detour: headlands

My preferred detour: the ocean. Spending the weekend with ocean smells and views, cold wind and warm sand is good for my spirit. The first stop was in Bodega Bay, out on the spit of land simply called the Head.

Bodega Bay turning into mud flats as the tide goes out

The trails on the Head can be cold and wintery, all year round, but were pretty perfect the day we were there. And just easy, rolling trails with blue sky, gray sea and green grass views. The Bodega Marine Laboratory is on government land out there, not open to the public, except special days. I spent a few weeks there one summer as a teen, and learned I did NOT want to be a marine biologist (but it was fun anyway)! I'll re-visit another time. They do have a webcam in the cove that is fun to check out!

the laboratory below on horseshoe cove

For as vast as the northern California coast is, these parts are very lacking in trails. Sometimes it is because it in inaccessible, or they ran Highway 1 right on the cliff, or it is private land. But sometimes it all comes together, and I was happy to explore the new Jenner Headlands Preserve, recently opened by the Wildlands Conservancy.

car looks tiny, Russian river, Goat Rock views

This area is north of Bodega Bay, in Sonoma County. They have a nice, small parking lot, informational panel, and even a map! The trails that were open started off pretty steep! I'm not sure if they did more than drive a tractor over them and call it a trail (I'm sure they did, but they're a bit rough, and sometimes hard to find!) but the views were worth it.

this is just to the first overlook, complete with telescope

one of these things is not like the others! top row: tufted poppy, bowl tube iris, golden eggs suncup. bottom row: rosy sand crocus, baby blue eyes and a native succulent (my best guess at identifications)

keep going…

There were wildflowers, and we even found a deer antler! In all my miles of hiding and riding I've never found one, assuming they are usually gobbled up by critters or hidden in shrubbery. I'll be back to explore more of the trails (a few were closed for treacherous conditions), because we didn't get even close to the highest point!

The fog was creeping in, and the hiking day was done. The sunset decided to put on a great show over Bodega Head.

the fog comes on little cat feet…

crazy cloud sunset

The next day, hiking along morning sand, it was almost time to go home. Almost too cold for bare feet, but here was a sand dollar, and let's just take a few moments more…

non-native Pride of Madeira is still an awesome plant

left behind

simple ways to remember

d.i.y.: grooming tool

so satisfying

Winter fur be gone! Now this is not an original idea. Lots of people have made these, but this tool is awesome and everyone should have one! I figured one more basic tutorial wouldn't hurt, plus a giveaway!

this is my bad/crabby side: not amused at taking ugly photos of me

This tool is a basic hacksaw blade with a wood handle. Before I used it I was concerned about the teeth being too sharp, Major not liking it, etc. But no worries, unless you literally try to saw on your horse (not advised!) this won't do any damage. Major is too sensitive to use the standard metal curry, but he loves this tool.

needed tools

Basic tools needed are:
hacksaw blade (I bought 18 TPI (teeth per inch) 10 inch blades, about $3)
wooden pieces (I used a stir stick from the paint department!)
glue (E6000 is the best)
duct/sturdy tape
hacksaw or something to cut the wood (utility knife will work too)
not pictured: pliers

First thing is to figure out the length you want. My blades were 10 inches (what they had in stock). I felt that 10 inches is too long for the tool, 8 inches seems about right (if you bought a 12 inch blade you could make two six inch ones!). To shorten the blade grab either side with a plier and just bend it back and forth a couple times, the blade will snap nicely!

use pliers to bend/break the hacksaw blade

Now one end is smooth and the other jagged. I bent off the rough corner, then did a fancy sanding job…using the concrete. It works great!

"sand" the rough corner/edge off on the concrete

Now trim your boards a little longer than the blade. I used a hacksaw and miter box, but honestly, this isn't precision work at this point, and scoring/cutting with a utility knife would work too. I did a rough sand of the corners and edges of the boards.

trim the boards to size (8 inches each in my case)

do a rough sanding of the wood

Test your blade sandwich. You want it to stick out about 1/8 inch. Now for the glue: run a bead of glue along the board, one for the blade and the other higher up. Place the blade with the correct amount sticking out, run a bit more glue on it, then sandwich the whole thing. Use the fancy clamps (binder clips) to hold it together. Smashing it under a brick would work too.

how far the blade should stick out

glue on the first board

glue on placed blade

fancy clamps to hold it all together

Now wait for it to dry. Go eat some dinner or something (full disclosure, I had cereal for dinner!). After the glue is dry you can clean it up a bit if some oozed out, but I didn't find I needed to. Now your tool is technically complete, but I didn't like the feel of the wood handle, and wanted to make it a little sturdier.

done, but tape does help the handle

Use some duct tape (of whatever variety you have laying around) to wrap the handle a couple times till smooth. Then you can accessorize with color if you want (orange of course!). DONE.

add tape to top and edges

final accessory tape not needed but AAO (always add orange)

Very satisfying, simple project. Even more satisfying is grooming off all the dirty winter hair to reveal shiny spring fur!

getting shiny!

love the texture and color

This is not an artisan tool, but mine has worked for me for two seasons. Now, since I already have one of these, and don't need two, who wants this one? Giveaway time: Comment below and I'll pick one random name and send you the tool I just made (sorry about the orange!). Just let me know if it works for your horse!

monday moment: carrot table

All those carrots, for me?
No Major, you can have two.

Look, I get all these carrots!
You can have two Major.

This is the best day ever, I got all the carrots!
You had two Major, but sure, you had ALL the carrots.
Awesome.

two feet

I do like hiking and all that I can see and explore on my own. With Major semi-broken I still need to get out, so I've been exploring.

Some of the usual places, like the Auburn confluence, but from a different perspective. On this cloudy afternoon there were very few people, and no one down on the lower beach area (stay away from the water though!). Added bonus: from down here I can't see the ugly chain-link fence they added to the railings!

a different perspective

below No Hands bridge

downriver view

Then a place I'd only been a couple time, Sacramento Bar. It is lower down the American river (in Sacramento, duh!) and the last of the gold dredging areas (into the 1960s), so some of the walking is over giant piles of river rocks. Not the easiest on your feet! But the flowers were lovely. And FYI: do not feed a goose one of your Doritos (nacho flavor). They will not leave you alone. (yes, I know better, but damn, they're cute!)

poppies among rocks

just one more please?

cool spiky scary weed

But two feet is not always easier than four, especially when climbing big hills. A long time ago I took Major up Cardiac hill, but it is so eroded now, down to slick rock, I don't think I'd do that again. I'll keep doing it myself, and hopefully improve on my laughable pace up the hill. It only took 20 minutes, but the longest 20 minutes ever. Yeah, I'm stopping to take a picture of this lovely flower, not just trying to catch my breath!

first vetch flowers

alien-head rock is watching

a moment of zen before starting up the hill

laughable pace chart!

lovely wild iris

Major is on the mend, and we'll be using his four feet as transport soon, but I admit that literally stopping to smell the flowers is pretty nice too.

Major the street walker

busy bee on weeping cherry tree

what now

I'm starting to feel like "that" blog with too much drama. Sorry folks.

The short version: It was an uneventful ride…until it wasn’t and we almost slid down a cliff. And my horse was sound…until he wasn’t and now has mystery lameness.

umm, do we have to keep going?

convenient trees fell down the hill, not across the trail!

Do you actually want the details? Sigh, ok. Long version: Headed out for a long slow ride trying to accomplish 18 miles and/or four hours, whichever came first. Spring has truly sprung here in Northern California, and there was green grass and wildflowers and rushing water and the trails are lovely. The first four miles of trail had quite bit of mud, but then the trail becomes higher and made of decomposed granite and rocks, well draining.

honestly neon green

on our way to Auburn

There were a few runners, but I didn’t see any other horses or hikers until almost back home. We were just walking, going along a medium steep section, when Major's right back foot landed on the soft shoulder of the trail and slid off the edge. And down we started to go. It all happened so fast, I just threw the reins forward to give him his head, prepared to jump off, and he had already pulled  and lurched us back onto the trail. He seemed unconcerned. Me, not so much!

creek feeding into river

about this steep!

Looking downslope I think we only would have slid about 20 feet, but then how would we get back up? Thank you Major for being smart and athletic and saving our asses! We left about a six foot skid mark down the grassy dirt cliff, the amazingly wet winter has left some treacherous footing.

finally heading home

We went a bit further, to a safe spot and I dismounted to check Major over. He seemed fine, reaching for grass and trying to eat my granola bar, but we turned for home. This day has gone on long enough already. The pace was reasonable coming home, and I didn’t know if Major was actually behaving himself, tired after nine miles, or didn’t feel 100%. Second-guessing with horses is always so hard!

not following the sign: I'm walking not riding!

Back home he actually got hosed off for the first time this season, and happily rolled in the pasture and went to get alfalfa snack. I put stuff away and went to check on him about 20 minutes later, and he hobbled up to the gate, favoring his left hind.

No better word than: fuck (sorry delicate readers). Felt all over his legs and there was some swelling on his left hind but he wasn’t reactive in any particular area. He has had swelling on that leg the last 4 days, though not lame at a walk/hand trot, and I was giving him some Dr. Green time before any vet appointment.

Could we have avoided the cliff slide? Maybe if I was hyper-vigilant about where he is putting his feet, but I think it was just a wrong step on a 12-inch-wide rain-softened trail. But… (the second guessing continues…)

Then (cue dramatic music) yesterday I was cleaning his hoof and I saw a bit of pus/gooey section on his heel bulb…could an abscess be the source of his lameness? He was now definitely tender on that heel bulb, and had less swelling. Is it two injuries I'm dealing with, or just one thing? Time will tell. It is raining again, Major is doing nothing but standing around his pasture or under the shelter, so I see no harm in giving this a little while to play out.

good horse stays "tied" to my old subaru

I was having a little tantrum/pity party that I just want to ride my horse, so I took myself on a walk. And looked at the flowers and took a deep breath of some pollen-laden air and then came back and fed Major some treats. For him it was just another day. Something for me to remember too.

spring California poppy