Merry Everything!

This year has not been a good year for many of us. The one thing we can always count on though... is our loving family and friends. To my lovely blog friends, I wish you the very merriest for this holiday season!

Your Desert Rose!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Yup...just got back from the NFR in Las Vegas, this was my 6th year running! This year however each of the 3 Amigos was under the weather. Baby Doll was on antibiotics, the Bossman was on the ummm, errrr, "shitter" and I ended up with both by the time I got home!!!
I didn't take as many pictures this year because after 6 years...it's pretty much the same! So instead I will post pictures of the items I found for Pupperoni at Cowboy Xmas!

Here is puppy wearing her new hair on hide visor just like mommy's! She also got a shinny red one with a heart cut out on it. She did think she was being punished when I put it on her...maybe she will get use to it!

Pupperoni's other purchase was a new sheep skin rug to lay on next to the bath tub in mommy's bathroom. Puppy loves to lay by the tub when mommy is in the tub soaking! See...she loves her new rug ;)))

Your Desert Rose!

MY HAPPY PLACE!

I love my beautiful nieces! Although they are not all in this photo, and my daughter is to my left, my nieces have all grown up to be such lovely women inside and out! This particular photo was taken 3 winters ago in front of my tack room just after we had returned  from a full moon ride! I think it was a first for them although I know that Pony Girl has ridden in the dark since then. I was so fortunate to have these lovelies visit us for about 5 days in the desert! I usually only get to see them a few times a year now...but treasure any time I get to spend with them!

Your Desert Rose!

Pacific Crest Trail...(6th segment ridden)

In my goal of riding as many segments of the PCT in a 20 year span I have just completed my 6th segment ridden! One of these 6 segments we have ridden over and over has a great lunch stop, Live Oak Spring, with an underground spring that supplies water for our horses. Even if at the end of the 20 years I will have only ridden 20 segments I will feel satisfied with the accomplishment!
Since we had never been to this new trial head the Bossman and I have our usual disagreements as to what way is left and what way is right but we hit our targeted time of leaving the stables for our ride. On our way to the trail head I make a silly comment..."well at least it's not windy today" because our trail today would start at the Mesa Wind Farm. Of course the wind farm was built in this location...because it is FUCKINGWINDY there! (25 cents in the cuss jar) there!!! I finally relented and said that the Bossman did not have to wear his cowboy hat and instead wear his beloved Pith helmet. My reasoning for this was...if his hat was going to blow away...I sure did not want it to blow back on Lady and me knocking us off the trail down into the deep ravines of the PCT.

Now before I go to much further in my story...I must tell you that this segment was ridden almost a year ago! And since then we have ridden a few more segment adventures to tell you about! But...back to this segment ;)))

I have to admit that I was NOT sure how Lady was going to react to the wheeeeer wheeeeer of the windmills as we entered their domain! However after a minute or 2 she did NOT pay any attention to them even though they annoyed the HELL otta me! ( 25 cents in the cuss jar!)

About 45 minutes in to the ride we see this sign...

then another one in a few minutes!

 Of course we go explore and meet these 2 friendly guys!

The signs are really meant for the thru hikers ( the ones going to Mexico to Canada) who really need to stop whenever the can to restock their water supply.
We don't stay long because we want to ride as far as we can today and then turn around and ride back to the trailer...which I hate to do. But in the future we now have it figured out how we could have BIG FOOT drop us off and leave the trailer for us at the end of this segment. not all segments have trail heads that can be ridden this way....you just have to turn and around and ride back where you came from :)))

As you can see...the above signs show this distances between trail heads!
There are not as many rocks on the trail or terrain and the trails are not hard packed sand but more mushy as they are in the dry washes. This trail has been well maintained and many wooden trail braces can be seen. There are grassy meadows in the distance and the hills seem more rolling.

Finally... we have climbed up enough so that we have left the LAND OF THE WINDMILLS and come to a much different terrain than we usually encounter on the PCT! All but one of our PCT segments have begun in high desert terrain. This particular segment actually began on the desert floor of Palm Springs...which meant we would need to climb.climb, climb...and then drop down, down, down into a wash before another big climb~~~

 

Ooooppppps.....how did that get in here ;)))

 So this next picture...has a very washed out area that shows up in the middle of the picture! This was taken across the canyon after we had ridden it...I have to say that to date...this was probably my worst bad trail spot. I say this because the sand was very soft and very narrow at the washed out spot! I think what brothered me most was knowing that I was going to have to pass it again on our way back!!!

 Spectacular views at every turn!

 the view to the wash below!

We finally decide it's lunch time...there is a science to knowing that! You take the time traveled thus far, add an hour for lunch and then deduct 1/2 hour cause the horses always walk faster on the way home ;)

So the next few pictures are new to my rides...

Bridle resting during lunch!

Back in the saddle after a delicious lunch and chilled bottle of wine!

Finally have made it back to the flat ground but need to pass by the windmills again but this time you get to hear it too!

Your Desert Rose!

Trail Slut...and Proud of it!

A few years back our Pony Cousins were trying to decide on a location to hold our yearly roundup weekend with our ponies. I had made a comment that I was hoping to explore our options and maybe try new places every year, even though the ranch we had been going to was fabulous, I was hoping for some more challenging trail options. during the debate on our online Pony Cousin group my niece Pony Girl made mention of the fact that my trail experience was more extensive than the rest of the cousins who felt very at ease and comfy with the current trails. I did not intend to respond in a comic way...it just kinda went that way ;))) So thank you Pony Girl for inspiring me to take an honest look at myself and my trails!

The Desert Rose at her Trail Sluttiest!

This email is in response to my Pony girl's previous comment to my
"trail expertise" of the group. NO.......she did not call me a "trail
whore", one who rides trails for money! But there was a hint of
insinuating that I was a "trail slut", one who rides many trails to
reduce the monotony of riding the same old boring trail. Yes, I do
admit that I am excited by a new trail, never knowing what lies ahead,
the possible breath taking thrills and the hint of danger . The
anticipation of such a ride makes my skin tingle days before the
encounter. I also admit that the "bigger the ride" the more
gratification is felt after the ride, although that is NOT always the
case. Some "big rides" have left me unsatisfied and wanting for more. I
have also been know to ride several different trails in as many days.
This does not mean I do not have special fondness for certain trails
that have always given me a good ride. There are some trails that I
deem to dangerous (even for me) and others that I would never ride
again because I seemed to sleep right through the experience. Sometimes
I like to ride many trails on the same day, sometimes called a 3 some!
I have ridden as many as 5 trails, one after the other. This called a
trail gang bang. There have been a few times given enough cowgirl
courage that I did not remember the trail I had ridden the day before.
Then a month later I start to recognize the chiseled rock or the cool
wet banks of the stream. It soon all flows back to me and it is a
double thrill. I have no shame in being a "trail slut" as it has made
me the cowgirl I am today. And.....since most of you.......have ridden
the trails I ride, and now are in the business of of horses in one way
or another yourselves, ask yourself. What kind of trail cowgirl do do
want to be?????? Oh sure, always be true to one trail ( called "safe
trail") or you can lust for adventure and be a "cowgirl trail slut" and
have the rides of your life!
The sea is full of trails, why ride just one?
Proud to be a "Trail Slut"
Your Desert Rose!