North Fork River Ranch - West Plains, MO

 

The North Fork River Ranch actually surpassed our expectations. It is a beautiful campground with lovely trails. The staff is really outstanding as well.

This is an enormous campground. There is a general store and a dining area.

There are showers and toilets. 

We had full hook-up for our LQ.

The horses were in small 10' x 10' stalls with cover.

They also rent kayaks and will provide service for dropping you off at the river and picking you up downstream. It was chilly, so we opted not to kayak.

You are allowed to tack up next to the trailer. You can see the stalls in the background.

We rode the Annie Oakley trail on Day One and the Zane Grey trail on Day Two.

We both thought the Annie Oakley trail was the prettier trail.

There were some rocky sections, but we rode both horses barefoot and they did fine.

We rode past the Turnbull Cave on the Annie Oakley  trail. They have set up hitching posts and a picnic table there, so you can dismount, tie up your horse and explore the cave. 

We opted to stay in the saddle. You have to cross a small creek to access the cave and Ari didn't want to get his boots wet.

There were several water crossings on both trails and we waded on horse back through the North Fork River more than once.

Both horses did great on the trails. Finally, they both seem to have settled down and settled in.

We spent one afternoon in West Plains, just to check out the town. It was a Sunday so just about everything was shuttered. We wandered around a bit in the downtown area and enjoyed the local architecture.

We are exploring the Ozarks - the mountain region that is part of Southwest Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is a beautiful part of the country and I recommend it.

The name "Ozark" relates the French term aux arcs. In the later 17th and early 18th centuries, French cartographers mapped the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. The large, topmost arc or bend in this part of the Arkansas River was referred to as being aux arcs—the top or northernmost arc in the whole of the lower Arkansas. Travelers arriving by boat would disembark at this top bend of the river to explore the Ozarks; the city of Ozark, Arkansas, is located on the north bank at this location.

Eagle Ranch Resort - Collins, MO

Eagle Ranch is an enormous horse campground. Easily over 100 campsites, all with electric hook-up.

There is an RV dump at the camp entrance. It doesn't have the proper connection for a sewer outlet. Instead it is just a wide open pipe with a cover, so it is rather stinky.

The campground has several cabins for rent as well as a shower house with bathrooms.

The campground is in good condition.

There is also an obstacle course here, but we didn't try it.

It rained most of our stay and when there was good weather, Ari wanted to be on the trails.

The horses are in good sized covered stalls, so they have protection from the rain. There are several turn-out areas where the horses can graze as well as a large round pen.

The trails are well marked and mostly in good shape. There are a few places where the branches were a bit low, but we managed to get through.

There are half a dozen barn cats that are hanging out at our trailer. On our grocery run, I picked up a box of cat food and I have divvied it up on paper plates. The cats are quite grateful.

The next morning as I step out of the trailer and look down - it's a cat trap!

Luckily, I was able to get out without any cat interference.

Jerry, the camp host, had a brochure in the office for a Spark Yoga studio. His daughter, Erin, is the instructor. Classes are first thing in the morning and in the evenings. 

We attended two classes - one on Monday night and one on Wednesday night. They were excellent classes and I recommend trying to attend a class if you stay at this campground.

It's a great way to stretch out and relax after a day in the saddle.

Stockton is about 20 minutes from the campground. There is a nice grocery store there as well called Woods.

I also arranged massages at a small place called Tiny Hands massage. The massages were just OK, but it had been so long we didn't care. We were happy to get a massage.

There is a laundry next to the massage place. I went in to the use the bathroom there.

The laundromat had a group of Amish women and their small children, doing laundry.

They were speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. We smiled at each other behind masks, but that was the complete interaction. I have no idea how they got there - no horse and buggy outside - so they probably hired a driver and I am unclear how they are allowed to use modern washers and dryers under their religion. Maybe as long as they don't own them? There must be a loophole they are using.

 

The Lazy Chair Ranch - Mount Vernon, MO

 

We landed at the Lazy Chair Ranch in Mount Vernon, MO and this place has been the perfect choice to take a breath and lick our wounds.

There is a sweet little pond next to our trailer where a mated pair of Great Blue Herons hang out.

We have electric hook-up for the trailer and we are in a secure spot.

Easy in and out.

The horses have large covered paddocks, so they are really happy.

We were even able to buy six more bales of grass hay from James, our host.

We spent Friday night exploring Springfield. There is a large Bass Pro that features an aquarium. We didn't go in because the admission was around $50 a person, which seemed steep to us. There was no discount for seniors.

The History Museum has an evening walking tour which we did go on. $20 per person. This medallion is inset in the street on the square in front of the museum. It marks the location where a local man was shot by Wild Bill Hickock over a gambling debt.

This mural says 

"If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

This sounds very Zen to me.

Not far from the mural is this door.

This is one of the oldest buildings in Springfield, Missouri. It has been used as a holding cell as well as government offices. According to the tour guide, two young ladies were arrested for unladylike behavior in the 1920's. That behavior is unspecified, but it could have been for smoking and/or drinking. They decided to escape. They escaped out a second story window and shimmied down a drainage pipe. The first lady made it to the ground OK, but the pipe gave way for the second woman and she fell to her death.

This statue is called "Space Cat". 

On Sunday we head out to Eagle Ranch Resort in Collins, MO. We are looking forward to getting back on the trails.

Wheatland, MO

 

We were there to visit Diana, Isaiah's grandmother, and Isaiah wanted to be there during our visit.

Diana arranged for her neighbor, Roger, to host us. Roger has a storage facility about a block from Diana's house. It was the perfect location. There was plenty of grass for the horses, which they very much enjoyed.

We set up our portable corrals and the horses were quite content.

We had full hook-up on our trailer and we were able to spend most of our time in the trailer away from Diana, Isaiah, and Deeba, so they could visit without us being in the way.

But on our third day there, we had a falling out with Diana.

It was unfortunate, but she ordered us off the property and refused to hash out any differences.

Diana felt that I was over-judgmental of her and her family. Apparently, every word out of my mouth had been picked apart and over-analyzed to the point that anything I said sounded like a criticism. If I commented on the weather, it was critical.

We were accused of being liars and thieves.

We were sad, but there really was no point in arguing. Diana had built up 15 years worth of resentment against us, especially me. We had no idea she was so angry and had been holding onto that anger for so long.

Isaiah was angry with us as well. He believed I had been extremely disrespectful to Diana.

We felt like we had been lured there under false pretenses. We had expected to have a low-key visit, but Isaiah and Diana had planned this great drama where they would scream, "J'accuse!" and order us out of their lives.

We found a nice horse motel in Mount Vernon, MO and left.

Two days later, Isaiah is texting that "we didn't even try to talk to them to work things out, we just left."

That is what gaslighting looks like. 

It makes me wonder if people really do go around with a scorecard evaluating everyone they meet. Is this person more attractive than me? Are they happier? Do they have more stuff? That would be a pretty miserable way to live. I have always assumed that everyone is just doing the best they can with what they have to work with. There are always going to be people with more and people with less.  

Diana believed I was scoring her and her family on this imaginary scorecard and giving them a failing grade.  I have no idea why she thought that because, frankly, that's not the way I think. But, apparently, she does and on her score card I am in the bottom percent.

But, here's the rub...if you believe people are constantly scoring you, judging you and finding you less, then you are going to eventually have a really low opinion of yourself. Since I don't keep scorecards and don't waste my time scoring people, my self-esteem is just fine, thank you. 

It's sad, because I always admired Diana and thought so highly of her, but apparently the feeling was not even close to mutual.

We took in Isaiah when he was 9 years old. At 16, he kept stealing our cars and taking our stuff. He threatened to burn our house down if we didn't let him have his way.  At that point, we had three choices: 1) let him keep stealing our cars without any consequences even though he had no license or insurance 2) file a complaint with the sheriff and have him hauled off to jail 3) kick him out 

We explained to Isaiah that those were our three options and we were going with #3 unless he stopped his behavior. He was warned. But, he has no impulse control. He doesn't think past the next five minutes. So, of course, he stole our car again.

We kicked him out and he went to live with our son, Daniel. At 18, he moved back in with us saying he had learned his lesson. At 24, we told him we were going on this trip and he needed to move out. He wasn't happy about it, but he did move out. We gave him the deposit money so he could get his first apartment. 

So, we supported this kid for almost 15 years. Braces, piano lessons, summer camps, and private tutors. We paid for his tuition and books when he attended community college. He had a very nice life with us. We didn't expect him to necessarily be grateful or take care of us in our old age. However, we also didn't expect to be called liars and thieves when he had been the one who lied and stolen from us. We didn't expect to be sent packing like we were criminals.

We are still processing the entire event because it just seems surreal.  We are hoping to put the entire ordeal in the rear view window and get on with our lives. 

A Good Trail Horse

 

Isaiah commented that Laertes was the best trail horse because you could put anybody on him and they would have a good ride. It takes YEARS and MILES to make a good trail horse. It takes an extreme amount of patience and kindness. You can't get mad at the horse for spooking or refusing an obstacle. The horse is doing what he thinks he needs to do to protect himself from getting hurt.  The breakthrough is when the horse learns that he can trust the rider to take care of him. That he is safe when that rider is there. 

I have had Mercutio for four years and I expect it will take another two years before he is a decent trail horse. Ari has had Lennox six years and he is still not what we consider to be a decent trail horse. 

A decent trail horse meets all the above criteria, plus shows good ground manners - respects the human's space and follows the human's instructions. It's a tall order and the majority of horses can't do it.

Additionally, many riders don't have the patience for it. They want to buy a horse and instantly have the horse meet all the criteria of a good trail horse. Why should the horse trust this person? They don't know them. Does the human even bother to understand the horse? Horses are thinking, intelligent creatures. If you don't want to develop a relationship with your horse, then ride a bike or a motorcycle.

It took a good five years to turn Laertes into a decent trail horse. But, once he was there, it was amazing. That amazing is why you ride a horse - to build a partnership and relationship with an animal that will try whatever you ask. 

Crow's Creek Campground - Smithville, MO

 

This is a lovely campground, located Northeast of Kansas City, MO.

There is an RV dump at the park entrance, so we stopped to empty our tanks on the way in and out.

They sell ice and firewood at the entrance as well.

The horses had first class accommodations - covered stalls that were good-sized. We did put pellet bedding down for them here as the stalls were hard packed.

There were also some high lines available.

Our campsite had electric with water close by.

The first day we rode next to the bike path because we couldn't find any other trailheads and that was the trail shown on the campground map.

This was not a great choice because there were bicyclists on the trail next to us as well as tons of kids screaming "Horses! Horses!" who wanted to pet the horses and give them treats. I don't mind letting kids pet the horses and give them treats, but the screaming upsets the horses.

It was a stressful ride and we were five minutes from our trailer when I had an unscheduled dismount.

Mercy did a tight spin, I felt a puff as my vest inflated and I came out of the saddle. When the vest inflates, it tightens all around my chest. I landed on my back like a turtle on it's shell. 

I looked around to see what happened. There was a woman on a bicycle who had come around a blind curve and spooked my horse.

No broken bones thanks to the Hit-Air Equestrian vest. I needed Ari to help me get up because the vest was so inflated.

I was bruised a bit. I think I bruised the muscles in my right rib cage, but I am happy nothing broke.

We had one spare cartridge left to replace the used one in the vest, so I ordered three more.

We should get them while we are staying at Diana's place in Missouri.

I posted on the HCTAA (Horse Trails and Camping Across America) Facebook group about my experience and several local riders wrote in that I had missed the correct trails entirely.

There is no signage, but the horse trails start on the road opposite the RV dump. You have to ride across the campground to locate the trailhead and get to those trails.

Now, this was more like what we wanted - about 31 miles of gorgeous equestrian trails, mostly flat, easy riding. Apparently, these trails are used for events at least once or twice a year.

We were flying our son, Isaiah, and his girlfriend, Deeba, into Kansas City for the next week, which is one reason we chose this campground.

We picked them up at the airport and brought them back to camp.

We got some firewood at the camp entrance and had a nice time around the campfire in the evening before taking them to the local motel for the night.

The next morning Ari wanted to take Isaiah on the trails before we headed down to Wheatland, so off they went. It has been a few years since Isaiah had been in the saddle but he did OK.

He said Mercy bucked once during the ride and he almost came off, but I had warned him to stay alert in the saddle during the ride as Mercy's head hasn't been right since our time in the Badlands. Mercy is slowly recovering, but I think it will take at least six more months before he stops spooking.

We stopped at a truck stop in Peculiar, Missouri on our way down to Wheatland. I took this picture in the Denny's. If you look closely, you will see the word 'Peculiar' right above Isaiah's head.

We had been served our milkshakes and had been waiting a good thirty minutes for our food, when they announced that there was a gas leak and we would have to evacuate the building. 

So, we ended up having lunch in the trailer. 

Harmony Horseman - Hiawatha, KS

 

Harmony Horseman was a two day layover - mostly to break up the drive. They are a horse motel. When we got there and checked their electrical hook-up, it turned out that there was no ground. We let them know and they brought in an electrician to fix it within a couple of hours. 

We have been using a surge protector to connect to our trailer - ever since Ride Out Ranch in Florence, Az. Ride Out Ranch used a generator to power their electrical hook-ups and they would experience surges. 

It can cost a couple of thousand dollars to repair the electrical system on a trailer if it gets over-loaded, not including any damage to the fridge, microwave, and other appliances, so it is definitely worth it to check any system before you plug in.

We were really happy with the runs for the horses. They are large with shelters, so they had some cover during the rain.

They also have a large indoor arena and an obstacle course.

Horses seemed happy with the accomodations.

We went into St Joseph, MO - about 30 minutes from the stables - for dinner and to check out the town.

We had dinner at Boudreaux's Seafood, a Louisiana-style restaurant in the old town district. The bar was built in Philadelphia about 150 years ago and then transported to a saloon in Chadron, Nebraska. 

The bar weighs two tons. The stained glass is the original work. There are bullet holes in the bar from the period of time when it was at the saloon.

The food was pretty good - not as good as the food in New Orleans, but the sweet tea was as good as any I have had and the hush puppies were spot on.

St Joseph was a launching pad for a lot of the settlers and Gold Rush hopefuls who passed through on their way West. Over 100,000 travelers came through St Joseph starting in 1848. It is 2,000 miles from St Joseph, MO to California. 

This statue memorializes the travelers who came through.