falcon crest

keeping busy with multiple haynets (one was Fridays, much better grass)

A day off and where to go? I didn't plan much in advance, but loaded Major, picked up his friend Friday and C, and headed for Falcon Crest. Not the 80s soap opera (which I never saw, I was more into watching other quality programming like Family Ties or Silver Spoons), but a great trail access on the other side of Folsom Lake.

down to the lake, a great canter back up

cool tree, crabby ears (thought we should go home behind us)

Friends had said in passing that it was a good place to ride, but north or south? South went toward another staging area 10 miles away, so we choose north, and headed out. Great views, skirting along between mansions and the lake. Gorgeous properties with misplaced priorities: huge houses, acres of grass, no horses! All that trail access out your back door would be amazing. We rode as the trail went from open and clear to rutted and overgrown, telling ourselves that it was an adventure! But the trail wasn't very fun, so we got to a small stream and decided to try the other direction.

a bridge crossing the river (old, before the dam), usually under water

Major thought we were going home, and hurried up, but we passed the trail to the trailer and headed south, on a great trail! Lots of good trotting and cantering places, we should have gone this way to start with (now we know)!

buckeye trees just starting to bud

lunch! I'd never had those little cookies, yum!

It was so warm out I was in a tshirt, and both horses in their winter coats were pretty hot, so we didn't go too far. A quick lunch, then headed back. It was odd that the trail was marked with lots of orange surveyors tape, and at the base of the trail home Friday spooked a bit: flour arrows and signs had appeared. A running race was happening the next day. Major didn't even notice, and we headed back up to the staging area.

heading home, ID tag flapping

a very dry snack!

We got a good long canter up the gradual hill (with a pause in the middle to go around a downed tree and remove Friday's boots which had come off and were flapping around his legs). There was a trough barely full of water, but Major figured out how to reach all the way in to get a drink, then scrounge for a few bites of grass (there should be more but still not enough rain).

C thought it was sooo funny to capture my sophisticated mounting technique

A fun ride, beautiful day, and an actual picture of us both (not just ears!)

Next time we'll go south, there is supposedly a long bridge to cross and the trail is just as good. A future adventure!