Handling Heat~

Since last week was a bust as far as riding went, with the heat, storm & a full schedule.  (Yesterday, I attended my first Garden Club tour!)  Today, the forecast changed - to a day back in the 90's.  I decided to go to Waubonsie & at least get in a loop.

Black-eyed Susan

 I didn't even think to call to see if the trails were open - we'd had almost three days of dry weather.  So, when we pulled in & the trails closed sign was up - I was surprised.  I called the Park Ranger - no answer - so left a message that I was going out & if it was bad - would turn back.

Top of a tree Across the trail~

 The trails were dry - just enough moisture on the surface to stop the dust.  There were other shod hoof prints too.  At least as far as the mess above, where those hoof prints turned back.  I tied Farah, got out my hand saw & started in.  Since it was fresh wood, I couldn't believe how much effort it took to saw through the two biggest branches.  I was soaked in sweat & the bugs were attacking us in force.   I decided that Farah could make it over what was left & she did.  Now I'll have to go back & finish it off on a cooler day!

On the Trail~

 It was as beautiful as ever out there - the humidity was supposed to be low today - but it was high in the woods & the bugs were relentless...  If we even thought about stopping - they surrounded us in hoards.  We were both covered with bug spray - but it wasn't enough.

Farah with a mouthful~

It may look lush, but there's actually very little grass.  Farah knows where the good spots are now!  We did some trotting & galloped up a couple hills, but certainly a slower pace than last week.

More lushness~

 It was obvious that the park had received heavy rains, huge washouts were in the middle of all the hills.  Some over a foot deep.  They'll be no more fast going on these trails for a while!  Waterbars would be a huge help - but I'm not sure if they would even hold in this type of soil.  I'm going to ask a friend who's familiar with these soils.

One of the Washouts~

 At the bottomlands as I'm calling them now, all the dirt from the hills had been washed to the low spots.  It's such sandy, loamy soil that it moves easily.  It even sounds like the hard packed sand on the Oregon coast.

Soils deposited by the rains~

 I really wanted a decent photo of the Maidenhair ferns & this time the camera cooperated, except for the sunspot I found when I downloaded the images :-)

Hillside of Maidenhair Ferns~

 We were almost out when I remembered my stick - it wasn't in my hand - so I thought I'd left it on the ground when I was cutting the branches...  That meant that we'd be riding out again.  It was getting hotter by the minute & we were both covered in sweat.  Back at the trailer - here was my stick - still on the fender of the trailer!   Sweet relief!  I stripped the tack from Farah, got the buckets & washed her down.  For whatever reason, the bugs weren't as bad in camp.

Farah~

 My phone rang & it was one of the Park volunteers, returning my call.  She explained that the Ranger had been on vacation & hadn't been there to remove the closed trail sign.  I admitted my transgression & we discussed some of the issues facing this park.  One has to hope that they will be resolved - since without this horseman's haven - there are no other parks of this quality in the entire area...

Farah grazing in the shade

I've been told that originally this was a Boy Scout Camp.  Another camp, near Farah's stable, was sold to a private party after it was closed.  What a shame is all I can say - it would have been great to have that resource within riding distance of the barn.

Our Mills County Trails meeting was cancelled this month - but Butch & I are now volunteering to help with the Blue's & Brews Festival over the Fourth-of-July.  Keg Creek Brewing provides the craft beer, with proceeds from the event donated to our local trails!

Walk-a-bout~

Wednesday was a perfect day!  Sunshine & the temperature coming right up to 50 degrees!  Not what we'd expect for a mid-January day!  We decided to take a long walk & headed up the hill somewhat to the southwest of us.  It's steep going, but worth the view from the top!  I wish I'd remembered my Garmin!

Looking West

We enjoyed it so much, on Thursday we started out again.  (With my Garmin!)  It was a gray, overcast day - so our plan was to see how far it would be to circle the square :-)  We'd thought of going up to the park by way of the bridge by the High School, but the trail to get there was mud.  Instead we stuck to sidewalks.

Elevation~

It was fun to find this U.S. Geological survey marker.  Te town sits at well over 1,000 feet above sea-level.  This particular marker was dated 1955.

Horse head~

There's an interesting older house just up from the town square we want to ask about.  It was full of antiques & must have been something of a museum at one time.  The design of the iron horse head was one I haven't seen.

Tub/fountain/watering tank?

The iron tank above was really interesting too.  We were both thinking watering tank, but with the centerpiece, it had to be more of a fountain?

Stained glass above the side door~

The stained glass panel really stood out against the bright red brick of the house.  When we do go visit the museum, we're going to ask about this place.  We talk about how tempting it would be to buy & fix one up.  Here - we are ready to take life at a somewhat slower pace.  Still fun to think about - we've always loved the challenge of fixing things up :-)  Plenty of that left to do at home!

Our route~

Our walk covered 3.3 miles - from the house - round-trip.  We stopped to look at several vacant homes that are for sale.  The largest realtor in town has spent years buying up some of the older homes, fixing them up & re-selling them.  It's so sad when you see such well-built old houses sliding into disrepair.

Back home, we dropped Nika off & drove over to the Keg Creek Brewery for a cold beer!  The Vine Street Cellars on the square is open again - we'll have to see if they have warm wine next time.