...Nemo is content right where he is. It took a lot of convincing from Brad to get him up & going. It's starting to cloud up, but looks like we are in for another day of beautiful weather.
Remember that souvenir we missed out on the first ride? By the end of the trip, my hubby found no less then four keepers! Me, I didn't spot a single one. It's the first year we've ever seen any railroad spikes on the trial...
 |
| finding treasures |
...guess it's true, my head is always in the clouds...dreaming. Can you blame me? I feel like I am riding in a painting...
...it's so quiet and serene in the woods. I can hear myself think. I ponder this and that, and thank my lucky stars to be engulfed in nature, with my loves. If only I could put into words how it makes me feel. It would include words like...alive...grounded...spiritual...and grateful. The feeling evoked, stays with me forever. It is who I am.
Along our ride, we come across things that bring me back to reality. We have never run into anybody, or anything scary, in the woods. Which is good, when you see things like this...
 |
| Bear or Porcupine? |
It's always amusing when Koda & Nemo do what they do so well, switch places. They are total opposites. Do they make an agreement on who is going to be at which end of the spectrum? I think it's what good friends do for each other. Fill in the need. I doubt it's much different for horses. On this ride, it turns out Nemo needed a bit more encouragement. It gave me a chance to get photographs other then over Koda's ear, or of Nemo's butt. I try not to stop the momentum for pictures, it's just not what trail riding is about for us. So then, you end up with tilted pictures like this...
We get to another common Y intersection, and for some reason Koda reeeally wants to go right. We humans can see it's clearly an abandoned path, and the Lookout is the opposite direction, but why not do a little exploring and let the horses have fun too? Koda is so happy when he gets to pick a path, just look at those interested ears...
...the path gets harder to maneuver...I wonder if Koda still likes the route he has chosen?
We progress to riding along a quiet backroad called Bonita, headed towards the Lookout. There is a slow creek that runs parallel to the road. We shuffle along the roads edge, covered in leaves, and eventually get back onto the forest trails. Once we get past the pines, there is noticeably more red in this area. Unfortunately the couple pics I took turned out blurry.
It's always a guess which trail actually takes you up to the Lookout. The path is even sandier then I remember. I listen for the beating drum sound, but there was none. I wonder why?
Once you are on the right route, it's a short trip up. Before I know it, we are gazing across a tapestry of colorful trees...
...As you can see, the 1,530,647 acres go on forever. We only ride a tiny, tiny portion of this magnificent forest. I posted a wider shot of the lookout for the Sunday Stills Landscape challenge.
Brad dismounts & takes a break. There is no even footing. In the distance, is a glimpse where the ginormous boulders even off somewhat, and you know you've reach the top/begin to descend. Navigating them is not for the faint of heart.
Since he dismounted, I ask my hubby to take a picture of Koda & I, and this is what I got...
 |
| got one |
 |
| guess it's good to take two...puzzled about the angle tho |
 |
| he's making me laugh |
 |
| I love my Koda, even at an angle... |
 |
| Me: what the heck are you doing?! Brad: I'm taking pictures like you do Ha ha, very funny...yes, my hubby is upside down. I still can't look at these without cracking up!! |
...we head back down, and meander towards the cabins...even after three days, the colorful forest is still amazing...
...when a breeze kicks up, golden leaves come raining down around us. Suddenly I realize how fun it would be to try catching them! Wish I had thought of this sooner. Try it some time, it's a challenge.
We have a relaxing campfire that evening back at the cabin, and I make some new friends at the ranch...we will try to squeak in one last short ride tomorrow, before making the drive back home...
3 comments:
You may feel like you can't find the right words to express how you feel when you're out there, with your best friends...but I know exactly how you feel!! :) There really is nothing better.
looks like a lot of fun!
Thanks for reading along & commenting. I really appreciate sharing with you!
This was perhaps my favorite day. Such a pretty ride, relaxed and full of happiness & laughter.
Post a Comment