Windy Riding!

San Tan Mtn Park
San Tan Trail-Fox Wash-rocky road-Goldmine trail-rocky hill
probably ~10 miles...someone forgot to turn her GPS on...:) but it was all walking, so I'm guessing ~3mph average?

Weeheee...Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...at least, that's what it felt like today! It was win-dy! Wow! I have no idea how strong the wind was blowing, but I do know Mimi's mane was blowing all over the place - and that's even in braids!

What is this, practice for Death Valley? With the way the wind has been blowing, I'll be really experienced with picking sand and grit out of my teeth...

Today was a really good ride, though, especially considering the wind. The saddle just gets more and more comfortable, and Mimi is still loving it. Hardly anyone was out riding, and we didn't run into any hikers or bikers. Yay! I'm guessing half the distance rider contingent that rides down there was at a ride somewhere this weekend...I know Mt. Carmel is going on up in Utah. *jealous*

Got some good "slithering down rocky trails" practice today...walked probably a mile and half on the really rocky road and down the big rocky hill. Rumor has it the park people are looking to fix the road that runs to the top of the mountain - and dead ends. Really fun trail to go up...noy so good to get back down. I call it our Arizona Cougar Rock, and it really is - at least from the pics I've seen of Cougar Rock - but it's not fun trying to ride back down it. So that would be the one trail that I would beg them to get their kicks and "trail fixing" giggles out on.

And so we enter into the week of chaos. I'm graduating Thursday, so I have family coming in Monday and Wednesday. We're refinishing the satillo tile in the house and repainting bathrooms. I have 2 tests left and 2 papers still to write. And Descanso NATRC coming up in 3 weeks. Funfun...

For Us Crazy Distance Riders

For All of Us “Crazy Distance Riders”

This is for the riders in spandex tights and helmets
For the riders who skip family events to attend a ride
For the riders who can still trot their horse out for the final vet check, even after being stepped
on, bitten, slimed, concussed and broken
For the riders who can park a their rig in the middle of the night – after ridecamp is already full

This is for the riders who know exactly how their horse is doing just by looking in their eyes
For the riders who know exactly how valuable a roll of BodyGlide is
And who can still smile despite needed to use an entire roll of BodyGlide
For the riders who can find a cell phone signal in the middle of a remote ridecamp

This is for the riders who know that “To Finish Is To Win”

This is for the passion we hold, the drive we share, and the will to win.

We know what it feels like to close your eyes at night and still feel that you’re on the back of your horse…oh, wait, that’s because it’s mile 90 of a hundred miler, and you still are on your horse!