No road trip!

Hi Friends and Happy November!

Since my last post about getting our Van ready for a road trip, I'm sad to say I never did get that road trip. My husband took it hunting up in the mountains east of us, and it worked great for him. The two batteries ran his CPAP machine (he needs it for night time sleep) and he said the bed, though a tad hard, was pretty comfy. We planned to take that road trip once he got home from hunting.

Unfortunately, he came home after 3 days there, very sick! He never got to do any more hunting, and I've spent the last 7 weeks being nursemaid to him and two of our cats that also got sick and needed vet visits. Needless to say, NO ROADTRIPS in the Van. And now the nights are just too cold to be out sleeping in a Van.

(NOTE: As of this writing, my hubby IS feeling about 75% better.)

We thought he might have caught the Covid virus from someone up hunting, so he was tested as he had many of the symptoms, but it came back negative. We were very thankful but he was very sick with bronchitis which aggravated his asthma. It was not pretty.

On a fun note, I finally got to mark something off of my "bucket list"!! 

Can you guess????

I have owned  horses all of  my life, since I was 13. The last one I owned was back in 2006 and that was the last time I rode, after I sold him. 

This is me and my "Buddy" in about 2002, riding up by Mt. Adams in Washington.

I had decided that owning a horse, besides being expensive, was a commitment to giving him the best care possible, and providing a "pasture mate" which he didn't have. I wasn't hardly ever riding anymore, so with much sadness, I leased him out for a year, and then sold him, when I realized I really didn't miss riding that much. I DID miss just having a horse around, but that wasn't fair to him.

Anyway.. that's the last time I rode... and over the years since then, I've yearned to ride again... I've really missed being around horses and riding, though I didn't miss the work and expense involved. 

Riding in "the dry country" when I lived in The Dalles, Oregon.

Visiting my sister one day in September (she's newly moved to a home closer to where I live!), I just on a whim suggested she and I ought to go riding one of these days. Every year, we say we will, but then we just don't for one reason or other. One reason is that the hourly rates are just horrible now! I used to ride for maybe $10 an hour, now it's up to anywhere from $55 to $95 an hour! Ouch.

So we decided to just do it! She called me later in the week and said we could ride at a stable by Sun River, Oregon (where I used to live) as she knew a gal who worked there. So we made plans to meet the next Sunday, which was October 4th. That was so fast! I really had thought that we'd end up not going. I didn't hardly have time to stress about it or worry that I wouldn't be able to get on a horse again! 

I spent that week before we went, walking every day and doing some exercises to strengthen by legs! As I've gotten older, my legs have gotten so out of shape and weak.... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to even get on a horse, let alone ride for very long. 

This was the bucket list I made in 2013. All this time, I could have sworn that I had "ride a horse again" on it! But when I went back to look at it after I had ridden (so I could cross it off!) it wasn't there! I guess I've just had that wish in my "mind" all these years.

As a note, I've only managed to do TWO things on that 2013 Bucket List!

But for ME and the "bucket list in my mind", I just had to try it. I figured if I couldn't ride, the worse case scenerio is that I either wouldn't have been able to get on, or I'd have ridden for 10 minutes and needed to get off, and could have just walked back to the stable, leading the horse. So I went for it.

It was a wonderful day! Gorgeous weather, warm and I managed to get myself up early to meet my sister at 10:30. I'm NOT an early riser! The stable was awesome, more of a training facility, but they keep a few horses for private rides. 

My mare was 25 years old! Just what I needed!

Me and my steed.

And after all my worry about being able to get on..... the gal used a step stool for both of us to get on! I think I could have managed it without one, but she said they do it for everyone, for safety sake.

And off we went... and rode through the woods and trees and it was wonderful to be in some "woods". We followed some nice trails and rode over by the Deschutes River. I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to... wish I would have. I took alot of my sister though!

My sister, Barb.

Ready to head out!

It felt so funny to wear a helmet. I've never worn a helmet before when I rode!

Deschutes River - so beautiful, but low this time of year.

It was so much fun...... we even trotted..........and I did just fine. All my worries for nothing. And.... we rode for 1-1/2 hours! I'm amazed I was able to do that, and I wasn't hardly saddle sore the next day! It's a shame I put it off for so long.

(NOTE: The getting off was HARDER than the getting on!)

I've been pretty lax about posting here. I have things I want to share, but with this virus thing and with my hubby and cats sick, I've kind of been in a slump........ plus I had a 2 week bout with vertigo... which didn't help matters. That is better.... for now anyway.

I hope to post sooner as have a few other things to share.

I hope you are all well....and that you each and every one and your families have a nice Thanksgiving. We were going to travel to my son's house in Astoria, Oregon, but have decided not to, due to the Covid and suggestions not to travel. I've actually figured out how to use Zoom and we are going to have a "Zoom Thanksgiving"!!

Hugs for now!

~Marilyn~

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