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Red Hawk
Clinician
USA
4404 Posts |
 Posted - 07/20/2010 : 2:16:13 PM
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<<Hey guys! How 'bout a DE ride report!>>
Gee Tag, since it was just EZ & me, can we truly call it a DE Ride? Is there a limit on the number of participants before we can give it that title? Though I must admit EZ & I are DE members, but that would make every ride EZ & I have a DE Ride. Hmmmmmm...
Okay, I'll stop horsin' around. As normal EZ & I had a great time. We just wish there would've been more DE members with us. There was hardly anyone else camping when I got there a little before EZ arrived. Kim said the county 4H fair was going on, and this was normal for that particular weekend. She showed me on the computer that there were only 5 to 10 campsites reserved and 2 cabins. That was it! 2 ladies from Indianapolis were in the cabin almost straight across from us, the one closest to the stalls. They were our nearest neighbors. It was kinda nice having all that privacy though. LOL
Friday was HOT & HUMID! Once we had Terra & Warsong settled in their stalls, we set up a box fan outside and put our chairs in front of it. We did spend some time in the Outpost to get away from the heat. We discussed whether we would ride and went out right after dinner around 6 pm. We took Trail 80 to the dirt road and came back 90C to 90B to 90 to camp for a 2 hour ride. Both Terra and Warsong were damp with narry a dry spot anywhere. They sure enjoyed getting sprayed with the hose after the ride. I was tempted to spray myself by then. I didn't waste time once back in camp and changed into shorts and sandals after the "girls" (our horses  ) were made comfortable. It didn't cool off until after 9:00. We both set up our box fans in our trailers, and it wasn't too bad by the time we went to bed.
Our battle plan was to hit the trails Saturday morning right after breakfast to beat the heat. I must say I was surprise to find no dew that morning. Highly unusual for MTR. Even the trailer fenders were dry to the touch.
We rode off on trail 90 not long after 8 am and took Trail 9 to Hickory Ridge Horse Camp. Not a bad trail but nothing exceptional. HR was almost empty too. I think there were 2 maybe 3 trailers in camping spots and that was it. So we had our pick of hitch rails and picnic tables. Naturally, we chose to be in shade. I should add that the humidity was down, which made the 90 degree temp bearable.
If there was one thing EZ & I noticed this weekend, it was the abundance of butterflies. They were everywhere. On a more humorous note, EZ kept saying how they seem to be attracted to horse manure. They seem to love the stuff. See for yourself:
So are we ready for the same old type of pics that most everyone has already seen  ? Here's Terra and Warsong at the HR hitchrail:
We took Trail 8 back through the pretty section of Trail 2 and back to MTR. EZ & I were both glad to get back even with the lower humidity. We rode 5 1/2 hours that day.
Since I had the camera out, here's Terra after that ride:
Like I said the same old type of pics we've all seen... except for maybe this one that might go down as one of my favorites. See what you think of EZ's clowning around with Warsong off to one side  :
And our home away from home:
The humidity moved in on Saturday not long before we got back to camp. So it was shorts and sandals time again. We had planned to take naps after our return, but we got to talking and never did. Man, did I sleep that night. And it was cooler out too. EZ & I watched thunderstorms dance all around MTR that evening. It even rained for maybe 30 or 40 seconds. We were told a gully washer hit a few miles west of us, but we never got it. We even had a fire that night so EZ could roast some marshmallows. There's nothing like a cozy campfire to relax the old bones and unwind stiff muscles.
We took our time the next morning that again was dewless, but the humidity moved in quick though it felt cooler. We took a quick ride up around Trail 90A, came back to camp and relaxed for awhile before packing it in and heading home.
I don't know about EZ, but that's when I ran into rain. I think a cloud burst let loose right over Indianapolis. I had to slow to 45 mph just to see the road, and I didn't get out of it until a mile or two north of Indy on I-69.
I always enjoy camping out with friends at MTR. There's not a better place to relax and leave your troubles by the wayside, but it always feels good to get home. I just wish more of you could've been with us. You sure missed a good time and some good trail riding too. Maybe next year... I hope  .
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"God forbid that I should go to any heaven in which there are no horses"
--Robert Browning
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
-- Author Unknown
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Edited by - Red Hawk on 07/20/2010 3:09:16 PM
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EZ2SPOT
Clinician
USA
3036 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2010 : 6:52:09 PM
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What an awful picture, but it does show how I felt after that long ride!
We had a great time together; we always do! We adjusted our rides to the weather, and that worked out well. It was a reasonably comfortable weekend for us, in spite of the heat.
Yes, RH, I did run into that same storm; not only the rain, but hail, also, as I got closer to home. Funny thing, though; where I live, it only sprinkled!
EZ2SPOT |
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killybean907
Trainer
USA
954 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 12:09:51 AM
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Thanks for the great pictures and wonderful commentary! I love seeing your new trailer "in action", was this the inauguration trailer ride? I bet it pulled nicely!
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Killybean907's Riding Log 2009
It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
Karen-Anchorage, Alaska |
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homein3turns
Trainer
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 09:11:28 AM
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| Sounds like a wonderful time and I am disappointed to have missed it! I know you are wishing you could have been me - doctoring and adminstering meds to two horse |
Juli Collier
Pendleton, IN
Juli's Riding Log
"Let a horse whisper in your ear and breathe on your heart. You will never regret it." Author Unknown |
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Red Hawk
Clinician
USA
4404 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 3:13:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by killybean907
Thanks for the great pictures and wonderful commentary! I love seeing your new trailer "in action", was this the inauguration trailer ride? I bet it pulled nicely!
Yes, this was what I call "The Maiden Voyage" for my new trailer. I can't get over how smooth it pulls and stops even if the truck has to work a smidge harder speeding up or on large hills. It still didn't make much difference in the gas milage. Bill Zahm told me it wouldn't since both my old trailer and the new one have the same type of front end. I also had my old break control replaced with a new one. I'm sure that's where the difference was in stopping.
I was once told that the longer the trailer, the easier it is to back it up. How true. I do believe that's because a longer trailer will turn slower when backing and give the driver more time to compensate for mistakes.
EZ & I also thought it humorous that Terra never tried to go straight to the trailer after coming back from any of our rides. I think she's still looking for the old WW. After all, she's ridden in it most of her life, but once she's in our new one, she seems perfectly fine.
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"God forbid that I should go to any heaven in which there are no horses"
--Robert Browning
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
-- Author Unknown
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tagnrocky
Clinician
USA
1703 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2010 : 6:49:38 PM
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Glad you two got to ride. Looks like fun. And your new trailer is neat!
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Nancy (and Tag & Rocky)
Free & easy down the trail I go......
Tagnrocky's Log |
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EZ2SPOT
Clinician
USA
3036 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2010 : 8:24:29 PM
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It was muddy, and we had to go over or around a lot of downed trees. It sure made me thankful that I had an experienced trail horse under me!
As much as I'd have liked to have taken Butterbrickle, I figured it would be unwise, all considered (heat, muddy trails, etc.). Maybe later!
RH and I were very comfortable in our trailers. Many times, I've had people ask how I can stand it during hot weather, what with no air conditioning. But, after thinking about it, I'm guessing that it is MUCH hotter in the nose of a gooseneck, than in the dressing room of a bumper pull! With either an electric or battery-operated fan, I've gotten along just fine.
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Hook
Trail Boss (Moderator)
Canada
5442 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2010 : 07:35:45 AM
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Thanks for the update and pictures. Glad you and EZ had a great time. Good planning around the heat.
The two trailers made a very nice camping area.
Surprised to see how slow MTR was that week end. |
Hook(ed)......on Horses
"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. " Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
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