Sign of Summer - Cicada's!

Waubonsie has become our go-to place.  On hot days at least the trails are in the shade & shade is hard to come by here.  Of course there's the workout that we can get with all the hills, then the quiet during the week is so nice - we're usually the only one's here.

Very obvious signage~

 Two men were just finishing up the mowing when we arrived!  I picked up what trash I could before the mowers hit it!  The fire pits are a mess too.  People use them for trash, rather than their intended purpose.  We'll be cleaning them out this weekend.  Such a shame that so many nice campsites are now closed due to the road erosion.

Farah thinks she hears something :-)

 It was super nice out on the freshly done trails.  There had been quite a few horses on them over the weekend, we found trash out there too :-(

As the title of this post suggests - it's the time of year for the Cicada's!  Since I was almost always in Iowa during the Summer months - the sound is one I associate with childhood.

Dead Cicada~

In the deep woods, they can get very loud!  I took the video of Farah trotting along just for fun - but if you can listen closely - they're in the background.

With temperatures in the low 80's it would have been a little nicer without what felt like pretty heavy humidly - at least to me!  The video above was taken over one of the few flat sections of trail!

Slit River~

 It was a super quite afternoon too & so peaceful in the dappled sunlight of the Timber.

Through Tall Trees~

One of those dreamy days of Summer that go too quickly.  Farah worked hard, we were both much wetter than our wonderful ride of last week.  When I go to unsaddle & my hand hits dripping sweat at the cinch - I know it's been humid.

Cinch with foam`

Speaking of cinches, the Montana Cincha I've been using for several years now is still my favorite!   Mohair, with Neoprene under the buckles it has never galled & helps to keep the saddle in place.  Here, I rinse it out almost every ride!

Butch & Farah at the farm~

We started back all too soon, I had an appointment with the Farrier.  We decided to pull shoes for the next few weeks.  I've not been back out on the gravel & she has a little thrush.  I think the shoe keeps more of the dirt etc. packed into the bottom of her feet & it's so nice to have her barefoot!