March 28th...Trail Ride

These are all the same pictures I have posted on Facebook.  The only difference is this one comes with a story.  :-)  So many people have gone to FB and don't blog as much any more....but I still enjoy doing it and I enjoy reading other blogs.  It is fun to see what other people are doing, and I love photos!  It is also like a diary....when I look back I get a reminder of what I have been doing and it makes me smile.  :-) 

On that note....I went back to ride and had planned on taking the trail around by the shooting range.  I could see smoke from the distance but thought someone was burning off the fields on the other side of the Wildlife area.  I got to the parking lot and a couple of mushroom hunting ladies stopped by and told me that the area I was headed was being burned off by the Conservation Dept and that the smoke was very thick.  They suggested I go the other way....and I am glad I did!

I headed back towards the lake, and when I got there I could see the smoke.  It didn't look as bad as it did from the other side.  I could not smell it from the parking lot or here, so the wind must have been going the right direction.

As we were getting ready to ride across the dam, something caught Tripp's attention...oh what can it be?

"Mom, I am thinking this is not a very good idea.  There are some weird looking critters up there and I have heard stories...they can be mean!  And they sound funny...it just isn't right!

"Oh geez, okay, I will go, but I don't like it....oh wait, they are moving way from me!  Yes, I am very tough and have that effect on other critters!  They fear me!  (snort snort!)"

Yep, they are wild geese, and they were honking their displeasure at being disturbed.

They are so pretty!

Safe and sound in the water, right where Tripp put them!  Ha!

Back on the trail... right around the corner we saw some riders getting ready to load up.  They had been on the other side where it was smoky, but they said they had a great ride.  They also had an awesome dog named Jack who seemed to have a smile on his face.  Neat dog!  :-)

Pretty soon the trees will be fully leaved out and I won't be able to see the trail wind thru the woods.

This is one of the prettiest places on the trail.  There is a creek, rocks, fallen logs...for some reason this little dip in the trail feels different.  Love it down there!

Again, making time for self portraits while riding...it is tricky but I did it without falling off!  Ha!

I finally hit a point when I knew I would not make it back to the truck before dark.  I sent Brian a message letting him know I was still out there and I would be late.  As I circled around I could see the fire burning.  The smoke was not as thick as what it probably was earlier, but it was thick enough to burn my eyes.   The Dept. of Conservation truck was driving around, so I knew they were still keeping an eye on it.

The glow was very pretty, but at the same time it is sad.  The critters that lived in that area in the old dead hollow logs and trees either had to run or they died.  I saw a tall hollow tree that was glowing inside and it made me sad....

Finally made it back to the truck, and in spite of the fire and smoke I had a great ride!  The GPS thingy quit half way thru!  ACK!  It stopped at 3.2 miles and judging by the picture, I had a good idea where it quit.  So I was guessing I rode between 7 - 8 miles.  The GPS thing is a work in progress.  :-)  It also said my max speed was 24.61 mph.  Um, we know that isn't right!  Ha ha!

So, we had a great ride, and riding thru the woods in the dark was amazing!  I loved it!  I can only imagine what a full moon night would be like...or a dark sky night with the stars shining real bright.

Until later....Karen and Tripp who thinks life is good!  :-)