RIDIN' AROUND

SALTGRASS TRAIL RIDE

2010-03-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

I traveled down to Texas to join the Saltgrass Trail Ride (saltgrasstrailride.org) on February 19, 2010. The ride lasts from Friday (Feb 20, 2010) to Saturday (Feb 27, 2010). It starts on the Wittenberg Ranch near Cat Spring, TX and ends in a parade through downtown Houston, TX. The ride covers approximately 90 miles with stops at parks and pastures along the way. The purpose of the ride as stated on the website is "To stimulate and encourage the love of horses, riding, and good fellowship, and to perpetuate the memory of the original riders of the Salt Grass Trail and to further stimulate, promote and encourage the best interest of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Inc., and of Agriculture raising and marketing".

The ride is organized into wagons, 28 in all. The wagons are similar to old covered wagons (no rubber tires) as would be accompanying a cattle drive back in the 1870s. The wagon I was with was Wagon 8 or "Lazy 8". This wagon is headed and organized by the Parmley family, in particular brothers John and Steve. Their father, M.S. "Dude" Parmley was one of the original founders of the ride back in 1952 and Wagon 8 is the wagon used on that original ride. John's daughter, Jody, and son Mark participated on the ride. Jody brought her son John Sam Elliott out on some evenings. John's plan is to keep the ride active for his grandson. Steve's son had participated on previous rides.

The ride is not particularly challenging. It is more or less a 90-mile party along county roads (mostly paved) and Farm to Market Highways until entering the suburbs of Houston. The ride is on city streets the remainder of the way. The exception is a pass-through of the 7IL ranch south of Bellville, TX (see photos). This was also our lunch stop on Sunday's ride. Not many hardships are experienced on this ride. Trains of port-a-jons accompany the ride for the comfort and privacy of the riders. Many riders are now traveling with RV-style horse trailers and some wagons hire professional cooks and camp movers. Each rider is responsible for moving his rig to the next campsite before the ride begins in the morning. Riders range in age from 5 to 85 with a prize awarded to the youngest and the oldest. Parties complete with music and dancing are common throughout the wagons most every night along the way. Residents in the small towns along the way enjoy the passage of the riders even though traffic is disrupted for a considerable time. Schools along the way bring the children out to see the impromptu parade. In general, a good time is had by all.

Look for my next posting. Meanwhile, visit my online saddle shop at http://rockyknollranch.com/home.

2009-12-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

http://rockyknollranch.com/homeTRIP TO SISTER CREEK RANCH

NOVEMBER 24-28, 2009

Mike and Trina and Jill and I traveled from our homes in Kansas and Oklahoma to Sister Creek Ranch (SCR) [30^o 3’ 43.27”N; 98^o 44’ 31.83”W] about 17 miles north of Boerne, TX on RR 1376 in the central Texas hill country. The village of Sisterdale, TX is about 5 miles south of SCR on the way to Boerne.

Mike and Trina brought two of their Arabians, Rainey and Spirit. Jill brought her mule, Pete, and I brought Captain Morgan, our Morgan horse.

Jill and I had been to this region several times back when we lived in Houston and were eagerly anticipating a return trip. Although I had seen the area several times, I was completely surprised at the beauty of the fall colors. Most of the time all of the trees are green, live oaks and mountain cedar stay green all year. However, a species of red oak was showing a bright red mixed in with the green this time. The area had recently recovered from a severe drought leaving the ponds full and the rivers and creeks were flowing clear water over their rocky beds. The weather was ideal for horseback riding. The sky was clear and blue and the temperature topped out in the mid-sixties and got down to the low forties at night.

Mike and Trina had visited the ranch in April of this year during the drought. Conditions were much better on this trip. They had enjoyed the amenities of SCR on their previous visit. You can see these amenities by visiting their website sistercreekranch.com. Jill and I also enjoyed these amenities.

The ranch is relatively small for trail riding, containing only 700 acres and being completely surrounded by a 8-foot-high exotic game fence. The layout of the ranch is long and narrow. (One advantage of this is you can’t wander off and get lost, just follow the fence.) The hills and trees give different views from different angles at every turns. For example, we rode a wide trail and then turned around and rode a narrow trail not fifty yards away and parallel. The effect was totally different, except for occasionally seeing the previous trail through the trees, we may as well have been in a different county. The trails range from easy riding roads suitable for pickups to narrow winding paths through the Cedar Breaks. The first day out, we rode to the outlook high above the ranch. What a view! This outlook is completely equipped for picnics or barbecues.

This trip included Thanksgiving Day. Jill and Trina were not to be denied cooking their turkey. So on Thursday, we had a magnificent spread with turkey & dressing, potatoes & gravy, cranberry cocktail, salad, and pumpkin pie. Great work girls! See the related photo.

Personally, I really like this country for riding. Compared to previous rides in the Ozarks in Missouri and the Kiamichis in Oklahoma, this country is much more open. I am more relaxed and enjoy this type country more than the heavily wooded Ozarks and Kiamichis.

Trip to Talihina, OK October 9-11, 2009

2009-10-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Jill and I traveled with brother Mike and wife Trina to Horse Heaven Ranch (HHR) [34^42'20.39"N; 95^2'11.80"W] near Talihina, OK. This was a camping trip. Jill and Trina slept in the living quarters of Mike's horse trailer while Mike and I slept in a tent. Talihina (pop 1227) is in LeFlore County Oklahoma, in the Oachita Mountains and is not to be confused with the nearby Talimina Trail. Access to Talihina is at the intersection of US Hwy 271 and Oklahoma Hwy 1. Horse Heaven Ranch is outside Talihina at 37522 State Hwy 63, Talihina, OK 74571. The crow-fly distance from our home in Ottawa County to Talihina is about 140 miles. However, if the crow is walking along the highways in eastern Oklahoma, the distance is closer to 180 miles.

I brought my black APHA mare, Jasmine. Jill brought her mule, Pete. Mike and Trina brought two of their arabians, Rainey and Spirit which they switched from day to day.

The preceding five days had brought continuous rainfall. We were hoping that the predicted break in the weather would come but although the rain held off, the clouds and dampness stayed with us. Consequently, the ground was muddy with frequent large puddles on the trails and the streams were swollen. We were about a week too early to catch the fall colors that light up this area in mid-October.

The trails were generally narrow and winding through the trees and the hills. This region is heavily logged and we passed several areas that had recently been logged with shredded trees and branches littering a barren landscape. Actually, the best riding was on the logging roads as most of the trails passed through numerous areas of rounded rocks about the size of footballs which I refer to as ankle-busters.

The management is friendly and helpful. The campground is pleasant with level concrete pads for trailers although the pads may be a bit small for today's long-long trailers with living quarters. Several lady riders brought in their rigs and were able to park them on the pads. The campground provides a comfortable bathhouse with clean toilets and showers (plenty of hot water).

No trip to the Talihina area is complete without a visit to Pam's Hateful Hussy Diner in downtown Talihina. The food is good and the prices are even better.

Trip to Eminence, MO, October 2-5, 2009

2009-10-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Jill and I traveled from our home on Grand Lake in Ottawa County, OK to Eminence, MO. This is a distance of approximately 260 miles from our home. We took Captain Morgan, our Morgan colt, and Jill's mule, Pete. We met up with my brother, Mike, his wife Trina, and four of their horses; Doc, Buddy, Spooky, and Spirit.

Eminence is in the Missouri Ozarks (population 548). It is the site of a Cross Country Trail Ride (CCTR) camp which hosts several events each year. The attendees outnumber the locals 3 or 4 to one during these events. A variety of tack shops and other vendors can be found on the road leading to the campsite.

We stayed at the Coldwater Ranch just outside Eminence. The ranch has facilities for campers, campers with horsetrailer RVs, and cabins for those of us who prefer a more comfortable stay. Our cabin had a kitchenette, two queen-size beds, a fold-out futon couch, a bathroom with shower, a separate sink/vanity for shaving, etc., and a spa (not all cabins have the spa), and plenty of hot water. Mike and Trina stayed in their horsetrailer RV. Several bathrooms equipped with toilet, sink, and shower are available for the campers. The ranch has covered stalls for the horses and requires all horses to be kept in stalls. The stalls are reasonably priced but they are not free. You can purchase hay or feed from the ranch.

The ranch kitchen served a catfish dinner complete with hushpuppies (laced with jalapeno), french fries, cornbread, with pie for dessert. They also served deviled eggs which they passed around after the meal started. The cost of the meal was reasonable. Other nights have other meal offerings. The ranch kitchen also serves breakfast and lunches are available to trail riders coming from other ranches or campgrounds.

A variety of trails are accessible from Coldwater Ranch. Some trails are knee-knockers through the trees and rocks and hills. Others are dirt/rock county roads. The county roads go up and down the same hills but are wider and accommodate side-by-side riding. You can get better views of the scenery from the roads than on the trails. The local residents take great care with their cars and trucks when approaching riders. They are courteous and friendly with the riders and most of them can give you directions if you are temporarily disoriented.

The scenery is typical Missouri Ozarks. AMAZING! We rode past rock formations hanging over the road. We forded the sparkling clear Jack's Fork River and Current River. We rode to the Alley Mill Spring which outflows millions of sparkling clear cold water every day. All in all, we had a wonderful time.