Simon’s head still smells lightly of skunk. Apparently the smell of skunk is not a bug repelant.
All posts in category Trail Riding
Skunk Bug Spray?
Posted by riderofchaos on April 4, 2012
https://blueridgepony.com/2012/04/04/skunk-bug-spray/
Peanut Butter Guest Book
On my April 1st ride, (which I blog about here, https://blueridgepony.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/trail-report-pet-cemetery-tower-loop-4112/) I noticed a peanut butter jar hanging under the picnic table at the midway point.
I hopped off Simon and went over to check it out. I expected to find a geo cache but turns out it was a neat ‘guest book’ for people on the trail.
Someone had placed it there at the very start of the year, with a few pencils and some paper stapled into a note book. There were over a dozen entries already. I read through all of them with Simon lipping at the paper and the picnic table. It was really neat to read other peoples brief entries about their day on the trail.
I added my own entry, with Simon trying to grab the pencil, and sealed it back up in the jar. Simon tried to grab the jar while I dug around in the saddle bag and got ready to get on our way. (no worries, he did not damage it in anyway)
It is a pretty cool idea. Maybe I’ll make an effort to put out a few jars at good rest points along other trails.
Daisy is already cleaning out PB jars for the effort.
Posted by riderofchaos on April 2, 2012
https://blueridgepony.com/2012/04/02/peanut-butter-guest-book/
Trail Report: Pet Cemetery, Tower Loop. 4/1/12
I took Simon on a ride this weekend. It was a perfect day for some mountain time. It was sunny, and just the right temperature with the slightest breeze. We started off pretty early and I had a hoodie on. And we finished around lunch time and I was comfortably down to a tank top.
Fire road that comes out of pet cemetery parking to the trail
Daisy, Simon and I did the Pet Cemetery – Tower Loop ride. I posted about this loop back in December complete with map and details of turns so I won’t bother with that here. https://blueridgepony.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/trail-report-pet-cemetery-tower-loop/
For this loop I turn right at this sign and head to the tower.
The trail was still nice and clear, with lots of fresh green growth and pretty colors coming in. The squirrels were out and so were some of the bugs. The creeks were flowing and it really couldn’t have been a better ride.
Mushroom covered tree
Since I used my new stirrups with the cage front and wore sneakers I got off and hiked some. I figure this will work out my hiking muscles and my riding muscles. It actually helped my ankle stretch out. Which seems like a good thing.
The short bit of fire road from the tower to pick the trail back up on the right.
Simon was a little annoying when I was on foot. He stopped to paw the ground a few times like he was going to lay down for a nice roll. He only did this on very narrow trails when were going down a pretty steep grade with a drop off to one side. He gently pushed me a few times and also tried to nip me in a back more than once. I think he was trying to be annoying.
It might be hard to see, but those black dots are tadpoles.
We passed some bikers which Simon was very excited about and nickered to them until they were completely out of sight. We were also passed by a small truck on the road hack back to where we parked which he whinnied at until it drove over the horizon and I had to hold him back from racing full tilt after it. He also chassed after Daisy along the twisty trails, nipping at her when she let us get close enough. Needless to say he had plenty of spunk and we got in quite a bit of gallop and lots of trot.
Simon, always being silly.
One really cool part of the trail was a peanut butter message jar at the picnic area where the fire road ends at the tower. We added our note to the jar after reading the others. Pretty cool idea. I’ll dedicate a post to it later this week.
This is the picnic table with the peanut butter jar tied under it. You can see it on the right hand side with its red lid.
It was a great morning ride and I am already looking forward to the next one. There are a side trails off Tillman road and other fire road access points I want to check out. I would like to try parking at a slightly different point and give some of these other trails a try soon.
Looking at at the creek we crossed to get off the trail and back on Tillman Rd for a hack back to the parking area.
Looking back at the tower. The trail we came up to it on is just behind it to the right going into the woods.
Posted by riderofchaos on April 2, 2012
https://blueridgepony.com/2012/04/02/trail-report-pet-cemetery-tower-loop-4112/
Trail Report: New Market Gap rt211
Rich and I took Simon and did a ride and hike (see previous post) in the Luray area off rt211.
There is a nice paved parking lot along the side of the road that has a few trail entrances off of it.
We used a different map than I usually use, as this area was not covered on it.
We didn’t really get very far, but the trails we did get to spend time on were well maintained. We started off on the trail on the right hand side of the parking area (if facing the forest) which went down and had several creek crossings and rock scrambles to navigate. This trail, marked Orange, eventially opens up onto a fireroad and runs into Pink trail.
We plan to go back to this area and do some more exploring sometime in the future.
Posted by riderofchaos on March 15, 2012
https://blueridgepony.com/2012/03/15/trail-report-new-market-gap-rt211/
Ride and Tie Prospects?
On Sunday, Rich and I took Simon and the two dogs and we went on a ride and hike.
We took turns riding and hiking and had a really good time.
We got to work out our hiking muscles and our riding muscles.
We got to spend the day enjoying the outdoors and the nice weather, while getting exercise and having quality time with our dogs and pony.
The dogs also had a great time. They love spending time in the woods and usually go on trail rides with me. Daisy usually wears her safety vest. Mainly so I can spot her as she zips all over the place, but, it also makes me feel a bit more comfortable if there are hunters around.
I did have a moments thought, should we consider doing a ride and tie? For those of you that don’t know what a ride and tie is, it is an equine endurance sport, where two riders and one pony cover a distance on trails.
One person would start out on foot, then the rider would start out and pass the person on foot. After a ways the rider would dismount and tie the pony up just off the trail and continue along the trail on foot. The person that started out on foot would eventually catch up to their pony, untie said pony, remount and take off along the trail, passing their teammate. They would then select a point to stop and tie the pony up and continue on foot. The two people would swap the pony back and forth in this means. The race is over when both people and the pony cross the finish line.
Anyway, I don’t think ride and tie is something Rich and I will aspire to, but it would be cool. So who knows?
Rich is not normally a rider, but he really enjoyed it and did an outstanding job. Simon got on well with him and was a really good pony. I think he was happy to be getting so much attention.
I am not a runner, and I decided that hiking in my riding boots sort of sucked with the lack of tread for going up hills. And I was nervous that Rich had on sneakers and that they would slip through the stirrups. They are endurance stirrups at least, so they are wide, but it was still not the best situation. So I decided I am going to order some of the cage endurance stirrups so we can ride in sneakers safely.
We definitely plan on doing some more ride and hikes.
Posted by riderofchaos on March 14, 2012
https://blueridgepony.com/2012/03/14/ride-and-tie-prospects/
Blue Ridge Pony 