It was once again cold, but I persevered and had a good ride despite it. Patches once again went with me and seemed to have a good time. She is now zonked out behind the couch snoring her brains out.
Crickett was really good, a bit pokey on the way out (big surprise) but Patches needs the slower pace anyway. Nothing new to report really.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
12:30-1:45
I went out again today, sans camera. What a warm bright beautiful day! Compared to yesterday today's rides was pretty boring. Crickett and I just soaked up the sunshine and did some hill work. When I trail ride I never purposely let a trail ride "just" be a trail ride. I want Crickett to get something out of it other then a release of energy. Today was hill work and sagebrush dodging, one of my favorite trail riding activities.
The goal is to find the best hill of the day and get to the top but never going around the same sagebrush twice, and to use as little hand as possible on Cricketts mouth. Today it went pretty good considering that it has been a few weeks since I have done it. We stayed right around the first hill, the same guys that were out shooting yesterday were out again and I did not want to cross anywhere near them.
I think that hell froze over on this trail ride too, because my dork of a dog Patches:
The most lazy dog ever, the one that hid under my bed to avoid going on trail rides came with me happily. I about had a heart attack. She ran all over the place, sniffing dens and rolling in the dirt. I was pretty amazed. We spent about forty five minutes out there before I headed in, and let out the tiny rein of terror that is Mojo. Now I have never tried to take him on a trail ride, or even see what he would do if I let him come with me on a jaunt down the driveway.
That changed today, I brought him out and he ran around like a crazy dog trying to figure out where was the best spot to walk while I was riding. He settled down about five feet away from Crickett's shoulder, which was nice because I could still see him perfectly, but he was out of harms way. I think that tomorrow I am going to see how well he will do out in the L.T.
Mojo is now sleeping on my penguin pillow, oblivious to the WORLD.
The goal is to find the best hill of the day and get to the top but never going around the same sagebrush twice, and to use as little hand as possible on Cricketts mouth. Today it went pretty good considering that it has been a few weeks since I have done it. We stayed right around the first hill, the same guys that were out shooting yesterday were out again and I did not want to cross anywhere near them.
I think that hell froze over on this trail ride too, because my dork of a dog Patches:
The most lazy dog ever, the one that hid under my bed to avoid going on trail rides came with me happily. I about had a heart attack. She ran all over the place, sniffing dens and rolling in the dirt. I was pretty amazed. We spent about forty five minutes out there before I headed in, and let out the tiny rein of terror that is Mojo. Now I have never tried to take him on a trail ride, or even see what he would do if I let him come with me on a jaunt down the driveway.
That changed today, I brought him out and he ran around like a crazy dog trying to figure out where was the best spot to walk while I was riding. He settled down about five feet away from Crickett's shoulder, which was nice because I could still see him perfectly, but he was out of harms way. I think that tomorrow I am going to see how well he will do out in the L.T.
Mojo is now sleeping on my penguin pillow, oblivious to the WORLD.
January 25 Trail Ride (Bones Alive!)
12:56-1:56 p.m
I took Crickett out yesterday after having to set a specific time for me to ride and stick to it. This actually worked better then I thought it would. The weather was pretty cold, with a light wind that did not help at all, I had three layers of pants on and 4 top layers. I was worried about Crickett being a mit bit mareish, but other then being really pokey and lazy on the way out and a little bit hyped up on the way home we had a good ride.
I took my camera and did not take pictures of the most eye appealing things, but I did take pictures off all the bones that I saw because I thought it would be a good topic of conversation later on. So this is by far not the first set of bones I had come across while I was riding that day, but the first that I thought "Oh lets take pictures of bones!" I had seen some normal joints and vertebra and a shoulder blade that I had been tossing to my dogs the day before.
This is a horse skeleton about a half mile from the gate, I have seen it before, right after it was shot of there (Mid Fall) and I have just avoided it for the last few months because the need to see it did not ever arise. We get about one or two a year dumped out here, either trailered in, shot and left where they fell or dead ones shoved out the bed of a pickup truck.
My only problem with this is that they dump them so close to the gate and so close to the roads. When they dump them this close not only do I have limited ways around the carcass but it brings the coyotes down from the canyon rim. When the coyotes are down we usually lose a cat or two. By now I have given you ample warning but just in case you missed it....
*Graphic Dead Horse Pictures*
These are the best pictures that I could get, the mare was pretty spooky around it, and I do not blame her. There was also another leg that had been detached and drug down into the small creek bed just to the left of the skelton.
I changed directions after this, as there were some guys shooting clay pigeons ahead of us and went like I was headed to the river. Somehow I discovered an access road that I have never seen, or just do not remember being there. Along the road there were some major Elk/ Big Horn Sheep markings . This is what I found along that road.
A nice little lower jaw bone from a sheep or elk, seemed a bit to small for an elk so I am going to call it a sheep one. Crickett was just fine with these bones, stood pretty still and let me get my shot off before jigging her way over a sagebrush.
I hit a trail that I recognized that led down to the river, and I know that there are some deer. sheep and elk down there but Crickett tends to act up a bit on that trail and I did not have a helmet on and was not going to risk getting bucked off on such a cold day and have to walk home. About this time I turned around and got just about the best picture of Mt. Clemmens that I have ever taken, sitting perfect between the saddle hills.
Pretty epic if you ask me!
At this point I was pretty damn cold and the wind had started up so Crickett and I headed back in. but found these little leg bones of what I am assuming was a coyote, they were to dense to be anything but. A short distance away I also found the following shoulder blade and bone.
Crickett was ready to be home and munching some hay by the time I snapped this photo so I put the camera away and let her find her own way home. Turns out she took the most direct route, straight up the hills.
I took Crickett out yesterday after having to set a specific time for me to ride and stick to it. This actually worked better then I thought it would. The weather was pretty cold, with a light wind that did not help at all, I had three layers of pants on and 4 top layers. I was worried about Crickett being a mit bit mareish, but other then being really pokey and lazy on the way out and a little bit hyped up on the way home we had a good ride.
I took my camera and did not take pictures of the most eye appealing things, but I did take pictures off all the bones that I saw because I thought it would be a good topic of conversation later on. So this is by far not the first set of bones I had come across while I was riding that day, but the first that I thought "Oh lets take pictures of bones!" I had seen some normal joints and vertebra and a shoulder blade that I had been tossing to my dogs the day before.
This is a horse skeleton about a half mile from the gate, I have seen it before, right after it was shot of there (Mid Fall) and I have just avoided it for the last few months because the need to see it did not ever arise. We get about one or two a year dumped out here, either trailered in, shot and left where they fell or dead ones shoved out the bed of a pickup truck.
My only problem with this is that they dump them so close to the gate and so close to the roads. When they dump them this close not only do I have limited ways around the carcass but it brings the coyotes down from the canyon rim. When the coyotes are down we usually lose a cat or two. By now I have given you ample warning but just in case you missed it....
*Graphic Dead Horse Pictures*
These are the best pictures that I could get, the mare was pretty spooky around it, and I do not blame her. There was also another leg that had been detached and drug down into the small creek bed just to the left of the skelton.I changed directions after this, as there were some guys shooting clay pigeons ahead of us and went like I was headed to the river. Somehow I discovered an access road that I have never seen, or just do not remember being there. Along the road there were some major Elk/ Big Horn Sheep markings . This is what I found along that road.
A nice little lower jaw bone from a sheep or elk, seemed a bit to small for an elk so I am going to call it a sheep one. Crickett was just fine with these bones, stood pretty still and let me get my shot off before jigging her way over a sagebrush.
I hit a trail that I recognized that led down to the river, and I know that there are some deer. sheep and elk down there but Crickett tends to act up a bit on that trail and I did not have a helmet on and was not going to risk getting bucked off on such a cold day and have to walk home. About this time I turned around and got just about the best picture of Mt. Clemmens that I have ever taken, sitting perfect between the saddle hills.
Pretty epic if you ask me!At this point I was pretty damn cold and the wind had started up so Crickett and I headed back in. but found these little leg bones of what I am assuming was a coyote, they were to dense to be anything but. A short distance away I also found the following shoulder blade and bone.
Crickett was ready to be home and munching some hay by the time I snapped this photo so I put the camera away and let her find her own way home. Turns out she took the most direct route, straight up the hills.
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