Trail Log: 1-28-2022

Teri - Woody - Sport and Wyatt

 

Trail: State Land - Aguila

Miles: 5.18

Riders: Self - Teri

Horses: Jack - Drifter - Sport

Dogs: Hank - Wyatt - Olivia

Notes: Cindy was having a practice at her arena. I decided to saddle Drifter and see how he did ponying tacked up and leave him at the patience pole while we shot.  While heaving the saddle on Jack,  I tweaked my back. Good hell. I now walk...shuffle rather...like a 90 year old man. I've never had real back problems. I hope to never have them again! I can't sit down...can't stand up. Can't lay down - can't bend over. I'm trying to focus on the things I can do. Sometimes, I can breath. Ugh. 

I have a theory that if you don't slow down - the devil and his evil ways can't catch  you. The saddle was already in place - so I drug out the mounting block and managed to climb aboard Jack and head to Crandall's with Drifter in tow. Thank goodness he was extra good or I think I would have peed my pants if he would have pulled on the rope. I tied Driff to the patience pole and was able to shoot two stages  much trouble. Getting on and off my horse was a different story. 

Teri wanted to ride her new horse out into the desert. I grabbed a beer for Teri and a shot of Fireball for me and left Drifter at home. We headed out for a nice gallop through the desert. Running doesn't bother me too bad. Trotting isn't the greatest but Jack prefers to lope as opposed to trotting anyway. 

The fireball wore off halfway back. I spent most of the night wondering if this is what it's like getting old. I'm thinking I don't want any part of it! I have a CSJ shoot (part 3 of 4) on Sunday. I'm shooing come hell or highwater. I don't care if it takes me 8 bottles of Advil and a half gallon jug of Fireball. All I need is to find somebody to saddle my horse and I should be fine. 

In the meantime - I discovered the Dollar Store does not carry those gripper stick things us old folks use to grab things off the floor or upon the upper shelves. If things don't improve by the end of the shoot Sunday - I'll be making a trip to Harbor Freight. According to the Dollar Store lady...Harbor Freight DOES sell them. I guess I should pick up some prune juice and a bottle of Geritol while I'm there. Good hell. 

 

Trail Log: 1-24-2022

Marianne - Teri - Cindy

• Trail:  State Land - Aquila
• Miles: 5.75    
• Riders: Self - Cindy - Marianne - Teri
• Horses: Jack - Cowboy - Jimmy - Woody
• Dogs: Hank

Notes: Marianne was down visiting during the Art of the Cowgirl. We went for a short ride to see if we could find Cindy's "grave." We did find it. Kind of makes you wonder who/what lies beneath! 

I took Drifter out before I headed out with the girls and then left him tied at the patience pole. He does really good. Just stands there...all patient like. 

Drifter at the patience pole

Trail Log: 1-20-2022

Dan dragging the cholla. We stayed back quite a ways at first. Jack kind of wanted to chase it as we got closer. 

• Trail: State Land - Aguila
• Miles: 5
• Riders: Self - Dan
• Horses: Jack - Bullseye
• Dogs: Hank - Wyatt

Notes: My favorite kind of day. In the morning, I went on a 5-6 miles hike to the base of the Harquahala's. Saw all sorts of cool critter dens - likely coyote, fox and badger. When I got back, I set up a course and practiced until Dan rode by on his way to hunt up firewood in the desert. I finished killing my balloons and headed on out with him. We only had a couple hours of daylight left. Dan found a big hunk of cholla that suited him. He put a rope around the cholla and commenced to dally up and drag it home. Jack isn't real keen on things being drug around behind a horse. I kept him a good distance back while Dan and Bullseye drug the thing back. Jack relaxed and I was able to get closer to it than I expected. 

A den. I wasn't crawling in there to find out what kind of critter called it home. 

Trail Log: 1-19-2022

(L-R) Colleen - Carol - Louis

• Trail: State Land - Ruins - Aguila
• Miles: 4.2
• Riders: Self - Louis - Carol - Colleen W. 
• Horses: Jack - Sticks - IB - Sonny 
• Dogs: Hank

Notes: Colleen asked if I'd take her and some of her lady friends riding in this area. They are riding partners/friends from the Hermiston area. I said sure. I took them to the sheep ruins. It's an easy ride and has some cool stuff to see. Nice bunch of gals. 

Hank getting a drink out of the grinding holes left. It has rained recently and this one still had some water in it. 

Trail Log: 1-14-2022

•  Trail: New River - Larkyn 
• Miles: 5
• Riders: Self - Phil
• Horses: Jack - Twister
• Dogs: Hank

Notes: We had an AZCMSA shoot in Larkyn.  Soon as we set up camp, we saddled up for a quick ride. 

It is a beautiful area and great arena. 

El Rancho Gitano Del Desierto

Wow – it's been three months since I've took the time to blog. A lot has happened in three short months. To catch up would require a medium more towards the novel end of writing as opposed to a quick blog. Thus – I shall attempt to summarize the previous three months according to the short notes I jotted down in a diary of sorts.

The following notes were those I felt blog worthy at a future time. It's a lot like trying to explain something that was really funny at the time but loses most of it's appeal as you recount it later to your friends. Kind of had to be there...but here goes:

Sometime in October: Quick trip to Home Depot for cones to use as target stands. Trying to find help at the Home Depot in Surprise is like trying to capture a clear picture of Bigfoot. It ain't happening. Shopping wears me out. Home Depot does not sell Fireball. It should.

October 24^th was an eclectic day. I spent the morning plumbing the shed for the washer. Plenty of swearing and three trips to Adolfo's for various parts needed. Later that morning, a nice ride up the Harquahala trail towards the observatory. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon digging a drain for the washer until dark. That project only took 1 trip to Adolfo's and less swearing. Adolfo's doesn't sell Fireball either. They should.

The next day I installed the pipe for the washer machine drain and ran into Adolfo's for clothing line and eye hooks. Back at the ranch, I washed my first load of clothes! Watching the rinse water flow successfully down the drain pipe was like reaching a state of Nirvana - if I was Buddhist...which I'm not. I would have celebrated but Adolfo's still does not sell fireball. I doubt Buddhist drink Fireball. Maybe they should. 

It appears I did nothing for the months of November and December as my notes ended on October 31st with finding several cans of Beanee Weenee's on a shelf at the Dollar Store. They don't, however, sell Fireball. They should.

Me, Dave, Cindy, Teri

I spent Thanksgiving week in Tombstone for the Tombstone Ghost Riders shoot. The club puts on an outstanding shoot and serves up Thanksgiving dinner for the shooters. Jack and I took second on the first day and won first place on the second day. They do sell Fireball just about anywhere in Tombstone but I'm there for the Prickly Pear Margarita's. As I should be.

December: I don't like to travel for the Holiday's so opted to stay put and watch Dan and Teri's critters so they could spend time with family. Before they left, Cindy and Dave threw together a neighborhood Christmas party. We ate, played corn-hole, drank various adult beverages and howled at the moon. Literally. I've said it before – if I'd have known being old was this much fun, I would have done it a long time ago.

Throw in some balloon killing, riding, hiking...fixing stuff and becoming an official, card carrying Arizonian and that's it in a nutshell. It's been a mental, physical and emotional roller-coaster for sure. Nights often find me wondering: “What the hell have I done?” It's dark and oh-so quiet. Eerily quiet. The only sound breaking that silence is the yipping, howling call of the coyote pack trying to lure my dog astray. Hank hates coyotes. My usually mild, passive dogs turns immediately into 30 pounds of snarling, black and white hackles. His sole purpose at this moment is to protect his pack from the demonic desert jackal. Where there is one...there are many. A dog is no match for a pack. I keep him close.

It is an adjustment....this life I am leading. Living off the grid – a thousand miles from family. No house to speak of, yet oddly, I somehow feel more at home in this 30 foot RV than I ever felt in a 2600 square foot log house. I am supposed to be here. I have no idea why.

Trail Log: 1-8-2022

 

• Trail: Aguila - State Land "The Loping Trail"
• Miles: 5.42
• Riders: Self - Dan - Teri - Cheri  - Blair
• Horses: Jack - Bullseye - Toby - Up Town - Katch
• Dogs: Hank - Wyatt - Olivia

Notes: How easily I drop everything I'm working on when somebody rides by an asked me to join them. Dan and Teri rode over while I was out moving trailers. I saddled Jack for a quick ride. We picked up Cheri and Blair who were headed out also. They have a trail they call "The loping Trail." It felt good not to be towing a little black punk and let Jack stretch out some. He doesn't really have a "lope" when it comes to running through the desert. He can eat up the miles. 

Tomorrow we head to Ben Avery for the second in the Molly Anderson Memorial Buckle Series. Hopefully we can pick up some speed and stay clean! It's also our maiden voyage in "Run Around Sue" - here's hoping she stays together! 

Trail Log: 1-6-2022

 

• Trail: Aguila - State Land - Powerline loop
• Miles: 7.06
• Riders: Self
• Horses: Jack - Drifter
• Dogs: Hank

Notes: Realized  as I type, this was my first ride (outside the arena) of 2022. I think most folks would agree that 2021 was a crazy year and just as many are happy to see it leave. For me personally, it was filled with so many ups and downs it felt like the year of the rollercoaster. When it was all said and done, I'd say it was a pretty productive year...at least for me. 

I ponied Drifter. Had I not been running out of daylight, he could have used a few more miles. He's kind of a punk the first few miles or until he gets tired. He's not terrible - he's just full of energy and wants to pick his own pace...and his own route. He thinks he knows best. Today the moment I've been expecting came to pass when he got the rope under Jack's tail. Jack didn't appreciate it at all...but did a whole lot better than I expected. Getting it out was a challenge. I didn't know a horses tail could clamp down that hard! Fortunately, Drifter didn't move much so the rope didn't zip and burn it's way loose. I was able to lift Jack's tail and jerk down on it hard enough it came free ...and nobody died. 

Dan and Drifter

I stopped by the neighbors on my way back and visited with Dan. He played with Drifter a little ...picking up his feet and mauling all over him. Drifter is great with me but doesn't seem to trust other people much. Jack is a "one person horse" for the most part and I'd rather not have Driff be the same. Hopefully but the time the farrier gets here next week he will be easier to trim. 

I figured it was a good time to throw a saddle on him - while he's spent a bunch of energy in the desert. He didn't mind at all but we didn't move around much. Baby steps....

OH! I almost forgot! I picked up an old (and I mean old) bumper pull trailer for running around so I don't have to hook up to my LQ for day trips. It's an old 1979 WW 3 horse slant or 4 horse straight. I've never seen on like it. It's really narrow but long. I call her "Run around Sue." Looking forward to our first trip to the boonies! 

"Run around Sue"