August 27, 1996
We arrived at camp without mishap. That really worried me especially since I'm hauling the trailer with an older truck and Bonnie is driving Fred's old Ford Ranger PU with the camper on it. The wimpy 4 cylinder was not really meant to carry anything as heavy as the camper and it took a certain amount of skill to manage it. I was proud of Bonnie. Things just never go so smooth for me. Hummmmm......Well, we did miss our turn for the camp due to some confusing directions but got back on track quickly so it was no big deal. We got camp set up in pretty short order. It took a few minutes of head scratching to set up the portable electric fence unit we had purchased. I finally had to break down and read the instructions and then managed fine. Bonnie couldn't help me since she had to babysit Polly who was pawing and acting up while tied to the trailer. The portable fence unit is really nice and Bonnie found out the hard way that it was working very well. Actually, Jeff Chute tested it with his dog Cisco. Jeff had his hand on the wire and said he couldn't feel much. He then touched poor Cisco and she sure felt the zap. It sure is nice having the camper also. We had a relaxing day all in all. We cooked a wonderful meal of rice, corn and hot dogs. We are such fancy camp cooks. (snort) Sleeping in the trailer is neat as I can watch the horses from the window by my bed. It's a full moon and all was quiet. We sat around the campfire with everyone for quite a while. Turns out Jeff Chute knows my brother Kevin. They work together at Sears.
August 28, 1996
We were up early. It was cool but not too bad. We had breakfast and even had time to sit and relax for a while. We rode out of camp at 9:30 AM and had lunch at a nice stream that was in a large cornfield. Kathy Small and her daughter wouldn't follow the rules about keeping the horses tied and out of the fields. This caused a bit of a confrontation between them and Annie as Annie had gotten permission to ride on the agricultural roads as long as we stayed out of the corn. We rode a little further with the group that was doing the over-nighter, then we turned and headed back to camp. It was a slow ride back. Bonnie and I went out to eat tonight lazy things that we are. She had a buffalo burger and I had a loaded pizza. It is soooo nice having the portable electric fence. We can now leave the horses without too much worry. We had a nice campfire tonight.
August 29, 1996
We were up early again this morning. The horses must have been tired because they took turns laying down all night. Marie was taking quite a snooze at saddling up time. Just before we rode out, someone (Kathy again...) decided she didn't want to do the same ride again to meet the overnighters at the agreed place and time. There was quite an uproar over this and split the riders up. Half wanting to go with Kathy and half wanting to do the planned ride. Then there was a disagreement about whether or not Kathy's group would get credit for their ride hours if they did not do the planned ride and that didn't set very well with them. It was decide that Kathy's group would not get credit for their hours. Bonnie and I did the planned ride to meet the overnighters.
We have had showers available every day so far which has been great. Tonight we had Dinty Moore beef stew over rice. Once again the gourmet chef's at work. At the campfire tonight we were told that the people who drove out to the overnighter's camp to visit with them had gotten lost. They were creeping down this dirt road when low and behold, up ahead in the beam of the cars headlights, they see a naked man with a shovel. Stan yelled, "lock the doors". Well, I guess it was only Mark in a beige bathing suit out burying his "business". Yeah, sure! We played some volley ball tonight with Amy and Lance.
Sept. 1, 1996
The horses stayed in the fence yet another night. Horrrayyyyy. We headed out for a two hour ride this morning. When we got back, we snuck up to the lodge for a surprise birthday party for Annie and I think we really did surprise her. For once she was totally speechless. Nancy Weeks and Tammy put on a real nice lunch for her. Bonnie and I stayed after to help clean up, then headed back to camp to hang out in the shade with the other women. We brought Stan a plate of food from the party since he had been too tired to go up to the party. After all, he is over 80 years old. Tammy, Missy and I took a walk up a stream that flows by the camp. It was really nice. Then a group of us decided to go to Virginia Lake for a swim. I rode in Laurie's truck with Kathy. Marianne rode in the truck bed on a lawn chair and what a sight that was. We got kind of lost getting there but not too bad. The dirt road to the beach was quite a cow path. On the way back, we were trying to cut Julie off on the road and Laurie cut through a small parking lot in this effort. She cut a corner too short and ran over a rock with a back tire. Over went Marianne in the truck bed with her lawn chair. She was rolling all over the bed all tangled up in the chair....once again, what a sight. We were in hysterics in the front despite being somewhat worried about possibly killing the poor woman. Turned out she was ok though her chair would never be the same again. Thankfully she also has a very good sense of humor. Tonight was pot luck supper night. It was very good as expected. We then played a little volley ball. In the evening, we headed out for our "moonlight" ride. It turned out to be a "flashlight" ride as no one had thought about what time the full moon would be out. It was much later then our ride. We still had a great time. It was beautiful at the top of the mountain. You could see light for miles. It was VERY dark on the trail coming back down the mountain. We had a 'mountain witch' (Missy's mom) that rode up and down our line trying to collect 'treasures' for passage. Thanks to the spotlight on Sylvia L's truck, we were able to see to untack and put things away when we got back from the ride. We hung out at the campfire very late tonight. It was a very rowdy group!
Tuesday, August 27, 1996
Monday, August 28, 1995
Evergreen Valley MTRA August 1995
August 28, 1995
Well, we made it! After a little trip around Lewiston we didn't plan. Oh well, we're none the worse for the wear. We've got a decent spot to set up camp. We're a little distance from the water and restrooms. But, I don't imagine the walk will hurt me or Bonnie. We managed to get the fence set up. It's not electric so I hope the horses stay in it. I doubt Marie will. We got the tent set up and managed to get the stove fired up. We cooked a delicious meal of Dinty Moore beef stew. Yummmmmm...... Well, it was easy anyway. Annie Chaloux introduced us around. Everyone seems friendly. Stan is in the the trailer next to us. He's 80+ years old!! Everyone brought their dogs. Wish I'd brought Sam, he'd have loved it. We started packing what we would need for the over-nighter at the Shaw's camp. We all gathered over at Marianne's trailer for an evening around the bug candle. There were no campfires allowed due the the dry weather we've had. We headed back to camp around 9:30 PM. Hope we get some sleep.
August 29, 1995
Well, not much sleep. The morning started at about 4:00 AM with my horse loose (it just figures) I hope I don't have to tie her the whole time we're here. Bonnie's horse Shannon was a good girl and stayed inside the fence. We couldn't get the stove started this morning. It wouldn't hold pressure. We talked Annie into heating some water for us so we could have coffee and I could have some oatmeal. By the time we took care of that, finished packing for the over-nighter, and saddled up, we were in a bit of a rush. That put poor Bonnie into a mental overload. We managed though. Nancy Weeks let us load our stuff into her trailer to be trucked over to the camp. It was a nice ride to the camp. We stopped for lunch at Horseshoe Lake. The trail was rough in some spots but not too bad. The camp here is quite a heathen affair but it's on a real nice piece of property on a peninsula of Horseshoe Pond. Marianne set up her tent out on the dock. Maybe we'll cut it loose tonight. (snicker, snicker) Bonnie and I are sleeping on the porch of the camp with a whole pig pile of other people including Sue's dog Papa Dog. It rained some on the ride to camp. Bonnie left her raincoat with the stuff being trucked over on the trailer, so, she's really roughing it. We had take out pizza for supper. Bonnie had an Italian. Nancy Weeks made a blueberry cobbler which was delicious. We set up a highline for the horses and hung a hay bag between them. I hope they stay put for the night. Bonnie and I stayed up a while and visited with everyone then headed off to bed.
August 30, 1995
Up early. the horses had stayed put, yeah! They skinned down a few trees but that's all. Annie provided coffee and Nancy some muffins and fruit. We got off to an early start (there's a rumor going around that Bonnie slept with some dog last night!) We went up to an old mine site on some mountain today. We stopped at the top to have lunch and met up with the group that had gone back to base camp last night. Linda Temple had arrived this morning and was with them. The view from the mountain was real nice. It's been a real nice day. Linda had brought her own stove with her so we were able to cook our own supper tonight. La-Choy sweet and sour chicken. Another culinary delight. Linda's son drove up with her. Some friends of his were meeting him here to do some bike riding. Marie has managed to clean out the fence twice now trying to roll. We're going to have to tie them tonight. Marie has also formed an unreasonable attachment to Shannon all of the sudden. If Shannon is out of her sight for a second, she goes nuts! I made her follow behind on the ride home from where we had lunch and what a bad girl she was. She bucked, reared, danced and about everything else you can think of. I finally had to get off and walk her in hand for a while. She settled down some after a while but she was not happy at all. Neither was Shannon. Marie got so rattled at one point that we actualy walked right past Shannon and Marie never even realized it with all her hollering and carrying on. We were quite a way ahead when Shannon finally answered her and Marie nearly turned herself inside out trying to turn around and get back to her. It was a rather stressful ride. We've also had problems with bees. They seem especially fond of one woman that is riding a white horse. Linda's son's friends were late showing up so he finally called them. They had gotten into an accident in Auburn on the way up. I guess everyone is going to be ok. Just some bumps and bruises. Bert, Linda's son, is upset and wants to go home right away. We had quite a time setting up Linda's tent. It's an old one and she's never set it up before. WE finally managed after a few false starts. We tied the horses up for the night.
August 31, 1995
Marie managed to escape again, the rotten creature! She untied herself somehow. I had tied her with a neck rope running through her halter as she has a habit of rubbing her halter off so I though I was safe. I apparently didn't get the knot tied properly on the tree and she got it undone. Bonnie woke me up asking if we should be hearing the sound of a horse slurping water near our tent. NOT! Too bad she didn't go visit the beautiful paint stallion at the end of the field. We were right on the ball this morning and managed to be ready on time. We rode to the top of Adam's Mountain. It as beautiful and another great day. The trail up and back was great riding with real nice sturdy bridges. Linda worried about her son. She decided to leave in the evening but then one of her son's friends came and picked him up so she could stay. We had a pot luck supper. I made Pasta Primavera. There was a lot of great food. I ate like a pig. Bonnie and Linda were more civilized. Since we couldn't have a campfire, Annie got permission to go up the the lodge for the evening. It's very nice there. We played charades which was interesting. I don't think Linda was very impressed but she's a good sport.
Sept 1, 1995
We went to the Stoneham Rescue for a buffet breakfast they put on for us this morning and it was very good. The horses actually stayed tied last night and we got a full nights sleep. Linda's horse, Mac, was a real brat this morning. Linda had to walk him out before trying to ride him. Today's ride was a long one and stressful for the horses. We must have stopped a hundred times due to people looking for their dogs. I really wish people would leave their dogs in camp. The trail into Emerald Pool was a hiking trail and real rough going for the horses. We also had to clean the manure off it on the way out which created more standing around and waiting. From there we split up into two groups going back to camp. The slower riders going back the way we had come. The riders that wanted to move out faster went back along a six mile dirt road. We went with the fast group. Poor Sue had a very fast ride back to camp when she lost control of her horse. Poor Marianne got swarmed by bees on the hiking trail and fell off her horse. Thankfully she was ok if a bit rattled. We were very happy to get back to camp. We had already packed up most everying that morning before riding so we only had to load up the horses and head out. All in all we really had a great time.
Well, we made it! After a little trip around Lewiston we didn't plan. Oh well, we're none the worse for the wear. We've got a decent spot to set up camp. We're a little distance from the water and restrooms. But, I don't imagine the walk will hurt me or Bonnie. We managed to get the fence set up. It's not electric so I hope the horses stay in it. I doubt Marie will. We got the tent set up and managed to get the stove fired up. We cooked a delicious meal of Dinty Moore beef stew. Yummmmmm...... Well, it was easy anyway. Annie Chaloux introduced us around. Everyone seems friendly. Stan is in the the trailer next to us. He's 80+ years old!! Everyone brought their dogs. Wish I'd brought Sam, he'd have loved it. We started packing what we would need for the over-nighter at the Shaw's camp. We all gathered over at Marianne's trailer for an evening around the bug candle. There were no campfires allowed due the the dry weather we've had. We headed back to camp around 9:30 PM. Hope we get some sleep.
August 29, 1995
Well, not much sleep. The morning started at about 4:00 AM with my horse loose (it just figures) I hope I don't have to tie her the whole time we're here. Bonnie's horse Shannon was a good girl and stayed inside the fence. We couldn't get the stove started this morning. It wouldn't hold pressure. We talked Annie into heating some water for us so we could have coffee and I could have some oatmeal. By the time we took care of that, finished packing for the over-nighter, and saddled up, we were in a bit of a rush. That put poor Bonnie into a mental overload. We managed though. Nancy Weeks let us load our stuff into her trailer to be trucked over to the camp. It was a nice ride to the camp. We stopped for lunch at Horseshoe Lake. The trail was rough in some spots but not too bad. The camp here is quite a heathen affair but it's on a real nice piece of property on a peninsula of Horseshoe Pond. Marianne set up her tent out on the dock. Maybe we'll cut it loose tonight. (snicker, snicker) Bonnie and I are sleeping on the porch of the camp with a whole pig pile of other people including Sue's dog Papa Dog. It rained some on the ride to camp. Bonnie left her raincoat with the stuff being trucked over on the trailer, so, she's really roughing it. We had take out pizza for supper. Bonnie had an Italian. Nancy Weeks made a blueberry cobbler which was delicious. We set up a highline for the horses and hung a hay bag between them. I hope they stay put for the night. Bonnie and I stayed up a while and visited with everyone then headed off to bed.
August 30, 1995
Up early. the horses had stayed put, yeah! They skinned down a few trees but that's all. Annie provided coffee and Nancy some muffins and fruit. We got off to an early start (there's a rumor going around that Bonnie slept with some dog last night!) We went up to an old mine site on some mountain today. We stopped at the top to have lunch and met up with the group that had gone back to base camp last night. Linda Temple had arrived this morning and was with them. The view from the mountain was real nice. It's been a real nice day. Linda had brought her own stove with her so we were able to cook our own supper tonight. La-Choy sweet and sour chicken. Another culinary delight. Linda's son drove up with her. Some friends of his were meeting him here to do some bike riding. Marie has managed to clean out the fence twice now trying to roll. We're going to have to tie them tonight. Marie has also formed an unreasonable attachment to Shannon all of the sudden. If Shannon is out of her sight for a second, she goes nuts! I made her follow behind on the ride home from where we had lunch and what a bad girl she was. She bucked, reared, danced and about everything else you can think of. I finally had to get off and walk her in hand for a while. She settled down some after a while but she was not happy at all. Neither was Shannon. Marie got so rattled at one point that we actualy walked right past Shannon and Marie never even realized it with all her hollering and carrying on. We were quite a way ahead when Shannon finally answered her and Marie nearly turned herself inside out trying to turn around and get back to her. It was a rather stressful ride. We've also had problems with bees. They seem especially fond of one woman that is riding a white horse. Linda's son's friends were late showing up so he finally called them. They had gotten into an accident in Auburn on the way up. I guess everyone is going to be ok. Just some bumps and bruises. Bert, Linda's son, is upset and wants to go home right away. We had quite a time setting up Linda's tent. It's an old one and she's never set it up before. WE finally managed after a few false starts. We tied the horses up for the night.
August 31, 1995
Marie managed to escape again, the rotten creature! She untied herself somehow. I had tied her with a neck rope running through her halter as she has a habit of rubbing her halter off so I though I was safe. I apparently didn't get the knot tied properly on the tree and she got it undone. Bonnie woke me up asking if we should be hearing the sound of a horse slurping water near our tent. NOT! Too bad she didn't go visit the beautiful paint stallion at the end of the field. We were right on the ball this morning and managed to be ready on time. We rode to the top of Adam's Mountain. It as beautiful and another great day. The trail up and back was great riding with real nice sturdy bridges. Linda worried about her son. She decided to leave in the evening but then one of her son's friends came and picked him up so she could stay. We had a pot luck supper. I made Pasta Primavera. There was a lot of great food. I ate like a pig. Bonnie and Linda were more civilized. Since we couldn't have a campfire, Annie got permission to go up the the lodge for the evening. It's very nice there. We played charades which was interesting. I don't think Linda was very impressed but she's a good sport.
Sept 1, 1995
We went to the Stoneham Rescue for a buffet breakfast they put on for us this morning and it was very good. The horses actually stayed tied last night and we got a full nights sleep. Linda's horse, Mac, was a real brat this morning. Linda had to walk him out before trying to ride him. Today's ride was a long one and stressful for the horses. We must have stopped a hundred times due to people looking for their dogs. I really wish people would leave their dogs in camp. The trail into Emerald Pool was a hiking trail and real rough going for the horses. We also had to clean the manure off it on the way out which created more standing around and waiting. From there we split up into two groups going back to camp. The slower riders going back the way we had come. The riders that wanted to move out faster went back along a six mile dirt road. We went with the fast group. Poor Sue had a very fast ride back to camp when she lost control of her horse. Poor Marianne got swarmed by bees on the hiking trail and fell off her horse. Thankfully she was ok if a bit rattled. We were very happy to get back to camp. We had already packed up most everying that morning before riding so we only had to load up the horses and head out. All in all we really had a great time.
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