by Grace Pond and Bowman Road. That way we covered a lot more ground in our ~3 hour venture. The "loop" is a little over 1 mile and it is about 1 mile from where the Hiller trail leaves the loop (by route 6) to Grace Pond. The Grace Pond paths are about 1/2 mile and then it is almost 2 miles from Grace Pond to my Dad's house on Point Connett via the "South Trail". So if we do 3 loops and the Grace Pond paths twice, with all the other deviations we make exploring trails, roaming around on my Dad's lawn while eating lunch, and sandbar roaming we can hit 10 miles (our goal). Today we went down to Polly's on the "Dead End Trail" and then just as we were about to head back on the Prospect Road connector, we saw another trail that needed investigating. It took us back to Polly's more directly, but into a maze of trails all around the woods behind Polly's farm. It was very windy and about 60 F and cloudy. I was wishing I had my second jacket when we got out of the woods and on the seashore on Point Connett.
8.22 miles today for a total of 437.51. It was a rainy day in the upper 50's F so with our poncho donned we headed out to the MLT trails. The gals who were suppose to ride with us today decided it was too wet and so we were solo as usual. The first creek crossing that is usually dry had rushing water on it so we were guessing the bog would be pretty bad. We headed off to the Buckly bridge to check it out and the creek there was overflowing, so we turned back and stayed on the higher ground trails. We checked out a couple side trails to break up the monotony, but pretty much stayed on "the loop" once we got off the Hiller trail that takes you to Buckley bridge. Tribe stumbled a few times, so I decided it was time to trim her feet to give her a better breakover. We'll see if it works next week!
11.23 miles today for a total of 448.74. It started out sunny and in the 60's and ended up cloudy and in the 50's, pretty windy, especially on Point Connett. Used the MLT trails that we cleared the day before with Apache, going around the Grace Pond mowed paths a couple times to get some trotting in. Trixie's feet were pretty tender from her trim on Saturday, so she stumbled a lot and we had to go slow in most places. When we got to Point Connett she really didn't like it, so we stayed on the grass and sand. The tide was too high to get to any sandbars, so we just walked in the sandy part of the beach and a little in the water where we could see there were no rocks. It must be snake season because we saw a couple snakes today, too.
10.38 miles today for a total of 459.12. A beautiful sunny day today in the upper 60's. We used the MLT trails to go to Hollywoods and then to Pieces Point and then across Sandy Beach to Point Connet. After chatting with my Dad and our neighbors, Margo and Ruth, we went back by the MLT trails. Each direction we trotted around the paths by Grace Pond and we went around the main "loop" a couple times to get to 10 miles.
10.52 miles today for a total of 469.64. A cool sunny day in the 40's - 50's. We rode the MLT trails to Buckley bridge where the water was high (it rained all day Sunday), so we decided to turn back and do the loop trails and avoid the bog. We got our 10 miles in by circling the loop and using a lot of the cut through trails. We took a nice photo of the water at Buckley bridge and also some coral fungus that sprouts up after it rains. I wish there was a way to post photos here. Maybe there is and I just don't know how. Trixie still has tender feet and I'm beginning to wonder if it is the soft pasture she lives on.
10.36 miles today for a total of 480.00. WOW we could not have come out with an even number like that if we tried. It started out cool and cloudy and then got warmer and sunny. We did the MLT loop using the cut-through trail we cleaned up yesterday to do figure eights. We also went down the Hiller trail to the Buckley bridge to see how deep the water is and did some trimming on the trail on the way back. We met a woman walking her dog. Oh and we saw a bout 50 turkey by the blueberry patch!
5.47 miles today for a total of 485.47. The last two times I have ridden Apache, Cedar was riding Trixie and then Cedar rode her in the paddock on Saturday before the wedding in order to practice posting, so Trixie has been putting in a lot of miles every day (except Sunday) that we don't record here (over 30 miles). Therefore we did not make 10 miles our goal today and we walked most of the way, only trotting the last mile or so, all on the MLT trails. We walked to the Buckly bridge and then turned back and got back on the loop and went down to the Henshaws farm. We also marked the trail that is a diagonal cut through the loop that starts at the fire pit so that we will recognize it on both ends. It needs a little clearing on the upper end, but we did not have the clippers with us. At the very beginning of our ride, when we were on the Prospect Road access trail headed up to the blueberry patch, we came upon the turkey flock again, this time on the trail and they filled up about 50 feet of the trail ahead of us. They startled Trixie when we came around the bend and she stopped dead in her tracks and they walked further up the trail when they saw us. When Trixe started walking again, some of them started going off into the cinnamon fern on the side of the trail and eventually all of them were in the woods. Such a pretty sight!
10.44 miles today for a total of 495.91. It was suppose to rain today and my Dad had some things for me to do, so we got off to a late start. Luckily the rain held off until we were on our last couple miles and my poncho in my saddle bag worked great. We pretty much did the same thing we did earlier this week with Apache. We rode over and around Grace Pond on the MLT trails, then we rode on the roads to Harbor Beach to visit my cousin. From there we rode back on the MLT trails and Old Slough Rd to Point Connett to see my Dad. We cantered on Sandy Beach and then headed back on the MLT trails trotting around the paths at Grace Pond again and making one round on "the loop." It was a lovely fall day even in the rain and the leaves and pine needles were falling everywhere.
10.14 miles today for a total of 506.05. A cold front came through and it dropped to the 30's last night and was only in the 40's F today, but very sunny. It felt like fall for the first time this year. We rode on the MLT trails to the stream by Buckley Bridge and saw that the water was high, but decided to try it anyway. We crossed OK, but the Boy Scouts added more to the boardwalk, so we had to go off trail more and it got pretty soupy in places. When we got to the fallen tree where the bog is bad it actually looked like there was standing water in there, so we looked around for another way around and couldn't find one that didn't require some bush trimming. Since I had no clippers with me we turned back and since I was pretty cold we went back to the barn and stopped our GPS so I could get another jacket. Since I was there, I decided to trim her feet and put boots on her for the rest of our ride. The boots worked well since we were not going anywhere boggy and she only stumbled once. Then we rode down the street to Point Connett and visited my Dad and from there we rode down Sandy Beach, across the dried up steam to the private path to the houses on Pieces Point. Then with the boots on we were able to trot through Pieces Point, up Hollywoods Road to the trails that took us to Bowman Road, around on the mowed paths to Grace Pond and then down Old Slough Rd to Angelica Ave and then back to Grace Pond by the "south trail" and then circling back down the Old Slough Rd to Angelica Ave. Then we pretty much trotted all the way back to the barn watching the GPS to be sure we got in 10 miles.
5.51 miles today for a total of 511.56. Didn't have much time and the escaped pigs on the Hiller trail terrified Trixie, blocked off our ability to do the Hiller loop, and took up our time getting a phone book from my Dad to call Polly to see if the pigs were hers and then animal control.
The "Distance Dream Team" is my dream come true. Wishing horses were back in my life and wanting to learn more I started taking equine classes at SIU, about 15 years ago. That's how I learned about the sport of endurance riding and met my dream horse, a little 3-year-old Arabian mare named Minnatrix (AKA "Minna" then "Trixie"). I was blessed to have her as my assignment in an SIU training class and she taught me much more than I could ever "teach" her. When SIU put her up for sale my heart sank when I knew she was priced too high for us. My loving husband surprised me for Christmas in 2007 when he sold his guitars to buy her for me.
ReplyDeleteTrixie is now 15 and we have been entering AERC endurance rides since 2012. Life brings us our ups and downs, but my once very distant dream has become a distance dream come true.
What a beautiful story! Horse + Gal = LOVE
Delete10.13 miles today. Sunny and in the 50's with light gusts of wind, a beautiful day. After two months in the pasture Trixie has put on some weight in her neck, shoulders, and tummy, so we only got to the 5th hole on the cinch. Her feet were trimmed yesterday, so we kept her bare feet on soft ground as much as possible. Added a little section of Clint's pasture to our usual run down the road to be sure we got 10 miles on soft ground. It worked! Lots of cheap sweat after 2 months as a pasture potato. Washed her off and rubbed her down before she went back to the pasture.
ReplyDeleteCorrection on the outdoor temperature today---it was in the 30's or 40's. It felt warmer, though.
ReplyDeleteA little humorous comment here on our bio above. Yesterday my husband called me to confess that he could not resist and bought himself a "Taylor" steel string to replace the Martin that he sold to buy Trixie. It wasn't as expensive as the Martin, but it was not cheap either. That's OK, I have my dream and he has his!
ReplyDelete10.12 miles today. Overcast, some sprinkles, 49 degrees F, windy. Stayed closer to the road today to avoid sinking in the turf moistened from the rain last night and today. Still only to the 5th cinch hole, but there was a lot less cheap sweat (lather).
ReplyDeleteWorked on keeping my heels down and under my hip with my back straighter (not slouching).
10.02 miles at Cedar Lake with lots of rain and slippery trails. I had to change clothes from my morning ride with Apache before Trixie and I went out to Cedar Lake for some technical work. The temperatures were dropping, so I got my winter rain pants and they were GREAT! I also switched to my heavy yellow poncho in case any hunters were around. We were hoping to do at least 20 miles, but we started too late and we didn't have enough daylight. The hills and rocks slowed us down more than I guessed. I didn't put any boots on her bare feet because the Gloves would not stay in the mud and I don't want to put glue-ons on until we go to Yellowhammer in March. The trails were BEAUTIFUL as always with surprisingly little mud. The rain has brought the water levels up everywhere, so crossing streams was more interesting and the water rushing over the spillway was loud. The person who made the newish trail that I call the "Turtle Trail" knew how to keep it drained, so the footing was GREAT! The rain turned to snow by the time we got back to the barn. So it was about 40 when we went out and about 35 when we got back. It's getting colder still tonight.
ReplyDeleteTo help me keep track (and double-check the LeaderBoard, as requested) I'm going to start putting the year's total mileage in each entry after that day's mileage. As of today (we don't ride on Sunday's) Trixie and I have 30.27 miles and this agrees with the LeaderBoard.
ReplyDelete10.25 miles today for a year total of 40.52 miles. It was only 19 degrees with strong gusts of wind when we left to ride down the road, so I tried out my Mom's ski goggles to keep my eyes balls from freezing and it worked GREAT. My Mom was an avid skier back in the 60's, so these are the "bug eye" type that were all the rage back then. My Mom was quite stylish. [My Mom, by the way, passed away last March after I spent three months trying to get her to recover from a surgical procedure gone wrong. I think of her a lot while I ride.] I also wore my balaclava under my helmet in addition to the helmet cover. Since I was covering up my head so well, I only thought it fair to put a fly mask on Trixie to help keep the wind out of her eyes, too. We must have been quite a sight going down the road. Folks in passing vehicles gave me a chuckle in addition to the usual wave.
ReplyDeleteThe only complication was the fact that I had left my helmet, with cover, in the tack room after being soaked on Saturday. Since my tack room is not heated everything that was even damp froze and I couldn't get the frozen helmet cover velcro to work. After today's ride I brought everything home to thaw out and dry up before tomorrow.
We rode slowly today with just spurts of speed to keep the sweating done to an absolute minimum. Even going slowly, she averaged about 7 mph. I was surprised when I looked at my watch after we got back.
She is still doing this all barefoot, so we walk across rocky driveways and ditches. Also, since the ground is frozen solid now, it is a lot rougher on her feet.
THANK YOU! This is lots of fun already. You do great work. I am trying to figure out how to wear my jammies in a pic because I usually wear a nightgown and/or sweat shirt and pants to bed. It's too cold for the nightgown and the sweat pants won't look much like jammies. I may have to purchase some jammie bottoms.
ReplyDelete10.18 miles today for a total of 50.70. It was 18 degrees F when we started and I forgot my goggles, so my eyes were awful for the first mile or so. We kept it slow to prevent sweat from freezing and the wind was not as bad as it has been, so that helped. It took about two hours to do those miles, so we averaged only about 5 mph.
ReplyDelete10.13 miles today for a total of 60.83. It was 47 F and light rain. Took only about 1.5 hours, so we averaged about 7 mph. The poncho and rain suit under worked well, but was a little warm. The rain stopped all the activity at mile 4, so there was not much to spook about.
ReplyDelete10.06 miles today for a total of 70.89. It was about 30 F and my husband joined me on Belle to ride at Cedar Lake. We went slowly and after 8 miles my husband was done, so we tied Belle to the trailer and he waited there while I went and did another loop on the trail to the north of the parking lot. The sun was getting low and I didn't want to leave him waiting so we did those last 2 miles with quite a bit more speed. I think Trixie was glad to be able to run after all that walking.
ReplyDelete10.13 miles today for a total of 81.02. It was 7 F today, so we bundled up and walked most of the way. We missed riding yesterday because our furnace died and we spent the day getting that fixed. My left foot started aching from the cold, probably an old frostbite problem. I'd forgotten what it was like to have your face sting until it went numb. I'll post a pic of our cold gear to give you all a chuckle.
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ReplyDelete10.28 miles today for a total of 91.30. It was 18 F today and gusty at times, but the layers and goggles did a good job keeping it from causing pain. :) The snow is completely gone from the roads except for one stretch right before mile 2. It was almost as if they didn't treat or plow it...strange. We walked a lot to keep the sweat down and we meandered around Clint's pasture a little more to get a little more hill in our ride. This was Trixie's first day out since it snowed and she spooked some, but not that much. And there were no snow plows!
ReplyDelete11.19 miles today for a total of 102.49. After lunch it was 33 F and a beautiful sunny day so we went to Cedar Lake to do some more technical work. The trails were mostly covered in snow and the only tracks we saw ahead of us were deer, rabbits and coyote. At one point there were no tracks at all and there was something really beautiful about being the first to trot through the snow on the trail. To avoid being stuck in the dark, we made sure to turn back in time and got a little further down the ''Turtle Trail" this time than in the past. On the way back we came across a woman walking two dogs and a young couple taking two dogs out for a swim in the lake. The trail to the north of the Pomona boat dock road is turning out to be a wonderful addition to this ride. There are still a few places we have to go off trail to get around some fallen trees that are too high for my short horse, but the scenery is really beautiful there along the bottom of the bluffs and the trails are not very worn. We did a fair amount of trotting for the rugged terrain and Trixie did not sweat that much, so conditioning is progressing nicely.
ReplyDeleteNOTHIN' like breaking trail in fresh snow eh? :-)
Delete10.38 miles today for a total of 112.87. 39F and overcast with a 50% chance of rain. The rain held off until we were back at the barn and the warmer temperatures were a nice break. We did our usual run down the road with a little more meandering in Clint's pasture and on the way back a little steer desensitizing by Larry's pasture. Larry has some really sweet black angus there now and they were a shock to both horses to see for the first time. Trixie kept up a pretty good trot even hitting 9 mph a couple times, but mostly about 7 with some walking near the scary barn at 4.5 miles, the snow banks at 5 miles and the big dirt pile at about 3.5 miles. The horse in the paddock at 3.5 miles was really happy to see her and trotted alongside us as far as he could. Overall a pretty good ride with some increased energy. Our work is paying off. OH! We made it to the 6th hole ion the cinch!!!!
ReplyDelete14.10 miles today for a total of 126.97. 30 F and sunny with a little wind. We decided to add another big hill to our ride by crossing over 127 and riding up toward Etherton. About half way up the hill there was a pit bull guarding its yard, so we crossed the street until we were well past him. He never moved or made a sound, but we didn't want to threaten him. Near the top of the hill a friendly black lab came out to play. He kept running up to us and then running ahead of us trying to entice us to run faster. He picked up another doggy friend a little further up and the two ran along ahead of us until we came to another farm where there was a dog that was more interested in protecting than playing. We kept going until the GPS hit 7 miles to try to make it an raven mile and that happened right about where Old Rock Hollow Road started (or took a 90 degree turn, the road signs were not clear). On the way back the black lab came out to play again and the pit bull was in a new post, but just as quiet and still as before with his eyes glued to us. I can tell that Trixie is getting in better shape because she is picking up a faster trot on her own. After we crossed back over 127, we came up behind an Amish buggy walking up the steep hill. We usually trot up that hill and I didn't want to spook the horse, so we went way off to the side in a large grassy area to pass. The guy in the buggy must have thought we were challenging him because he picked up a trot and was catching up to us. Trixie started to spook at a roadside rock, so we stopped and let them pass. As they passed they suddenly sped up and took off in a marvelously fast trot with those beautiful long legs and they vanished around the corner pretty quickly as Trixie spooked at the scary barn and then a cardboard box. They did excite Trixie and her racing spirit came back for the rest of the ride. She actually got up to a 12 mph trot as we got closer to home. Considering all the trotting, she was not as sweaty as I expected. She had one blob of lather on her cheek piece, which was probably from the Amish excitement. A fun rides today.
ReplyDelete14.19 miles today for a total of 141.16. 27 F and sunny when we went out, but it warmed up to about 40 by the time we got back. We left a little earlier than usual and we didn't run into the dogs on Etherton Rd until the way back. They must have been inside. We worked a little on the scary cardboard boxes on the roadside and the culvert/curb/drain that seems to be predatory. We also started going in a circle in Clint's pasture around the stand of trees where he has a deer stand. The deer have cut out some pretty little trails through the grass there and across a stream in a ditch. The ditch was pretty steep, so we didn't attempt to cross. That's for another day. Trixie remains at the 6th cinch hole, but we have less padding in her saddle pad and her neck still has some crust.
ReplyDelete16.06 miles today for a total of 157.22. About 60 F! We started our ride with Ella and Megan in the driveway and the adjacent pastures. They are registering for the GDD using Belle and Apache so we all took our jammie pictures and then rode 2 miles in our jammies. After they left I did my usual ride down the road into Etherton. Since we already had 2 miles, we just rode until the GPS showed over 9 miles and then turned around. It was a beautiful sunny and crazy warm day. The wind kept us cool. I've noticed that it takes Trixie 2.5 hours to do the 14 miles stretch and it almost always takes her about 1.5 hours to go out and only 1 hour to get back. Amazing what the way home does to a horse!
ReplyDelete10.13 miles today for a total of 167.35. About 35 F and cloudy. First day back in the saddle since my stint in the hospital and Tori came with me riding Apache. Tori is going to help me keep up Apache's miles on Thursdays and Saturdays, so that is really nice. We lost a lot of ground in February, though, so the horses were both rather slow on the way out.
ReplyDelete14.08 miles today for a total of 181.43. About 35-40 F cloudy until the end when the sun came out. We rode to Etherton today for the first time since my hospital stay. Trixie seemed really sluggish. Not sure if it was her February break or just her temperament.
ReplyDelete13.27 miles today for a total of 194.7. In the 50's and sunny until the sun went down. We rode to Etherton and when we got to the top of the big hill we ran into Jill and Claire riding by a farm I pass by. They invited me to join them on the trails in the woods behind the farm and so we got some really good technical hills in, but not quite as many miles. They were riding slower than we usually ride and I had to skedaddle to get back to our barn before dark. It was really nice to ride with someone else for a change. The new trail and horses gave Trixie a little energy boost, which was a great relief.
ReplyDelete15.21 miles today for a total of 209.91. Nice sunny day in the 40's. We rode further down the Rocky Hollow Road today to try to add the mile we missed last Saturday. Trixie kept a better pace than her usual desire to walk/plod and we finished in a little over 2 hours.
ReplyDelete10.24 miles today for a total of 220.15. Rainy and in the 30's F. I rode Trixie and Tori rode Apache with us and we kept up the pace to about 7-10 mph so Tori could get back to her class on time. We tried to get Apache to pass Trixie to pick up more speed, but Apache did not dare pass Trixie. The horses could have done the extra 5 miles, but Tori did not have time. It's great having Tori help get more miles on Apache and she is an awesome rider.
ReplyDelete15.15 miles today for a total of 235.30. Cloudy and in the 30's F. Long slow ride today. Trixie was bored and slow. The Etherton hill is still a good addition.
ReplyDeleteGot back from Yellowhammer Endurance Ride about 9 PM last night and although we did not get an endurance completion (rider option) we did cover some miles on Thursday 3/17 (30.11 miles) and again on Saturday with Molly riding Apache 3/19 (13.47 miles) to give us a grand total of 278.88.
ReplyDelete8.12 miles today for a total of 287. Rode the first two miles with Ella on Apache and Megan on Belle all at the walk. It was a nice start for her first time out since Yellowhammer. We were also trying out our new Wintec Pro Endurance saddle. After Ella and Megan left we did the next 3 miles down the road at a moderate jog (6-7 mph) and then we sprinted home (10-13 mph). Her HR was 52 when I dismounted. That's my Trixie. I'm not sure if the new saddle is right. She had sweat in the front and the back of the saddle area, but was dry in the middle where I sit.
ReplyDelete1.7 miles today for a total of 288.7. Rode Trixie with Ella and Megan on Apache and Belle around in the barnyard. My back was sore after a while, so I decided not to ride down the road. I got the gullet changed in my Wintec saddle, fixed the electric fence where the deer tore it up, anmd washed out the water trough instead. Hopefully I'll be able to ride Trixie Monday while Apache is resting for the Rock Bridge Canyon ride.
ReplyDelete7.20 miles today for a total of 295.9. I tried to enter this earlier this evening, but for some reason it didn't publish. We are getting ready for the Indy Run and trying to use a Stonewall on trial. Unfortunately the cinch I got was too long, so I had to use the wintec today. She kept up a nice 9-10 mph sprint without much encouragement. It was nice to feel her energy.
ReplyDelete7.42 miles today for a total of 303.32. Finally got the right cinch to be able to try out the Stonewall Cliffer on trial. It took a while to rig it since it has stirrup loops instead of hooks--had take apart stirrup assembly down to straps. I shortened them by two holes and I think they could have gone shorter still. We were shooting for a 5 mile sprint down the road, but Trixie slowed a lot so we added on a couple miles. The sweat pattern looked dryer in the middle than the ends...not sure what that means. Also, since there is nothing in front on this saddle, there was nothing to help me stay put when Trixie spooked at things and slammed on the brakes. The seat is on the small side, which isn't a propblem, except tend to slide into the rise more and that may prove painful after more than 7 miles. We'll see.
ReplyDelete13.62 miles today for a total of 316.94. Went to Johnson Creek for some hill work and used the Stonewall Cliffer on trial to see how it was on hills. It didn't stay even on Trixie's back and it wasn't a secure ride going down steep hills, so I am going to return it. Trixie didn't have much energy today and I'm wondering if the problem is the saddle. She started acting like this when I started using the Stonewall. I could be that it is uncomfortable and so she doesn't want to exert herself.
ReplyDeleteJust got back from a week at the Hoosier Horse Camp and the Indy Run. On 5/14/16 we did the 50 mile ride and clocked 48.26 miles on our GPS for a total of 365.20 total. We took it easy to be sure Trixie would get a completion and ended up going out late on every hold except the last one and got 11th place. It was a great ride!
ReplyDelete5.95 conditioning miles today for a total of 371.15 miles. It was 93 F when we went out, so we did our short loop and even that put lather on Trixie's chest. We went 8-12 mph, so it was still a good workout.
ReplyDelete1.98 miles today for a total of 373.13 miles. Just rode Trixie over to my Dad's place for Afton's birthday party for pony rides. Cedar rode Apache. Trixie was spooked by the crosswalks the most but a lot of other things along the way. We didn't get all the way to the water, so we'll have to try that another day.
ReplyDelete5.92 miles today for a total of 379.05 miles. We had a goal of riding out to Angelica Point, my former thinking place. My Dad wanted us to go by his house first, so we did. Apache went crazy when we left, but the neighbors were nice about all the screaming. Today the scariest thing seemed to be rock. That's a problem here because there are a lot of stone walls and stones set along property lines and stones used for landscaping and cobblestone driveways. The green crosswalks were only mildly scary. The beach was scary because the water kept jumping at her, but she was very good about doing what I asked. Unfortunately it was high tide when we were at Angelica and the wind died down, so we got mobbed by mosquitoes, but I think I got a good picture. I'll see if I can figure out how to get it here on this blog. While between Angelica and Strawberry Points we got into a patch of bog that had Trixie almost up to her belly, which was scary for me too, but she got through it fine. A beautiful beach seashore ride!
ReplyDelete8.24 miles today for a total of 387.29. It started out cool (60 F) and partly cloudy with some really dark clouds, but the clouds cleared away as time went on and we never needed the rain suit we packed. Today our goal was to figure out the trails across the street on the Mattapoisett Land Trust. Last night we went to their website and discovered that the trail system we were looking for was actually called the Old Aucoot District and we downloaded the map they had here: http://www.mattlandtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Old_Aucoot-revised.pdf
ReplyDeleteWith the map we found our way to Point Connett through the woods. It took quite a bit longer, but it was a nice walk through the woods. Not much trotting is possible with all the stones, stone walls, roots, and bogs, but it was a lovely day and we enjoyed the ride. We crossed over the two streams that drain the cranberry bogs on the other side of route 6, but they were both dry. On Point Connett we stopped to say hello to my Dad first, then we went to the beach and with much reluctance and a lot of coaxing Trixie FINALLY went out into the water beyond the emerging sandbars. It was about half tide, so they were only partly out, but she did not like the waves the wind was producing, especially when they crested over near her. Now our waves on Point Connett are pretty small, being a protected cove in Buzzards Bay, but they were still scary to a horse from the midwest. Next we went to Angelica Point cove which is even more protected and the tide was further out with lots of nice big sandbars. These sandbars did not bother her and she easily ventured out into the water chasing seagulls. WE were delighted to see a two-shell scallop on the sandbar because they have been gone for some time after the oil spill in 1985. We also saw lots of horseshoe crabs. On the way home we dropped by my Dad's to borrow some clippers to help clear a bypass around a fallen tree on the trail back home. We got that cleared pretty well, so next time it should go more smoothly. A wonderful ride!
6.45 miles today for a total of 393.74. Again it was cold at first (60's) and then warmed up (70's). Diane rode with me today and she rode Apache. Wee went by the Land Trust Trails to Point Connett and started down Cove Road to Angelica but saw that it was a very high tide (spring tides) and the gravel on the road was hurting Trixie's newly trimmed feet. So we went by my Dad's place and then to Sandy Beach where we found only a very light breeze producing very tiny, mild waves. We got both horses to stand in the water after much coaxing and eventually they stood calmly. Tribe tried to eat some seaweed, but changed her mind. Apache kept trying to drink the water and then eventually just settled to splash. A couple times we though she would lie down, but Diane was able to keep her on her feet. Then we started back and as soon as we were on the trail Caeli called to meet us at the trail head for the kids to sit on the horses. It was really nice to ride with Diane. I hope in some way it paid her back a little for letting us keep the horses there.
ReplyDelete7.42 miles today for a total of 401.16. It was a beautiful sunny day that was forecasted to get up to 80 F, so we left for a ride in the late morning, exploring more of the Mattapoisett Land Trust trails. It was high tide when we got to Point Connett, so we just hung out with my Dad for a bit and then waded in the waves on the beach, talking to Margo and Dom. After the rain, the trails are a lot boggier by the Buckly bridge, but nothing we haven't dealt with before. At one point we heard another horse neigh and Trixie got very excited, answering and picking up a trot, but we found no other horse. We did discover some nice grass mowed trails around Grace Pond. They are great for trotting. We'll go back there again.
ReplyDelete8.26 miles today for a total of 409.42. We explored some more in the Mattapoisett Land Trust (MLT) and went to visit Polly Henshaw by the trail that ends at her farm. Polly wasn't there, but Trish Carlson was and we chatted a bit before we went on our way, completing the investigation of the upper loop called the "Hiller Trail" by route 6 and "Coleen's Trail" where it connects to the lower loop by the Henshaw's "Dead End" trail. We didn't have clippers today, and every where we went had already been cleared by me or by previous riders, so we moved along quite a bit faster. There was a beautiful stone wall that went along the property that borders the east side of the MLT behind Angelica Avenue by Crescent Beach. It was as high as 5 or six feet in some places and the moss and lichen indicated that it had been there a very long time. When we came out onto Angelica Ave on Point Connett Merry and Ralph were out walking to my Dad's house, so we walked along with them and visited with my Dad a bit until they all went in the house and Trixie and I headed to the beach for surf training. It didn't take very long to get her to go in past the surf and then we walked down the beach in knee deep water. After a bit of that we went back to the house and got her some carrots and then headed back to the MLT trails and to their barn. It was partly cloudy and in the 60's F.
ReplyDelete8.64 miles today for a total of 418.06. We used the MLT Trails to take us to Hollywoods and then Pieces Point and across Sandy Beach to Point Connett. We got a little mixed up in the Hollywoods area, taking a street too soon, but we figured it out and happened to see the front of the sprawling red farm house by Grace Pond and that it was for sale and it included some horse pastures across the road with a water spicket. When we got to Sandy Beach, it was low tide, so we walked around on the sandbars in front of my Dad's house for a while and then we went to the house and my Dad gave me my sandwich I had waiting in the frig. While he was getting it, he asked me to get the mail, so we got it and delivered it to him on his steps (by pony express).
ReplyDeleteOn the way back by the MLT trails we tried to figure out the main loop a little better and marked where the northern side comes into the Hiller trail. Then we looped around it again in the opposite direction just to be sure we got it right and we came up behind Polly Henshaw walking her dogs. We had a nice chat with her and she told me that she was the one who created those trails nad maintained them for many years. She was greatly relieved when the MLT took them over. So YEAH I finally met Polly! We were trying to trot on that loop and Trixie is definitely out of condition, and the rocks and roots did not help, but she did it.
11.23 miles today for a total of 429.29. On the MLT trails we used the "loop" as our trotting ground and then again on the mowed trails over by Grace Pond and Bowman Road. That way we covered a lot more ground in our ~3 hour venture. The "loop" is a little over 1 mile and it is about 1 mile from where the Hiller trail leaves the loop (by route 6) to Grace Pond. The Grace Pond paths are about 1/2 mile and then it is almost 2 miles from Grace Pond to my Dad's house on Point Connett via the "South Trail". So if we do 3 loops and the Grace Pond paths twice, with all the other deviations we make exploring trails, roaming around on my Dad's lawn while eating lunch, and sandbar roaming we can hit 10 miles (our goal). Today we went down to Polly's on the "Dead End Trail" and then just as we were about to head back on the Prospect Road connector, we saw another trail that needed investigating. It took us back to Polly's more directly, but into a maze of trails all around the woods behind Polly's farm. It was very windy and about 60 F and cloudy. I was wishing I had my second jacket when we got out of the woods and on the seashore on Point Connett.
ReplyDelete8.22 miles today for a total of 437.51. It was a rainy day in the upper 50's F so with our poncho donned we headed out to the MLT trails. The gals who were suppose to ride with us today decided it was too wet and so we were solo as usual. The first creek crossing that is usually dry had rushing water on it so we were guessing the bog would be pretty bad. We headed off to the Buckly bridge to check it out and the creek there was overflowing, so we turned back and stayed on the higher ground trails. We checked out a couple side trails to break up the monotony, but pretty much stayed on "the loop" once we got off the Hiller trail that takes you to Buckley bridge. Tribe stumbled a few times, so I decided it was time to trim her feet to give her a better breakover. We'll see if it works next week!
ReplyDelete11.23 miles today for a total of 448.74. It started out sunny and in the 60's and ended up cloudy and in the 50's, pretty windy, especially on Point Connett. Used the MLT trails that we cleared the day before with Apache, going around the Grace Pond mowed paths a couple times to get some trotting in. Trixie's feet were pretty tender from her trim on Saturday, so she stumbled a lot and we had to go slow in most places. When we got to Point Connett she really didn't like it, so we stayed on the grass and sand. The tide was too high to get to any sandbars, so we just walked in the sandy part of the beach and a little in the water where we could see there were no rocks. It must be snake season because we saw a couple snakes today, too.
ReplyDelete10.38 miles today for a total of 459.12. A beautiful sunny day today in the upper 60's. We used the MLT trails to go to Hollywoods and then to Pieces Point and then across Sandy Beach to Point Connet. After chatting with my Dad and our neighbors, Margo and Ruth, we went back by the MLT trails. Each direction we trotted around the paths by Grace Pond and we went around the main "loop" a couple times to get to 10 miles.
ReplyDelete10.52 miles today for a total of 469.64. A cool sunny day in the 40's - 50's. We rode the MLT trails to Buckley bridge where the water was high (it rained all day Sunday), so we decided to turn back and do the loop trails and avoid the bog. We got our 10 miles in by circling the loop and using a lot of the cut through trails. We took a nice photo of the water at Buckley bridge and also some coral fungus that sprouts up after it rains. I wish there was a way to post photos here. Maybe there is and I just don't know how. Trixie still has tender feet and I'm beginning to wonder if it is the soft pasture she lives on.
ReplyDelete10.36 miles today for a total of 480.00. WOW we could not have come out with an even number like that if we tried. It started out cool and cloudy and then got warmer and sunny. We did the MLT loop using the cut-through trail we cleaned up yesterday to do figure eights. We also went down the Hiller trail to the Buckley bridge to see how deep the water is and did some trimming on the trail on the way back. We met a woman walking her dog. Oh and we saw a bout 50 turkey by the blueberry patch!
ReplyDelete5.47 miles today for a total of 485.47. The last two times I have ridden Apache, Cedar was riding Trixie and then Cedar rode her in the paddock on Saturday before the wedding in order to practice posting, so Trixie has been putting in a lot of miles every day (except Sunday) that we don't record here (over 30 miles). Therefore we did not make 10 miles our goal today and we walked most of the way, only trotting the last mile or so, all on the MLT trails. We walked to the Buckly bridge and then turned back and got back on the loop and went down to the Henshaws farm. We also marked the trail that is a diagonal cut through the loop that starts at the fire pit so that we will recognize it on both ends. It needs a little clearing on the upper end, but we did not have the clippers with us. At the very beginning of our ride, when we were on the Prospect Road access trail headed up to the blueberry patch, we came upon the turkey flock again, this time on the trail and they filled up about 50 feet of the trail ahead of us. They startled Trixie when we came around the bend and she stopped dead in her tracks and they walked further up the trail when they saw us. When Trixe started walking again, some of them started going off into the cinnamon fern on the side of the trail and eventually all of them were in the woods. Such a pretty sight!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that it was 77 F when we finished our ride today! I love Indian summers!
ReplyDelete10.44 miles today for a total of 495.91. It was suppose to rain today and my Dad had some things for me to do, so we got off to a late start. Luckily the rain held off until we were on our last couple miles and my poncho in my saddle bag worked great. We pretty much did the same thing we did earlier this week with Apache. We rode over and around Grace Pond on the MLT trails, then we rode on the roads to Harbor Beach to visit my cousin. From there we rode back on the MLT trails and Old Slough Rd to Point Connett to see my Dad. We cantered on Sandy Beach and then headed back on the MLT trails trotting around the paths at Grace Pond again and making one round on "the loop." It was a lovely fall day even in the rain and the leaves and pine needles were falling everywhere.
ReplyDelete10.14 miles today for a total of 506.05. A cold front came through and it dropped to the 30's last night and was only in the 40's F today, but very sunny. It felt like fall for the first time this year. We rode on the MLT trails to the stream by Buckley Bridge and saw that the water was high, but decided to try it anyway. We crossed OK, but the Boy Scouts added more to the boardwalk, so we had to go off trail more and it got pretty soupy in places. When we got to the fallen tree where the bog is bad it actually looked like there was standing water in there, so we looked around for another way around and couldn't find one that didn't require some bush trimming. Since I had no clippers with me we turned back and since I was pretty cold we went back to the barn and stopped our GPS so I could get another jacket. Since I was there, I decided to trim her feet and put boots on her for the rest of our ride. The boots worked well since we were not going anywhere boggy and she only stumbled once. Then we rode down the street to Point Connett and visited my Dad and from there we rode down Sandy Beach, across the dried up steam to the private path to the houses on Pieces Point. Then with the boots on we were able to trot through Pieces Point, up Hollywoods Road to the trails that took us to Bowman Road, around on the mowed paths to Grace Pond and then down Old Slough Rd to Angelica Ave and then back to Grace Pond by the "south trail" and then circling back down the Old Slough Rd to Angelica Ave. Then we pretty much trotted all the way back to the barn watching the GPS to be sure we got in 10 miles.
ReplyDelete5.51 miles today for a total of 511.56. Didn't have much time and the escaped pigs on the Hiller trail terrified Trixie, blocked off our ability to do the Hiller loop, and took up our time getting a phone book from my Dad to call Polly to see if the pigs were hers and then animal control.
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