Continuing our Friday afternoon trail rides, Carol Ann and I hit up Slate Lick with Puck and Simon. It was a quite day there, only one other trailer and limited sightings of other people coming in and out.
We headed left on hogpen fire road and did the loop at the end of the fire road. It is such a nice ride with plenty of creek crossings and varying trail.
Simon was strong on our past few rides so I put a bit in for this ride. I am glad I did too. He was again, strong, and cracking to move out. At one point we were trotting along a trail in the woods and I am not sure if he got stung by something or what because he leaped forward and sideways and let out several furious bucks before trying to bolt forward through Carol Ann and Puck. I did not find any marks on him later to indicate.
It was an excellent ride. I do like this loop quite a bit. I’m looking forward to meeting Carol Ann next week for another ride. I think we have a standing date now.
I missed the beginning of our ride so added a rough black line to cover that portion. I missed the initial part of our ride so I added in a black line to show that portion. We estimate it was a solid 12 miles with that added in.
Last weekend Carol Ann and I rode out on Friday and it was too short. So we went again on Saturday. This one was too long.
I want to remember that this ride sucks. I hate the long slow down hill on the back fire road that’s all shall and rocky and in the sun. Last time I did this loop I thought the same thing. But clearly I forgot. The rest of the ride is nice but the one section is so crappy it makes the loop not worth it.
We started off taking the left branch of hogpen fire road back and through the closed fire gate. At the Four way intersection at the top of the hill we went right and followed that along and eventually back into the woods. So far it’s lovely. It rides through a formally burned area that is pretty neat and has a few views.
Eventually it pops out at a fire road, where you bare right. The gate here has always been open previously but was closed on this day and had no ride around. So we had to manage around it a bit tediously. Then down the horrible long steep shaley fire road. Luckily it wasn’t hot or the sun would have baked us. The constant steep down hill killed my knees and Simon was frustrated with its tediousness by the end.
It does finally reach the bottom and then wraps through the woods, over some creeks and it very lovely. After that it pops back into the woods and eventually rides out at slate lick lake and back to the parking.
The lake area was packed with day trippers walking around. The camping areas were also packed. We literally cantered through all of it and back to our rigs with haste. It was just staring to rain and we hit the road out quickly.
I usually leave work early on Friday’s so Carol Ann and I have been meeting for a weekly trail ride. Woo. Here is a review of our Friday rides in April.
Ride: 4/17/20
Carol Ann and I took our PONIES out Friday afternoon for a spin at Slate Lick in National Forest. We took the left hand turn for Hogpen from the parking area, took the fire road out and looped to the right. This is an excellent ride with altering terrain, some climb, a bit of downhill, a lot of creek crossings, and all types of trees.
It was an excellent ride with Carol Ann on Puck and me on Simon.
Ride 2: 04/24/2020
I forgot to track this ride so no map. We did the basic loop, staying straight on the fire road in and past the lake. Then wound through the woods, up the hill and back down along the ridge.
Carol Ann rose Puck and I rode Simon. It was a nice ride but too short.
I had a lot of work to do Sunday and not much time for a ride but I needed a metal break and some exercise. So I went out early and did a quick spin. *sorry Carol Ann, Ill make plans with you when I have a bit more flexibility.
I went to Tom’s Park off Little Dry River Rd. To park I pull just past the first turn (still in sight of Little Dry River, back into the turn and then pull around. I can easily do it in one back with room to spare with my two horse. Then I pull to the right facing out at the pull over. There is easily room for two of me nose to tail in the pull over.
I headed up the fire road 1117 Old Man Run. It’s a bit over a mile to the split in the fire road. I hung a left and wrapped up and around.
After a bit (about two miles in) there is a closed fire gate.
Continuing on it is a nice grassy/leafy fire road, clear and rolling. Very nice for changing paces.
It flows out around a few view points.
It crosses the tower lines a few times before ending at the lines. It’s sort of a hard end.
It’s just shy of four miles in and four miles out. And pretty easy grade. No big climbs or super rocky areas.
I love chickens. I really like my chickens to be able to run loose. They eat up bugs and break up the horse poop, and it’s soothing to watch them clucking around grazing and doing their thing. But when they are loose they are prey to fox, coyote, and hawks.
My flock would be fine for a few months and then one would get snatched. They loved to be loose and I loved them being loose. But I also do not like them dead. And locking them back up after they have been loose and enjoying freedom is painful.
This winter I decided I was going to start fresh with some new peeps. These would not be allowed loose. I also planned out and purchased the materials to build them an extension on their coop so they would have plenty of space.
Mean while, other than the new peeps in the coop I was down to one good laying hen, which was my Last Americana, and a lavender hen that had begun acting like a rooster about two years earlier when the flock was attacked and left with no rooster. My fake-rooster crowed and no long laid eggs. These two were loose and living the good life. That is until a few weeks ago I heard my fake-hen get snatched at about 730 in the morning. This left my Americana on her own. So I snatched her up and chucked her in with the peeps – now adolescent pullets.
With that little bit of background, lets focus on the actual building of the coop extension.
My plan consisted of using 3/4” PVC pipe to build a 10×10 frame that’s 5’ tall. I started to construct this Friday after work.
You can see some nesting boxes in the background that are intended to be put into the coop.
Saturday Rich and I added in a frame for the top and glued the entire frame together. Then we added T posts to the four corners and zip tied the frame to them. Our final step for the day was to add a T post for the door frame. We will hang the door on this.
Sunday after the morning rain cleared we put up the chicken wire, hung the door, and cut an opening to attach the main coop.
The wire was wide enough to have to run it around twice and that gave some over lap and a bit to stick up at the top.
The door I hung with two pieces of old broke rope reins and then used the one intact snap on them to be the closure.
The very fancy but perfectly function and free!
The American immediately ran into the coop. She later flew up to the open top (which I may cover with chicken netting. I’m still deciding).
I ended up clipping her wings hoping that will keep her in. Right now she’s our only layer and I really do not want her to be Fox food.
The other chickens took a while to move out and check out the new run. But once they did they seemed very happy. Unfortunately every time I attempted to get their photo happily clucking around in the new run they would flee back into the main coop.
We still need to move the nesting box in and I would like to add a roosting rail. Those might be projects for next weekend.
Blue Ridge Pony 