Southern CA trip

More photos of Tamara and me from last weekend....

http://www.rosetrace.com/Tejon/Tejon.html

Maui Photos

Maui Photos are now available - sorry for the delay - we just got DSL out here in the woods, and now everything is so much easier on the computer!

http://www.rosetrace.com/Maui/Maui.html

Desolation Wilderness - With Snow

We were poured on last weekend in Southern CA, this week was 90 degrees at home, and then yesterday, there was snow all off the Desolation Wilderness while we rode about 20 some miles up and down granite staircases with Bare Feet! It was the first time I think I have ever really ridden in snow. It was absolutely gorgeous, coupled with the fall color change. The horses did fantastic with their bare feet. The horses just glided over the rocks at the walk, trot, and canter. I don't know how they have the time to choose where to put their hooves so perfectly to avoid the big rocks, but they do. Not even one chip.

If you have a chance, view this photo album to see the snow and the terrain we were riding on. It is absolutely gorgeous. http://www.rosetrace.com/TellsSeptember2007/TellsSeptember2007.html

Amatuer Radio License

So I took my Amateur Radio test at the beginning of the month and passed with a perfect score. My call sign is KI6LQX. I have a little hand held radio that I take with me on rides or whenever I will be in an area without cell phone coverage. Where I live, that is just about everywhere. It gives me a piece of mind knowing that I will be able to contact someone if I get in trouble on the trail because it can contact someone always, just have to find the right frequency. I have it defaulted to the Auburn repeater, but I understand the Mt. Vaca repeater is very powerful as well. If you have a little extra time to study for the test - lots of electronics and physics - it is worth it. Now I am going to study for my General's license which opens up more frequencies to me.

Photos of Tejon

Lynne Glazer's photographs of the Tejon Fandango ride are here:

http://www.photo.lynnesite.com/gallery/3523468#P-19-15

You can get a good feel for the beautiful terrain.

Tamara and I are on Page 19.

Those are just the photos from Day 1, Day 2 are coming soon.

Easyboots and Foaming

The foaming worked great! I foamed on 2 Easyboots in the front, 2 Bares without the Gators in the back on both Annie and Feather. It took about 1 hour to put them on, they stayed on for 5 days until we pulled them off. I followed all of Karen Chaton's directions on how to foam correctly. Pulling them off was tough, that goodness I have Logan. We did find a trick - loosen the foam with a flat head screw driver, then spray Pam all inside the boot. Put your horse back in the pasture for a day.... then pry off the boot. The foam peeled out nicely with the addition of the Pam.

The boots were so slippery in the wet mud, there was no traction at all. I wish I had my Easyboot Grips, the boots that have a very aggressive tread pattern for mud. But I left those at home. I wasn't expecting rain. Grips are going in my trailer for whenever I might need them.

I thought Feather moved incredibly well with the foamed on boots - there was nothing above her hair line, nothing around her heel bulbs, just a really tight fitting boot on her foot. As a matter of fact, I think she moved out the best she ever had. She doesn't like gators.

I would like to try the foaming with a Renegade bottom. I talked to Kirt and he said he used to Equithane on a base and that it worked fabulous. I think foaming is the way to go for sure for a multiday!

My Weekend

Wow, I wasn't expecting rain! It poured and poured Friday night and Saturday during the ride. The trails were messy and slippery.... Anyway, Tamara and I rode Friday and Saturday at the Tejon Ranch, finished strongly with all A's.... and then decided we had enough of the slip and slide, so we went back to her house and rode in the desert. I rode Feather, she rode her horse Bailey, and we let Annie off line to follow us through the National Forest. The scenery was amazing, Tamara truly found a special place to live with lots of trails. Feather felt stronger everyday... my drive down and back was uneventful. All in all, despite the rain, a very fun weekend!