Monday, August 8, 2011

First Weekend in August


Tom took off on Thursday, taking the tractor over to Mullinix & Sons in Dayton, among other things. He did get a lot of items done and off the list.

We also had been invited to camp out Saturday at the League. There was a hurricane slated to drive our weather to warm, humid, with rain likely. We decided we'd go anyway. So what if we get wet, right? We have to bring April and Irene but not the little ones. This will be the first time we leave them alone, unattended.

The tractor is ready to be picked up, but Mullinix & Sons' hours are abbreviated. Closed on weeknights at 5pm, open 8 am Saturday until noon. We have to get the tractor before we ride out. I plan on being there at that time.

We pack the trailer, I do laundry, go to the grocer, gas station and feed store (not in that order). It doesn't matter if you are going for over night or for a week, the same amount of trips from the house or barn to pack the trailer. The only detail I was really missing was what time to meet. On Friday night, around 10pm, I find out from Martin that we'll be joined by Linda Losey and Tom Kiefer. Haven't seen them since February. Time flies, right?

At the horsey club the event of the day is Judged Pleasure Trail ride. We are not participating and most of the rigs aren't for overnight camping. I'm sure the place will clear out later in the afternoon. At this point it doesn't matter where we'll stay, we can move if we don't like it.

I texted Martin, like a teen-ager, and he texted back that they were on the road. I honestly expected them momentarily, they live close by. Linda and Tom pull in soon after that, park in a great, strategically convenient place. We find out that we're to meet at 11am. What I also didn't know was that Martin and Tracey, and Louisa the dog, are coming from Philly! Minor details. We are the ones always late, but not this time.

Tom gets busy setting up the high-line, I get the water buckets filled, the hay net hung and he ties the boys to the line. Martin and Tracey finally arrive. Awning pulled out, the dog and cat situated in the trailer. Tack up, let's go!

I learn that Linda and Tom are not going to stay for dinner; one hen goes into the freezer right then. Everybody eventually gets ready, it is now after noon.

We head down the driveway, cutting onto the trail in the woods, down the drive and across the roadway. Walk through the woods, all the way to the 'edge' of League Hill, then turn right to get to the power plant for the Henryton Hospital.

We cross the railroad tracks and see swimmers/picnickers at the swimming hole; a barbecue grill is fired up, roasting hot dogs. The smoke fills the air. More people, some with dogs, are coming into the area. We meet four on horseback, don't know any of them.

We cross the river and scrabble up the bank, stopping at the 'crossroads.' I ask the for the final destination. Are we going to the Woodstock Inn or not? Whether we turn left of right will make all the difference. We are heading to the Woodstock Inn! We turn left.

I'm leading, and KC can't walk any slower. If he did, we'd be stopped. I have to continual urge him on. We cross the roadway at Marriottsville, I stop traffic because I can. Linda and Tom say they are hungry, it's now after noon, so I decide to take the quickest way to the restaurant that I know. It will still take an hour and a half, at least.

We continue on to the bar, fairly uneventful. We meet horse people and bikers and hikers. We travel as much in the shade as possible, it's really heating up. We find a few opportunities to pick up the pace, but it is hot and I want to take it easy.

Along the way we meet an old friend who tells us they got into bees at the bottom of 'League Hill.' We didn't go that way and will avoid it for the rest of the season. We also were overtaken by a larger group, booting it up the hill. One of them said something about bees, a few of them are people we know from the Club.

We continue traveling along and another group comes towards us. We move off the trail and the group that was behind us takes the opportunity to get in front of us and race off ahead. They also don't take the time to water their horses in the river for the last time before hitching up at the bar. Their speed paid off; they got to the bar and placed their food orders before anyone else could get inside.

The last time we were at this restaurant there was no one but 'us' and now the place was getting busy. The bar maid was working, working, working. We ordered lunch and beers and had a nice visit waiting for our food.

While we were eating, a large group of bikers (motorcyclist) come into the tavern. They are boisterous and loud. More joined in, even louder. They take the booths along the wall behind us. There are more than a dozen, women, too, and now they are singing 'Happy Birthday' to at least one of their legion. They remind me of cartoon characters or Muppets. One of them has a Britishesque accent; Tracey and I tried to figure out if it is real or fake. We couldn't tell.

We get our food, order another round of beer. The birthday bikers are loud. Linda is sharing a story of her first ride at the League and the beer is settling into my head.

I don't know why or how Linda felt that she didn't get enough pickle with her lunch, but the bar-keep put a pile of pickles on a white square plate and the Britishesque Harley-dude presented her with these pickles. I am not sure the Woodstock Inn will ever be the same after crazy horse woman befriended loud motorcycle dude over a plate-full of dill pickles. It's so nice when a little pickle can bring everyone together like that, bridging that unspoken divide between equestrian and Harley biker-dude. It ended with us leaving and Linda smacking the Harley-dude on his butt check. I wonder if his butt still stings?

When we get to the hitching post I realize that KC was not securely tied to the rail. He didn't notice; his eyes are closed, dozing, and he's very relaxed. The way home was a lot quicker than getting there. KC was walking briskly now. We went up to Granite, to the Fox Hole Quarry. The sign says "No Swimming" and there are people in the quarry! I wouldn't go in there without my SCUBA gear, honestly.

Uneventful on the way back, too, we saw deer, squirrels, hawks, bathers, bikers/hikers and dogs. It was well after 3:00 p.m. so I did want to get everybody back by 5:00 p.m.

We picked up the pace on the flat next to the river and KC wanted to throw his head down, I was pulling him up the best I could. He gets his head down, he'll buck. I don't like that gait. It hurts my back!

We rested in the Reservoir outlet and proceeded onward. Walking or trotting a little through the woods we came to the hill we ALWAYS race up. We rested at the bottom until everybody had 'aired up' and then wound our way to the straight away. OK, let's go!

By the time we got up to the top of the hill, KC was no longer trying to throw his head down (too much like work). We let them eat grass at the top and catch their collective breaths. We are still an easy 45 minutes out from the League.

Continued on through the Park back down to the river. Skip and everybody was glad to get into the fast-moving cool water. We sat there for a while, too, then under the bridge (yes, under the bridge!) and traveling in and out of the water, but mostly in. We took the lower route, the way with more water.

We untacked back at camp, Linda and Tom headed out - sorry to see them go - Linda does not ask me one single time if I know where I'm going! The first/last time we rode with them that was her constant refrain. The answer is 'yes, I know where I am." We started preparations for dinner - for everybody!

Dinner was great, we ate a lot - I had a cocktail, then around 9:30 p.m. it started raining. We didn't have a bonfire, but if we did it would have been put out. We were snug under the awning at Martin's table.

April and Irene slept through the night, we were all tired. The boys were out in the rain, but it has been so dry and we were on the top of the hill. Nothing got muddy. All the water was soaked in and the boys were clean in the morning. I slept till almost 7:00 a.m.!

We fooled around and didn't ride out until after 11:00 a.m. We packed lunch, which included Oatmeal marshmallow cream cookies. Not going to Woodstock Inn two days in a row! We went out the same way as Saturday and detoured from the Henryton power plant up to the top of the hill for a tour the abandoned and neglected Henryton Hospital. We saw the ruins of the swimming pool, the dormitories and staff housing. Most of windows are missing. When we retraced our steps to the bottom of the hill there were kids on the power plant roof.

There were people in the swimming hole and we proceeded through that and up into the previous day's intersection that would be the choice for today. We are going right, away from the restaurant.

Some of this trail has parts that Tom does not care for; the path is right next to the River and the way is undercut. He's afraid of a collapse. He dismounts and walks Skip past these scary parts. We turn left and go up the hill. I love this part of the woods. In the Spring it looks like a fairy land, in the Winter you can see the contours of the thin stream valley with large rock outcroppings. Full of wildlife.

At the top of the hill we came across the old barn, with no Buzzards in it this time. To the right is a path that leads to the O'Neal's cemetery. Tom trimmed some bushes and trees while we chatted about the O'Neals: William, Mary and Charles. There are other stones, too, but can't read the inscriptions. The 'N' is backwards.

We came out of the woods, onto the gas pipeline and entered the woods on the other side. More tree trimming and came out onto the pipeline again. Into the woods and down the trail to the river. So cool in the woods, better to stay in the shade.

We got down to the river, turned left and followed that to some really huge rocks, large outcroppings as big as whales and picked a good picnic spot. We tied our horses to the trees on the trail; not a single person came by. So peaceful out here today.

Chicken sandwiches, apples and oatmeal marshmallow cream cakes (yum). What a great spot to have lunch. Does it get better?

We proceeded down the trail, crossing the river and the railroad tracks for the last time. We went up a very rocky, steep hill. There must be a spring on this road way, it is always wet. We came out into bright sunshine at the dead end of Gorsuch Switch Road.

We let them graze a little in the hay field, which was recently mowed. Then Martin asked if it was OK to canter through the field. I told him that the trail should be obvious; go to the top of the ridge, turn right following the tree line, then turn right. Giddy-up!

We boot it through the hay fields and come into the corner of the woods. We pause there to air up and I point out the largest Poplar tree in Maryland. How do I know this? It's actually on the NPS map! And this tree is HUGE. The entire woods is made up of Poplars, some big, some small. This tree is estimated to be about 200 Hundred years old. Towering Giant.

We travel through the Poplar woods, on the ridge we can look down on the rail road tracks; there is a train going by. During the storm over night a large limb has fallen into the streamlet crossing; Martin finds a great way around without going back to the rail road tracks. Tom trims more branches and now this will be the way!

We hear a loud thundering and Tom suggests we hurry back to camp. We're still about a half hour away, and some of the trail is not great for fast travel. We trot or canter where we can.

There are people at the Archery Club; never seen anybody there, ever! More thunder, hurry up! We zig-zag through the woods, following the trail, but this part is not good for a quicker pace. More thunder with lightning now.

The last part of trail into camp is straight, level and wide. We hurry up, lightning crashes just past my left shoulder. KC never flinches. We are cantering into camp, but the Club rules say nothing above a walk in camp. It is starting to rain; big, fat splatters.

We untack hurriedly and get the saddles under the awning. It's raining, thunder and lightning. We put on rain jackets, Tracey takes their horses to the wash stall to clean them up, but it is raining. Our boys are high-lined and now it is coming down in buckets. The boys are steaming!

The rain doesn't last long, the Sun comes out and we take off our jackets. Glad I brought extra clothes. We clean up the campsite, break camp and load everything into the trailer. Everything is sparkling.

What a great weekend! What a fun relaxing horse camping weekend.

Can't wait for our next get together...

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