Group Ride at the Picket Post Trailhead - Arizona

 

Today Ari went on a group ride with the other campers here at Ride Out Ranch. They rode from the Picket Post trailhead to an abandoned silver mine. They reached the site of a battle between a group of Apache warriors and the US Calvary. Legend has it that the tears shed by the warriors turned into stones. The stones are called Apache tears. If you hold the stones to a light source, you see they are actually glass. They were formed from volcanic lava.

Stopping for a drink at a small creek

On the trail

Tomorrow I see the doctor to see if I am healed up enough to get in the saddle. The next day we move on to Hay Creek Ranch in Oracle, AZ

Re-Acclimating to Life on the Road - Ride Out Ranch, Florence, AZ

 After spending almost three months in one place, it is a bit of an adjustment to be in a new place. We had settled into the place at San Tan Valley. 

Both horses seem really happy and content in separate stalls.

There are two other LQs here with campers. One LQ on each side of us. One is a couple from Tennessee - they both ride. The other LQ is a couple with a foster daughter. The husband rides, but the wife and girl do not. 

The guy who developed this horse camp passed away a few months ago, so the place is being run by his friend who helped with the construction. Dave seems like a nice enough fellow. So far, he is the only person around who is willing to ride with Ari and ride my horse.

We arrived on a Monday. On Tuesday, after trying to find someone to ride with him, Ari set off on his own with Lennox. They rode for a couple of hours down the wash. Here is Ari returning from the ride. He said it was an easy ride and Lennox did OK. Mercutio spent the entire time they were gone calling for Lennox and asking him to come back, so Lennox was in a real hurry to return to his buddy and get the ride over with.

On Wednesday, Ari was able to persuade Dave to ride Mercy and take him out on the trails. Dave is pretty busy with chores, so he charged Ari $20 for the ride. We didn't mind paying him since Ari prefers to ride with someone and Mercy needs the exercise. Plus, both horses do better when they are together.

On Wednesday, Ari and I went into the town of Florence. I wanted to see the downtown and go grocery shopping. We had lunch at the River Bottom Bar & Grill, a biker bar off the highway. I asked about the chili because a lot of places use pork as an extender and we don't eat pork. The server explained that it is Hormel canned chili. It does not reflect well on any eatery to serve canned chili or canned soup. Ari ordered a burger and fries. I ordered the chicken wings. The burger was actually very good as were the fries. My wings were decent, but pretty sure the BBQ sauce came from a jar.

No rattlesnakes joined us. We ate on the outside patio - where nobody was wearing masks and several of the patrons were smoking.

Joel on Mercy

Heading out to the trails

Thursday was our best day here so far. What made it a great day was Joel and Mari came out to see us. Ari was able to get a decent ride in with Joel and even took Mari out on Mercy for a short ride afterwards. 

After the ride, one of the other campers, named Iowa Dave, reviewed our upcoming itinerary with me so he could recommend a couple of places we could stop and I could make some tweaks based on his recommendations. I always like to hear what other equestrians have to say about campgrounds. Word of mouth has been how I have found some of the best places to stay.

On Saturday, they are hosting a memorial service for the deceased owner. We have been warned that a large crowd is expected. Ari & I may just hide in our trailer for the day as these events tend to be super spreaders for COVID-19 and, so far, we have been pretty lucky.

On the Road Again....to the Ride Out Ranch in Florence, AZ

 

You may recall that at the beginning or November - we had this much hay delivered for our winter stay in Arizona.

And...this is all that is left at the end of January.  Ari ended up having to go to the local feed store to get a few extra bales to store in our hay pod as we get back on the road.

This is the shared community hall. There is a large washer and dryer (no charge) where we can do our laundry. Lots of places to sit and just hang out. There is even a small office area that I have my eye on to work in during the week. 

The road into Ride Out Ranch is about two miles of unpaved, dirt with a lot of ruts. It isn't the worst road we have ever been on, but it certainly rattled our bones.  We are a good 30 minutes outside of town and away from shopping. Ari has already stated that he is not going to drive on that road more than a few times. Well, I am hoping to go into town on Wednesday just to see the downtown and we have a doctor's appointment for my foot the following Tuesday, so I guess those will be the "couple of times" he will have to drive it.

The horses have some good sized corrals with covers. Mercy is no longer having to share a space with Lennox. He will be able to eat in peace for the duration without Lennox bullying him aside to eat his food.  There is also a nice round pen for turn out.

We have full hook-up for the trailer, so we are happy about that. There is wi-fi. We are connected using our Winegard which is boosting the signal and it appears to be decent.  

It is a lot quieter here than Joel's place in San Tan Valley. There are a few other campers, but it is not even half full here. The scenery looks beautiful and hopefully Ari will be able to go on some nice rides.

Family Visits before We Hit the Road

 Our long term winter stay in Arizona is coming to an end. On Monday, we pack up and move on to the Ride Out Ranch in Florence...from now until next winter we will be doing the same pace of staying four to ten days at a place before we move on. 

One of the reasons we picked Arizona to winter is that Ari has family living in the area. We reminded them that we would be moving on Monday, so they took the opportunity to visit one more time.

Jaydon, our great nephew, actually managed to cram in TWO visits before we left because he has fallen in love with Mercy and wanted to ride on the local trails. He has grown into a wonderful young man and he has the makings of a real cowboy. He told his mom he may have to get a horse once he is done with college and settled down.

Our other niece also visited with her four kids. The older two each got a riding lesson on Mercy.

This is the baby - five month old Jeremiah - taking a nap in our bed inside the trailer. He is out for the count.

This is David James, age 15, getting his riding lesson.

Here's Althea, age 13, getting her riding lesson - she's a natural.

Althea also got to drive Joel's ATV - with Joel behind her to make sure she stayed safe. What a great adventure!

It's been really nice getting to spend time with our nieces and see Ari's sister.

Here is Joel helping with Lennox while he gets his manicure.

The horses got their manicures this morning before Nicole's visit. Both horses enjoyed their spa day.

Tomorrow our stock trailer gets picked up so it can be towed back to California.

Riding with Wild Horses - Salt River Coon Bluff Loop Arizona

 While I am laid up, our camp host, Joel Erickson has agreed to ride my horse and he has been having a blast getting to ride. He and his wife left their horses back in Minnesota so he hadn't expected to be able to ride.

This morning Ari and Joel took our horses back to the Coon Bluff Loop equestrian area. This time they went across the road and into the Salt River to see the wild horses.

Here is Ari on Lennox. The herd of wild horses is to the left on the other side of the river.

You can see the horses in the distance over Ari's shoulder.

Joel took these pictures of the herd.

Here is Joel riding Mercy. You can see the wild horses behind them. What a great picture!

This was definitely a great ride and I am very sorry I missed it, but so happy there are some pictures to capture it.

The Dancer's Fracture

 

Monday night I was making dinner - coq au vin. I keep the flour in an upper shelf and I am vertically challenged. So, I stand on our dinette to reach the cupboard. I slipped and fell badly. I broke the fifth metatarsal in my left foot - spiral fracture.

When I fell, I landed on my butt and hit my head on the back of our new wooden cabinet. Ari told me to lay there a minute and take inventory before I tried to get up - wise advise after any bad fall. I had a bump on my head, a scratch on my arm, my butt felt sore, but otherwise I thought I might have escaped any serious injuries. Then I tried to get up. As soon as I put weight on my left foot, I knew I had a broken bone. 

I crawled into our bed, elevated it, and iced it. I was hoping I was mistaken and the tell-tale throb of a break would subside, but it didn't.

I texted our niece, Dayna, who lives in the Phoenix area.  I wanted to avoid going to an ER with COVID rampant in Arizona right now. Dayna is a nurse and I was hoping she could recommend one of those 24 hr clinics. Instead, she got me a doctor's appointment the next morning with her podiatrist - even better.

As luck would have it, Ari had put our truck in for service that morning to have all the leaky hoses replaced. Our landlord, Joel, kindly lent us the use of his vehicle for the doctor's appointment. 

At the doctor's, X-rays were taken and my fears confirmed. It is a spiral fracture in the left foot. The doctor said most fractures of this type require surgery, but my bones had remained aligned, so there was a good chance it might heal without surgery. He prescribed a hydraulic boot and told me to stay off my foot as much as possible to prevent the bones from mis-aligning. He will check me again on the 19th to see if I have dodged the surgery bullet. If I have, then I only need the boot for a total of four weeks. If I require surgery, it will be a 12 week recovery period.

Ari is having to do my chores and his chores for the duration.

Fortunately, our landlord has been willing to ride Mercy and they have been riding together and having a great time. 

Dayna came out to check on us yesterday, so here is my hero with Lennox. Because of her, I didn't need to spend hours sitting in a crowded ER risking COVID. I got excellent care from her podiatrist and I may be able to avoid a painful surgery.

People have asked me if I need crutches and crutches would be a challenge in a small trailer, plus the ground outside is mostly rock and gravel so it would not be very steady for crutches. A walking boot is definitely the best solution. It keeps my fracture stabilized and protects my foot.

 

Salt River Wild Horses - Coon Bluff Loop

 There is a herd of wild horses living in the Salt River area near Usury State Park. They have their own supporters. We trailered out to see if we could spot them. Ari said he would be fine if we didn't as he didn't want our own horses spooking.

There is a large parking area on Coon Bluff Road across from the Salt River that is designated for equestrians. There were easily a dozen horse trailers in there. Lots of riders hoping to see the wild horses. No vault toilets or picnic tables. Just plenty of free parking. No overnight camping allowed.

The trails are mostly wide and sandy. It was an easy and relaxing ride. No herds of wild horses are seen, but we had a good time, nonethless.