Cowboy Camp - Harry Osborne State Forest

 

Our next stop was recommended by The Trailmeister (who we actually met at a Horse Expo several years ago).

The Cowboy Camp at Harry Osborne State Forest.

This is a perfect place for equestrians. Plenty of space for large rigs. Lots of trails. Quiet and private. You are boondocking - no water or electric or cell service, but it is such a wonderful place it is worth it.

There is a vault toilet. Non equestrians have found this place, but they keep to one side of the park away from the horse area. 

The campsite is free with the state Discover Pass. No rangers came by to bug us, so I expect anybody could camp for free as long as they want as long as they don't bother anybody.

There is a day use area for equestrians which sees four or five riders each day.

There is a creek that some campers drive to and take water from the creek and drive it back to camp. We carry a water tank in the tack room for the horses, so we had enough water to last through the stay. We use a transfer pump to fill the horse's water buckets, and it works great.

We set up a portable corral for the horses. There are high lines, but they are so tall I am not sure how you would tie to them. You would need a ladder or park your truck next to them and stand in the bed to tie up the line.

The trails are extensive. Enough riding for several days. We stayed two days and rode every day. It is easy to get lost, so carry a garmin or mark the trails.

The trails are well maintained and in good shape. Most are pretty easy. There are some downed trees, but if we hit an impassable trail, we just double backed and picked a new trail.

A family was camped next to us with no horses. The two girls were horse crazy, so the parents thought it would be fun to camp at a horse campsite. We let the two girls walk our horses around on their lead ropes so they could eat the grass.

Not sure who had a better time - the horses or the girls.

I really liked staying at the Cowboy Camp - especially the name. There is a private equestrian camp a little up the road, which charges and is also called Cowboy Camp.  That camp appeared to be doing a good business even though they also don't have water or electric. So, you can boondock for free at the state park or boondock and pay money at this private camp.

Silver Lake County Park - Maple Falls, Washington

 

With great reluctance, we said farewell to Eric and Elaine. They were excellent hosts and we very much enjoyed our stay.

Elaine filled up a grocery bag with fresh veggies from her garden, eggs from her chickens, and other snacks for the road. I am embarrassed to confess the snack were eaten by the time we arrived at our campground.

We set up the horses on a high line while we were breaking down the corral.

Both Eric and Elaine enjoyed the novelty of having horses in their backyard for a few days. I expect in about a month the area where we set up the corral will be lush with new green growth.

Our next stop was Silver Lake County Park in Maple Falls, Washington. We stayed at Red Mountain Horse Camp - which has been taken over by non-equestrians. It was noisy and crowded, and the people in the campsite next to us were having a high school graduation party with lots of guests.  We were not happy campers.

We set up a corral next to our LQ. There was water and electrical hook-up which is nice.

We rode out of the campsite on a meadow trail.

We tried the Red Mountain trail, but it was very steep, lots of downed logs, and pretty unusable.

We tried Black Mountain Trail and it was a bit better, but very muddy and a bit overgrown in vegetation.

Around 8 pm, a ranger knocked on our LQ door and advised us that horses are not allowed in the campground. Keep in mind the name of the campsite is Red Mountain Horse Camp. This is supposed to be a campsite for equestrians. 

The very nice ranger explained that 25 years ago, yes, this was an equestrian campground with extensive trails for horses, but now due to new housing in the area, the trails are mostly gone.

Since the trails went away, horse people aren't as interested in the park, so now most of the campsites are booked by non-equestrians. She said we needed to move the horses to the "stables". W had ridden by the stables earlier and thought they had been used by a concessionaire who offered guided trail rides. 

We basically explained why we wouldn't bed down the horses in the existing stables and offered to move our corrals next to the stables and leave the campsite the next morning first thing. She agreed to that compromise.

These are the stables were campers are expected to keep their horses.

The spaces are not enclosed. You basically tie the horse into a parking space. They can't turn around or lie down.

There are feeding troughs, but no water trough, so if you want your horse to have water, you have to fill a small pail that will fit in the trough.

We put the horses in the stables while we packed the corral into the LQ.

Heading to Bellingham

 

Unbenowest to Ari & me, our route guided us to take the Port Townsend ferry to Bellingham. We were pretty nervous about the idea of taking a ferry with the horses, but it was awesome!

It cost around $80 for the trailer, the senior driver and his passenger. The trailer was the big expense. The driver cost $1.80 and I cost $3.80.

Vehicles are lined up to get on the ferry. Sadly, I was not allowed to leave the vehicle so I was stuck taking pictures from inside the truck.

We were guided onto the ferry and the vehicles are packed close together.

I took this picture inside the ferry looking back at our trailer. We are already at sea at this point, but see how it is open on both ends? We are basically on a barge, but passengers are above us. A little bummed that we weren't allowed out of the truck. I had a cooler in the truck with our lunch and my Surface laptop, so we ate lunch and streamed "Grey's Anatomy" on my laptop during the cruise.

One of our friends had suggested that we take a ferry from Washington to Alaska to avoid the Canadian rules regarding COVID-19. If we had known it would be this easy, we might have done it, but at this point it is too late in the year to make the attempt, plus I have reservations through the rest of the year at various campsites, so our itinerary is set.

This will be our option when we try to do Alaska next year, perhaps.

Washington is a beautiful state. I took this picture on the drive to our destination.

Friends, Eric and Elaine Raines, wanted us to visit during this Big Trip. They told us they had several acres and would be able to put us up with no issues.

Well, our first challenge was getting in their driveway. It's hard to see, but on the left side of the driveway is a culvert with a large drain. Between their large business sign on the left and all their other items on the right, it was a challenge just getting into the driveway.

The next challenge was low hanging cables over the driveway that caught on the roof of the trailer.

We ended up taking out one of their cables. Here's Eric up on their roof trying to fix it. The downed cable didn't affect their electricity or their television, so hopefully it was just an old cable that was no longer in use.

We set up our portable corral in their backyard and the horses settled in nicely. There is a grove of fruit trees and the horses appreciate all the apples.

Elaine says hi to the horses. Elaine is a true animal lover. She rescues cats, has chickens, and feeds the wildlife.

Elaine outdid herself - laying out a HUGE spread of food for us. We felt positively spoiled.

Ari enjoyed this Sangria with dinner. I passed because I am a light-weight and didn't want to fall asleep on our fabulous hosts.

These were part of the desert course and they are really excellent. Elaine says she buys them at Big Lots and they are gluten free, which is nice.

We are in the guest room which is - well - lovely. 

We are here for the next few days to rest up before we start off on the next leg of our trip.

Layton Hills Horse Camp

Here are the horses in their corral at the horse camp. We added a panel from our corral to expand their area.

Before our ride, we warmed the horses up on the obstacle course. This is Mercy and me going through the car wash obstacle. It simulates you having to go through low branches and brush, so the horse is used to feeling stuff on his sides and back as you ride.

This is Ari and Lennox climbing over large tires. Simulating crossing logs or other obstacles.

Starting the trail ride. It started out easy. We did the Sage Trail, which was a little over an hour loop. The trail had places that were overgrown and lots of downed trees. It was well marked with trail ribbon. We joked that the reason they have an obstacle course is to get you warmed up for the trail.

There is also a play ground for kids, including a small sand box. Ari tested out the tire swign.

Another picture from the trail.

This is what the trail head looked like from the campsite.

 

Layton Hills Horse Camp - Washington

Right now we are at Layton Hill Horse Camp.

No electric or water hook-ups for the RV.

Cell service is spotty. There is water for the horses, but just one source, so you have to fill your bucket/pail and then haul it back to your campsite.

They have a HUGE horse playground - otherwise known as an obstacle course. I am hoping to play with my horse there this morning before we go on the trails.

The corrals in the campsite where we chose are not well secure. The panels are basically just leaning against each other and secured with chains at each corner. This morning around 3:30 am we heard a bunch of noise and it turned out my horse, Mercutio, had figured out how to undo all the chains and push a panel out far enough to create an exit. He had escaped his corral and was now busy eating as much grass as he could shove down his throat before he got caught and returned to the corral. I caught him easily and we got him secured in his corral. Just glad our trailer is right next to them, so we were able to hear the commotion and get Mercutio caught before he wandered too far.

Not all the campsites are the same. They all have picnic tables and fire rings, but be sure to check the corrals as some are better built than others. We picked this site because it had the best cell reception, probably not the criteria we should use in the future. 

Ocean Acres - on the Washington Coast

Our next stop was Ocean Acres B&B Horse Motel. This is pretty much the only place to stay with horses on the Washington coast.

The drive there was pretty easy - mostly highway. They have a sign on the street so they are easy to locate. It is a bit tight driving past the front house into the back acreage, but otherwise not hard to get into.

The campsites are large with plenty of place to turn around and lots of space between campsites. No electric, but there is water. There are porta potties as well. Some campsites have picnic tables, but not all of them. Most have a fire ring.

We liked this beach better than the one in Oregon. It was quiet and easy to ride.

To get to the beach from the campsite, you ride down a long road.

This is how we parked at the campsite.

We put up out portable corral instead of using the provided corrals so that the horses would have more space.

We tried the corrals first, but they just seemed small for the horses.

There wasn't very good internet reception, but Ari was able to spend the morning in the parlor at the B&B and play on his laptop. He said the B&B internet was wonderful. The owners told him that due to COVID-19, they weren't serving any food unless it was pre-packaged. So, their B&B business was not as good as it normally is this time of year.

A Couple of Days in the Pasture - Puyallup, Washington

This is Luke. He saw me, immediately fell to the ground and rolled over to get his belly rubbed. Apparently, he knew I am a dog person. Of course, I obliged and rubbed his belly.

I purchased some custom frames from Michael's right before we left for our trip. One of the frames came with this small level with an adhesive back to help ensure you hang the picture straight. I saved it and have installed it in the middle of our trailer living space - above our dinette table. I use it to ensure our trailer is parked level. I don't have to look for a level each time we park and it isn't in the way.

Lennox is enjoying the pasture here at Creekwood Ranch in Puyallup, Washington.

Lennox patrols his current housing situation.

Mercutio tries to decide which grass to eat first.

We are currently staying at Creekwood Ranch in Puyallup, Washington. We are getting a break from the 100 degree weather. It has been gray, cool, and overcast. There isn't any trail access from the ranch, but we are OK taking a break for a couple of days and letting the horses rest in the pasture before we head to the coast.

We are able to hook up electrical and we are using the water in our tanks for now. The next place has full hook-ups, so we are fine.

Creekwood Farm, Rose Corey 8302 138th St. E. Puyallup, WA  98373-2532 Tel:  253-921-0585 E-mail:  Creekwoodfarm@msn.com Location on Google Maps (Not Confirmed) Facilities:  Individual 12' x 12' stalls with attached 12 x 24' outside paddocks. Covered riding arena, restroom, heated washrack, turnout with safe fencing. RV parking and electrical hookup. Great parking and easy turnaround for large rigs. Close to Washington State Fairgrounds. Location:  8302 138th St E., Puyallup, WA.

Thanks to Betty Lou from Overlake Farm for taking this nice picture of Ari and me. Betty Lou gave us a walking tour of the farm. The ranch has been in the family for three generations. 

A coyote feasted on several of their chickens the night after we arrived. They lost about six chickens. All that was left was a pile of feathers at the site of each massacre.

I really like this sign which was posted at the entrance to Bridle Trails State Park. It explains the importance of cleaning up after your dog and why horse poop is actually good for the forest.

One of the horses at Overlake Farm shared quarters with a sheep. Horses are social animals and if they are alone they can get depressed and anxious, just like people. It's common to provide a horse with a companion if they are alone. Normally, people use a goat as they are cheaper to keep. This is the first time I have seen a sheep used as company for a horse, but they seemed to get along just fine.

This is where we parked at Overlake. We were out of the road. No electric or water hook-up, but we felt safe.