One in the saddle, one on the ground
I was at my happiest today in a gravel parking lot. We were in our way home from a fantastic weekend at the Grizzly Mountain Ride, and we’d stopped at the rest area on the Deschutes River in Warm Springs. This area is my favorite of all my road trips, I swear there’s magic in […]
Read MoreI always like to wait a few days to do my official ride write up. This gives me time to stop groaning every time I get up, clean out the rig, and really see how Tarma is doing after we’re back home. Today she had a chiropractic appointment with the ever lovely Dr. Sammons of […]
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Endurance is such a tough sport in multiple ways, but also utterly fulfilling…as long as your equine partner is willing. Limited distance rides are fun, a good training ground, and can be hard in their own ways…but you don’t quite know the answer until you hit 50 miles or more. Does your horse like endurance? […]
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Before every big trip or event, I try to carve out some quiet space to tinker with something and visualize the path ahead. Usually this is done around packing, though last week I hauled out my saddle and futzed with my saddle bags after noticing how jangly they were at speed. I set the Wintec […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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In the series of books I’m named for (The God Stalker Chronicles, by PC Hodgell), a major plot point is something called “the soulscape”. This is a weird dimension the reflects an individual’s soul, such as a garden, a walled keep, something that sits at the deepest level of the character’s psyche, and the race […]
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On the loose 