Christmas Eve ride

Zoe and I have been wanting to go out for a night ride and get photo's of holiday displays. Finally, the brutal wind quit and we were able to saddle up on Christmas Eve for a deLIGHTful trot out.

It felt so great to be in my saddle after a very cranky week.

Teasel was Keri's night time riding partner -- they are the best team and compliment each other perfectly on our explorations and adventures. And tonight our quest is -- christmas cheer in the form of lights. Well.. **big sigh** They were hard to find this year .. but here's a few night photo's of what we did discover.

Back of the barn as we are preparing to leave.. Teasel took longer because his rider had to assist me in de-lighting and unplugging myself.

These night photo's are challenging !

For many of the photo's all I could get was this result ~

It was rather frustrating there weren't more decorations out - and also that is was so difficult to get photo's.. but we had an awesome ride and it surely improved my mood :)

Back home...

Now - to load the woodstove and visit dreamland, and wait for Santa :)

Photo's were disappointing but the ride was refreshingly awesome... Merry Christmas all !

Enjoy ~

Mission Accomplished

If those of you who visit my blog might remember, Zoe and I had as a new quest -- find the connecting trail from the end of Fairbanks Road and Graham Road -- and also explore all trails in between. We tried to do that before -- and did connect.. but we were sure there was a better easier way. Tuesday, we headed out with that pursuit in mind -- trot down Mattson Road..

Past the now frozen and dreary Hidden Valley Pond. The geese family seems to have finally left.. no sign of them anywhere.

Up Graham Road - where we scared up a very large family of turkeys... their feathers at this time of year are like satin. They are kind of a beautiful bird in a goofy lop-sided sort of way. At the end of Graham Road - there is a Private Drive... not sure what is up there, but off to the left is the trail opening which we discovered on a previous expedition.



here's those ubiquitous Vermonty snowy hemlock woods .. there are quite a few choices in here for turns - we try most of them. Some we have to backtrack as they dead-end.








Here's one where some one was snow shoeing.








Duck under the tree -- this is one trail we have to duck back under.. it goes no where. So we wind around through the snow and trees.. and exit .. not exactly where we thought we would -- but still in a good place.. into the field we were in last week at the end of the restricted trail. This is the route we were seeking on our earlier voyage. :)


From here - we get on a trail we discovered a few weeks ago.. that leads us to this steep trail

That comes out onto this road- which is actually a driveway .. a short ways down here, Zoe and I spotted an opening to the left that we wanted to try out when hunting season was finally finished. I call it the Raccoon Trail because one day I saw the biggest raccoon ever in my life leaning casually against a tree... I wish I had snapped a photo at the time.

We come out onto the powerline - and we follow this in and out - sometimes on trail, sometimes on the powerline.

Here's a photo of where we came from.

I am a rock and ledge lover - and especially when it's forested ledge.. I always take photo's.

We find some snow shoe tracks again and follow those for awhile until we lose them -- I am kind of wondering where the person vanished to ? the tracks seemed to just end.

Pileated Woodpecker was busy here.






deer tracks..

Up ahead, we can see where we are now... there's the pond on the corner of Mineral Springs Road.




Now- we have to stop and think about this... the trail leads off the right, around the back of the pond -- but that heads away from where we would rather travel. We are pondering the difficulty of bushwhacking our way along between the pond and forest edge to the left... with the snow cover-- where exactly is the edge of the pond/swamp ?? Too cold to get wet today--- So I pack my camera safely away - and we give it a successful try. What great horses these two are-- just like Lewis and Clark !! :)

We get back out on the road- it's after 2:00 and the sun is already quite low in the sky...










Further down the road -- wow... we did say we were in search of Christmas. Here it is hiding on the back roads of Chester --

Keri's ears are up-- she's not sure if this display is just a tad over the top. She's such a neighborhood critic.

A happy Santa waves us on our way.

We are still planning a decoration ride in the evening.. recently, the temperatures have dropped and the winds are up.. so it's nippy for a snowy night ride. We'll get one in before Christmas Day.

Enjoy ~

A Pleasurable Snow Ride

Break time -- even though I was riding last week instead of doing what I was supposed to be doing.. getting prepared for snow and then moving it around. Zoe and Zoe's Day Dream (barn name Reverie) and Keri and I went for a refreshing trot in the new snow and ON TRAIL -- YAY -- no more hunting.

Zoe and Reverie pose for the camera right as we enter the trail. I am not sure what's up with Zoe lately.. with the whole Johnny Cash look going on :)

Snow and hemlock are such a nice match.

even the hardwood forest is pretty this time of the year.

Water everywhere this year.. the snow fell before the ground froze so there's still lots of mud and water.

Reverie is feeling a bit suspicious of this melting area.

But we get to the super deep water - and she does not give a second glance. It's camoflaged with the ice covering.. blending in with the white.

She was prettier before the mud.. but still a striking mare. :)

On the way home, we stop in the big ring to do some work outs in the snow.

whew-- says Reverie, hard work !! Lucky Keri - she gets to stand and take photo's ~!

She may be in the show ring this summer, 2010 unless she sells-- someone will have themselves a nice mare with Reverie.

Today - we are going to explore the trail we found awhile back at the end of Graham Road. Should be fun.

Enjoy ~