Money On The Line

September 23, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

Way back when the nights were still frosty, I hauled Tarma solo up to Tacoma and we more or less calmly puttered through a 15 mile intro ride. Just over a month later, we rode 24 miles on our last day with the Cross State Ride, and Tarma had three weeks off for a badly […]

Double D Update

September 15, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

I love my trailer. I adore having it parked in front of my house, so I can tinker with it endlessly. I appreciate falling asleep to the sounds of Tarma eating from her hay net, and waking up to her screaming because she needs to pee and dislikes having to do so on the Hi […]

Know Better, Aim for Better

September 12, 2022.Reading time 15 minutes.

Despite what felt like the entire Pacific Northwest being on fire, my friends and I still managed to snatch an enjoyable weekend together over in Sisters, at their first Equine Trail Sports event. The smoke was almost as bad as the same weekend last year, leading to headaches and shorter tempers, though we were able […]

Dog and Pony Show

September 2, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

Sometimes Tarma just can’t with me, and really makes me work to be with her and be a good person for her to deal with. Other times everything just flows. Still other times a lot goes right and some things are just like, “Really, mare? Please, sort yourself out.” Yesterday was the latter! It was […]

Moments in the Mountains

August 22, 2022.Reading time 14 minutes.

Now that I’m home and showered, time for my favorite thing: a trip report! The short version: a magical and relaxing time in the mountains with a good friend. More below the photo dump! We were planning to go to Whitefish horse camp, father south, as I was hungry for those epic mountain views and […]

Whiplash

August 14, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

The alternative title for today’s post is “WTF?” Was Mercury in Pluto or something? I’m so confused why today went so off the rails…and yet we were all able to enjoy a lovely ride anyway. It really all started because I’m a dumb human with smart animals. I have a routine on weekend ride days, […]

Pink Ribbon

August 8, 2022.Reading time 13 minutes.

I happily blame everyone who actually reads this random blog and sends encouragement in any form for this crazy ride with Tarma for what happened this last weekend. Ya’ll are put on notice for being generally awesome, and partly for helping Tarma and I get so far so fast. Of course I take some credit, […]

Miles Under The Tires

July 21, 2022.Reading time 14 minutes.

Despite diesel prices refusing to drop below $6 per gallon, I managed to sneak in two trips over the past few weeks. I ate Lunchables, cut out logs, had some discussions with Tarma, and learned a few things. I will state here, once again, I adore my trailer and I’m this close to having it […]

Riding Through Red Dead

July 11, 2022.Reading time 20 minutes.

For years I’ve had to endure various endurance friend’s descriptions and stories of the mystical Bandit Springs ride, in the Ochoco Mountains outside Prineville. It’s never been in the cards for me, but I made it happen this year through a combination of friendship and sheer willful optimism. Last weekend a friend and I explored […]

Benny’s Birthday

June 6, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

Today our chocolate bundle of perpetually damp chaos is a year old. Whew, we survived Benny’s puppyhood! He’s a fully formed dog that requires no more training! Now that you’re done laughing at my cute naivete, let’s review Benny’s year, shall we? He spent the first two months with his mom and litter mates of […]