Thanks for the posts and the pics!  I've been too busy to check the site for a couple of days, but don't think that I don't appreciate the posts and the kind thoughts.  They make a huge difference in my day.  Just knowing the trails are still out there and that you all are enjoying them gives me hope for tomorrow.

Painted Horse,

 Utah is my absolute favorite place in the universe.  I was born in Monticello a few dozen years ago, and the place has never let me go.  I have traveled all over and lived in many different places, but nowhere is as spectacular as Utah.  When my responsibilities in New Mexico are at an end, Utah will have one more resident.

Thanks again everyone!

Marla

A cold front blew through saturday morning.  At 6am it was spitting rain, gusty winds and the temp was 53* at home.  I wasted away the morning doing chorses and honeydo's around the house.  About noon, the weather cleared and I decided it was time to load up and head for the high country. And at least get part of a ride in.

Talked a neighbor into sitting in one of my saddles and helping to exercise one of my geldings.

It had rained and blown hard.  There were trees laying across the trail and it was muddy in spots.  The horses were slpping and sliding as we rode up the trail.

Just below the crest of the mountain is a spring.  It always has a good flow of cold water.  Here is my neighbor trying to get my horses to drink. Again this weekend the temps were in the low 40* range.  So we had jackets on and the horses hardly worked up any sweat climbing the mountain. So they weren't too thirsty.

The storm had really cleared out the air.  You could see forever.  I liked this photo as you can see the various mountains layering behind each other for a LONG ways.

'll bet your neighbor found that to be quite a chore!!

Marla

I have to twist his arm every saturday to get him to come.  As my daughters are getting older, it's harder to get them to come.  Too many other activities with friends/school/work competing with a horse ride with old dad.

If I bring the horses, he brings the food.  such a deal.

Hey!!!, I'd go for a deal like that!  I'll even do the cooking!!

Marla

My buddy called around 2pm on friday and said he had room in his trailer and did I want to join him for a weekend.

Oh Course I wanted to join him! What kind of question is that.

We got out of town around 6pm, We stopped around 8:00pm at a little town in Wyoming and had some dinner. Got to where we were going around 10:00pm.  Pulled through the gate and turned the horses loose and went to bed after admiring the stars for a few minutes.   Nothing quite like a sky ful of stars on a clear night when viewed from 8000' elevation and 60 miles away from nearest town, and a small one at that.

I awoke earlier as I usually do at home and went out to watch the horses.  We were in a 40+ acre fenced in hay field.

Sun was just coming up

I whistled for the horses and mine and another  couple came on the run

When the others got up and we got moving, we loaded up and headed into Jackson Hole and had some breakfast before hitting the trail.

We rode the Two Oceans trail which has some great views.

Some body got a picture of me on my gelding

The trail passes through a lot of meadows, spruce forest, some burned areas and around several lakes

We saw a pack of wolves.  By time I got the camera out and took a picture, I only caught one of the wolves and he was 150 yards or so by then.  See red line

Some of the willows we rode through along the edge of one of the lakes

The trail climbs up some switch backs to summit out one of the higher points.

Back to the hay field for the night. Got up Sunday and rode for an hour of two before the weather broke and it started to rain.  Which it did all the rest of the day.

But I had achieved my therapy for the week.

     We went through Jackson Hole coming back from Yellowstone a couple of years ago.  Beautifull area but a tourist trap if ever I saw one, thats if I'm remembering the right town, we went through quite a few. 

     I have a problem with steep drop offs so I don't know if I could ride much up there.  Teton Pass scared the crap out of me! 

Thanks for sharing photo's ...!  I enjoy seeing them!

Recent pictures from horse show & a trip to Pat Parelli's delivering Trail Corral in Colorado

Wild horses

Hope all is well with all!

Jackson Hole IS a tourist town.  No doubt about that.  but other than stopping and eating breakfast or dinner in a favorite resturant, we just drive right through town.  If the wives come they enjoy a little shopping. But for the most part we avoid the town square.

There is plenty of trail riding in the area, where you don't get on anything very steep.  In fact the steepest hills we rode are in the photos above.

I would LOVE to ride that area.. Every time we go somewhere like that and I'm in the passenger side of the car looking out the window .. I wonder what it would be like to ride the country I'm seeing as we go by..

Terri, When did you go to Yellowstone?  We were there Aug of '07 .. Loved it.. drove from Denver up thru eastern Wyoming to South Dakota, to Mt Rushmore, then up to Custer's battle field in MT, and down the western side of Wyo and stayed in Cody several days before driving down thru the Teton and across Wyo to Thermopolis to see the fossils and continued on the Sacajawea's grave, before winding down thru eastern Wyo again and ending up in Denver.. It was a 10 day trip.. I LOVED it!! My husband swears "never again"!!! We were in Yellowstone when they had the forest fires raging.. Could not return to our hotel in Cody by the direct route one day.. Had to drive back thru the entire park and out thru the top thru Beartooth Mountains.. My husb DOES NOT like heights!! I drove while he looked at his knees.. Stopped and took a lot of pictures which made him extremely nervous.. WE had a good time tho..