A Weekend Spent in the Saddle

I took a few days off (originally to attend my college reunion), but due to the expense, opted to stay home and get things done around the garden, the house, etc. Of course, I was easily sidetracked by Harley and the glorious weather. I'd much rather spend time in the saddle, than cleaning and doing other household drudgery. My garden is suffering from lack of attention--those poor seedlings are in serious need of spreading their roots!

So I gardened for awhile, then escaped to the barn! To keep things fresh and interesting, I rode Harley  out to the old Jepson farm. The bugs haven't been too bad yet, due to chilly nights and stiff breezes. We took a different trail back, encompassing an extra loop out past North Point. He did very well; better in the woods than on the road. Our only hiccup in a nearly perfect ride was a dog running out of the woods at him. He's a little twitchy about barking dogs in the underbrush--the natural instinct to flee takes over. Thankfully, the owner got the dog after a little whirling and some side-stepping.

Sunday was a short ride--only out to Orris Falls and over the hilltop. The trail is still blocked by a downed tree, so we had to backtrack part of the way. For an added bit of excitement, we went up to Big Bump and under the power line, coming out behind the Savage's house. There's always something for Harley to gawk at and snort about: a big black snowmobile trailer, the deer target, a snowplow, and this time, a moving tractor! Yikes! I took the easy way out, jumped off and walked him down the drive and  up the road. Good thing too--passing the goats proved interesting. They had the nerve to "baahhh" at him! That sent him over the top as he pranced back to the barn.

Harley commenting on the proposed route

Yesterday was the topper! We planned to explore a new leg of our "Agamenticus" route. What was purported to be a two and a half hour ride, of course, turned into about four and a half. The weather was perfect, though, not too hot, with a nice breeze, keeping bugs to a minimum. Michele arrived in time to join us. John and I did the ride switcheroo, using the "sag wagon" to bring water, and carry Michele's dog, Dasher, around the road portions.

John rode all the way out and I rode back. We found our way (good thing I had the map) through the "unknown" portions of the trail, encountering bridges and a bit of muck, but overall, a great loop. Harley was awesome, especially so with the calming support of Echoe at his side. The only scary bit was the pig--yes, Harley saw his first pig, I believe, and was only sure about one thing--we needed to get away! He pranced the rest of the way down the road until he was back on a familiar trail, the last leg leading homeward.