falcon crest redux

oh boy, where are we?

A couple weeks ago, on a day of supposedly "light green/yellow" air quality, I headed out with C and Friday to Falcon Crest staging area. Now, I knew it had been a few years since we visited (and blogged) this staging area on the other side of Folsom lake, but when I looked it had been February 2012! Where does the time go?!

long, very creaky bridge

low lake, no playing

 I remembered how the trails connected, but not much else. Parking was easy, and the trails were all pretty shady. Lots of oak trees, dry grass, yucky star thistle and buckeye trees. The lake is WAY down, and not safely accessible (sucking mud), so no cooling in the lake for Major and Friday.

car chassis, been there a LONG time!

feed me sandwich…

The horses did appreciate the break when we stopped to eat our snack. How can I ignore this face? PB&J sandwich is always shared.

nice trough for drinking and scooping!

 

lovely, old oak

It was not a long adventure, the smoke layer was lowering, and we didn't want to do too much as it was also getting hot (double fun, yeah!). There was a nice trough where I used my scoop and cooled Major off, I wanted to get in myself!

I think I'll put this on my list to go back to in Spring. And not take eight years to do it!

re-create photo fun!

patience

 We've been living in an old ashtray for almost four weeks, but I'm learning to deal with it and actually pretty happy with that.

We have not had to evacuate (though all is packed and planned as it can be). Every morning the first thing I do is check the air quality app, and am sadly disappointed.

this hay is so much better (exactly the same)

mmm, hay bag is tasty

Major and the rest of the horses seem largely unaffected, though incredibly bored. I've been giving him a slow feed hay net with the string removed and locking carabiner on top. This is great fun to throw around the pasture, keeps him busy. He did tear down one shade curtain and removed the safety pipe around some poles though…

Trying SO HARD to be good, see that look though?!

As far as we go, just to the forest entrance

I've been taking him on a short daily walk, and he tries to be very good. I can handle about half an hour outside, and try to find him some hidden green grass, but I've come home walking a dragon/kite a few times now.

hazy Foresthill bridge

I tried a short hike underneath the Foresthill bridge on a "less than 150" day. Yeah, I need less than 100 to manage outside I discovered!

Even the Magic 8 ball can't help me

When this smoke clears we'll need to ease back into riding, as the horses have been breathing this bad air for weeks. Taking it easy will be a tough sell I think! (We did one short ride on a day when it was less than 100 air quality, but it was 95 degrees, so that helped lower the enthusiasm!)

our "new normal" sunrise

Until we can ride/hike/kayak/camp again at least there is work, and crafts, and football to occupy my time. The sun shall rise (though smoky), and I shall have to be patient. Not mine (or Major's!) strong suit, but we're certainly having to work on it! 

d.i.y.: stirrup leather covers

This project came from necessity: it was too dang hot to ride with my half chaps! I tried a ride without chaps, and even with my full sheepskin cover, the leathers would still dig in (maybe I just have sensitive shins?). I could have bought some $45 sheepskin covers, but 1. they're longer than I need, and 2. $45!

I already had all these materials, but I think this would cost you less than $5, even if you bought your favorite fleece pattern!

 

What you need for this incredibly complicated project:

1. scissors
2. pins
3. glue (I used E6000, but hot glue would work, though probably less washable) and a stick to spread glue (if needed)
4. ruler/cardboard
5. piece of fleece (I used one approximately 24x24, and only used 24x20 of it). This made two 12 inch tubes. (If you need longer, just a bit more fabric would be needed. I've seen many stirrup covers are 18 inches long, so you'd need one yard for two covers.)

 

1. I had a metal ruler that measured 1.25 inches wide. Since my leathers are 1" wide, this was a good size to wrap. If you don't have a ruler, just cut a strip of cardboard from all those boxes of horse stuff you know you order.

 

2. I placed two pins, one on each end, NOT along the length. You need to be able to remove these later (and if you do the whole length they'll be stuck inside the tube, ouch, stabby!).

 

3. Place a line of glue along the edge, and roll ruler and fabric over to cover.

 

4. Neatly roll the ruler/fabric up in a tube. I rolled mine about 8 times, more if you want it fluffier.

 

5. When you get the thickness you want, cut that edge approximately straight, and run a line of glue along the edge.

 

6. Fold that final piece over, and let everything sit for awhile while you have a celebratory drink.

 

 

7. After the glue has dried, remove the ruler and the end pins.

 

8. I cut my 24" tube into two 12" pieces. (If you do longer ones just do this twice at 18", probably easier than one 36" long tube).

 

9. Put them on your leathers! Now I have wintec webbers, which are a single strap, but this would fit standard leathers too, maybe just a bit more shoving, fleece is a bit stretchy! Amaze at your matching ensemble (or just use black fleece, which would show less dirt!)

I have only used these twice, one was a longer ride (before the heat wave/smoke) and I give them a stamp of approval! The only downside: now the disgusting horse sweat is on my leg and not my half chaps, but I'm cooler! I'll probably make a second set to have while these get washed, but I'm pretty happy with this simple DIY. Is this something you need? Try it!

disaster fatigue

I'm am overwhelmed between covid new normal, heat wave, hometown area on fire (again), smoke inundating the area and not riding, so there is much complaining in the next few paragraphs!

yucky smoky skies

 

The amazing fire crews have a better handle on the Walbridge fire, caused by the crazy lightning storms, that was decimating the area near my hometown. Other areas are still under threat from the same lightning complex and damage assessment will begin. (A favorite state park, Big Basin, has all the infrastructure gone, though luckily the redwood trees are amazingly resilient!). And now hurricanes (luckily not here!). Flood, fire, plague…I'm afraid to ask what next?!

neat river rock lichen

manzanita bark

 The air quality has been terrible, and even when it doesn't smell like smoke there is so much particulate matter in the air I can't see the other side of the canyon one mile away. I thought the river air might be cleaner, but it is at the bottom of the canyon, and I was really wrong, it was worse! At least I was then cool and smoky, instead of so hot!

hiding under olive tree, not wanting to go home yet

my usual view

Major has been cantering up to the gate to meet me…all because he is desperate for a real ride. He drags me down the road as I tail him, but I can't handle more than about a mile of walking in the disgusting air. He seems fine, but I know strenuous activity is out (a walk is good for our mental health). We did a ride one evening when the air felt better, but I cut it short after half an hour, unable to breathe. He was very good after no riding for a week and a half, and only took off cantering in one sandy trail stretch where he just couldn't take it any more. I understand buddy!

smoky fire ball, sinking

 

It's been hard to find a silver lining, so why not re-watch British Bake Off? Such a pleasant show to lose yourself in, and I even finally tried one of the "basic" desserts, and it turned out amazing. Now layer cakes and strange icings and pastry are too much, but this was lemony-perfect. 

Mary Berry's Lemon Drizzle cake

The air quality is now in orange, and not red or purple warning, so I'm hoping in the next few days it will get even better I can can burn off some ennui on the trail.

from my favorite Edward Gorey series

And the sunrise was pretty. Sometimes it is the little things.

early morning

I thought 6:30am was early enough to beat the heat, but not by much! (This is just before all the lightning fires started, now the air is too smoky and my go bag is packed…) Damn does the sun rise quickly to become the searing ball of fire!

morning shadows

 

Taking advantage of a day when no cars are allowed in this part of the park, Major and I explored the rebuilt Birdsall boat launch. The road goes down about a mile to the river, but a huge portion of the access road was washed away a couple winters ago, but is now repaired! This boat area is really just for kayaks and rafts, though no commercial rafting companies use this section of river (not interesting enough I think!)

we only went about 8mph!

what's over there?

Birdsall launch access road

It is a long way down, so I hiked most of it and Major dragged walked along, continuously distracted by noises from the other side of the river. Those "noises" are hikers I explained, but he was just too curious. 

no really, what's over there?!

used to be a crossing here!

 

At the bottom there is no safe river access, though this used to be where the diversion tunnel and coffer dam were (destroyed by flood in 1986), and you could cross the river! Wish I'd ridden here then, now it is a multi-mile detour to No Hands Bridge, and I doubt they'll get a bridge through anytime soon.

yes Major, we have to go UP

So back up we went, and decided to go down to the other river access just for a bit more hill work. But Major really wanted to ride home from here! I tried to explain there was a tree down blocking the trail (I'd reported it after hiking on Friday) but the rangers with chain saws just finishing made a liar out of me! I profusely thanked them, sometimes it takes a long time to get trail work done and this trail is the only access through this area. The rangers only go to the sign, then it is the next park's responsibility. On my sign fanaticism: The sign is really wrong (it is probably 12 miles, not 5, to Granite Bay). I worry that someone is going to hike/ride it and end up exhausted and stuck in the canyon with no cell service! 

 

Major still thought we should ride home, and was undeterred by my explanation that the trailer was only two miles away at the top of the hill.

reported on Friday, fixed on Tuesday!

sorry, no safe water access

But up we went, with one last view downstream, both of us happy to fit in a quick morning ride (and thankful for the rangers too!)

one last view…

monday moment: moonlight

The August full moon is the perfect time to ride. Usually the full moon would have been spent doing some sort of Tevis adventure. But since I wasn't, it was perfect for a moonlight ride. I took along C and we had a quiet ride to a lake overlook, the moonlight reflecting off water, distant city lights. Photos in the dark are next to impossible, and unnecessary. Just one for the memory…

Anyone else up for a moonlight ride? I'll be going out again in September…

oh boy

 An unlikely cool day (only 83!) in a week of hot made me jump in the truck, and Major in the trailer, for a ride out at Cronan ranch. Cronan is hot and dry all summer, but I hadn't been able to go all spring (BLM land closed for Covid) and hoped for a semi-cool adventure.

I'm ready. are you?!

When we arrived Major was not about to settle down with his haybag, he was READY (yes, all capitals needed!). All hopes for a quiet ride were put aside as I put on my gloves and headed out. One foot in the stirrup and I could tell…oh boy…hold on…

But Major was required to walk (though he attempted to jig) for the first part, until we crossed the bridge. Then there is a big hill climb, and I let him choose his pace. He regretted his choice of cantering/trotting about 3/4 of the way up when he figured out he wasn't in the hill shape he thought he was!

At the top we encountered the burn scar from earlier this year. Firefighters luckily got this under control quickly, and it did not reach the trees. Down, down the big hill and into the valley floor. Lovely, open roads for speed (and every time this view, highly suggestive hills, in my head I hear, "huge tracts of land!".

huge tracts of land…

What is great here is the variety of trails. From these open roads we went down to the river and splashed around a bit, then up on the far ridge for another big hill. Heading down through the pines, at the bottom we detoured for the trough Major promptly would not go anywhere near. But I used my scoop to cool him off, very handy!

ignoring the trough but didn't mind the water scoop!

Back in the valley floor there were highly dangerous rocks to snort at (you must not be too tired then!) and then the little cabin (left over set from a Michael Landon TV movie!) to give the stink eye. But while Major was still pretty up (dude, it's been 12 miles!), I was getting hot and tired, so we headed back.

 

First past fence 5, (I always wonder why the number is on this fence and no other on the property I have seen) and then to the (always annoyed at the misspelling) Connector trail. (Hey, I get it, I spell stuff wrong all the time, but not engraved on a sign. I swear I should just not ride here because it annoys me every damn time and I need to get over it!)

there, fixed it!

Back at the trailer Major was none the worse for wear, and gobbled up his beet pulp/salt mash. I was hot and tired though! Back home he was happy to roll and then ignored his open gate, trotted past me, and began to eat from Beau's hay bag. So much more delicious than the full hay bag of exactly the same hay in his own pen!

We won't be doing another long ride for at least 10 days…the weather forecast is going to be meltingly hot, even for here. Those golden hills of California don't get that way from summer rain (which doesn't exist at these elevations!). I think when Major seems me coming with his hydrating wet mash he'll just say "oh boy!"

we've had twice as many days over 100 than last year, and that was before this heat wave!