No, I do not mean Geo-cache...though now that I found this little item...maybe I will!
Amazing and true....I was looking all around the trail while solo riding Sunday and spotted a mucky looking yellowish thing in the mud. Jumped off to retrieve this!
I opted out of a 4 horse ride with mu PBO this day....new horses and dogs and I know my mare!
I came to find out that I made a very good decision too..one of the horses, a Quarter horse, was frothy hot to trot! NOT for us! After all the togetherness rides of late..I really wanted a nice peaceful lone ride with the mare.
So...I started to play around with the Garmin and set it a little bit and went on our way...looking for new ways to loop around Stony Mountain.
Got to this hill -and heard massively LOUD motor bikes coming up. I planed on dismounting anyway, to travel down this really steep long hill. It is a rather greasy hill, due to the fact the tires strip the trail. It is NON- MOTORIZED property..but they seem to have forgotten how to read the clearly posted signs, and wonder how to get around the gate!
Here is the really funny thing...I had the mare striped quarter sheet on as it was about 35 degrees out, in the shade. I had a white helmet and flashing lights on with my BRIGHT green and orange vest...and as I stood above the trail slightly hidden..NONE of the four riders saw me!
After they cruised on away down the hills I came from, I walked the mare to the long hill and took the stirrup leather in my right hand, as I walked near to my mare and said okay..walk on down...she slid quite a bit..but not as much if I had been on her! I remounted ....
That calls for a drink of cool fresh steam waters!
With Garmin set...we traveled up the roads and took the way right to find a cool cantering spot that was flat....
MAX SPEED 18 mph
AVERAGE SPEED 5.2 mph
Elevation 1300 ft
MILES 7(round trip)
WHAT FUN!!!
BUT...look what is coming to our area soon....
Freshly-CLEAR CUT- and the machine was working this day still...
So we maneuvered around the Yellow beast and went up the last hill, before turning around this day
I dismounted and let the mare pull me up that slickery steep hill and we made for home.
I have placed a note on the trail, in a plastic baggie, saying: FOUND ITEM-call-plus a number.
Then I made a new recording to the number I wrote for them saying:" If you lost an item between this rode and that..leave what it is- and your name and number please. I will call you back"
I envy you riding alone. I could but I'm dyslexic and that means directionally challenged. I get lost with a GPS ! So I always ride with someone else who is familiar with the area.
ReplyDeleteHow sad to have lost such an expensive gadget on a trail though.. I can see where that would come in handy.
Maybe it would help even me?
Wow to finding the Garmin. I wonder if anyone will claim it? I'm glad you 'advertised' it. Seems like a fun toy to have, and it would be annoying to lose it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice ride, just the two of you! Miss you girl! I left a message before Christmas but I figured with your sister here you must be busy. :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteWow what a find! I have one of those but never thought of taking it with me to ride! mine is older, it was my brothers, much older but still would be good to carry along.
ReplyDeleteYou have the most fun on your rides! It's snowing again here, boo-hoo :-(
Great pictures and a great find. I have never used such a thing.
ReplyDeleteAm so looking forward to being rid of snow! Envy you.
I need to get me one of those. You can get them pretty cheap.
ReplyDeleteLOVE our GPS's. And you can see if they have any waypoints marked as "home", and see if they live near your area.
ReplyDeleteWell, I know what you're going to be buying if the owner of this Garmin shows up. hehe! How fun!
ReplyDeleteI am wishing for one for my birthday. But they are quite pricey here. I would use it for our letterboxing and geocaching adventures.
Too bad about the clearcut. That just makes more mud and erosion problems. bleh!
I hope I'll be able to head out on the trails by myself this year. I miss it so much.
~Lisa
I need to go online for the owners manual...I have figured out somethings to the Garmin on own...but need to order the usb cable to download maps and also learn how to program it.(IF the owner does not call me!)
ReplyDeleteI went online and found out this model costs $81 bucks. I read somewhere there is an "Equi cach" model..designed for horseback. May look into that
my man wanted me to tell you that if there are geocaches loaded into it, it might be possible to find the owner, based on his online log entries. or like txtrigger said, the "home" waypoint would really help!
ReplyDelete~lytha
Jose found a Garmin forerunner once! doesn't seem to work correctly though. and the logging - ugh!!
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond
Kacy we love you. I follow this blog alot since I have a connection to it. I just want to ask the followers to understand that Oregon is a timber state. Logging is part our economy and heritage. Some good, some bad. Majority of logging is done on privately owned lands just as much of the trails we use are. For most Equine facilities in the United States, there is a 70 percent or higher probability their timber to build their facilities and fences came from the Pacific Northwest. Just as a new trail is "new" so are the clear cuts a "new" eco system. Focus on the new scenes available and the new environment for the woodland creatures and sights newly revealed.
ReplyDeleteShackbuilder~
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stoppin' in to leave me such a positive message!
Though I may not have said it here in the blog, and have mentioned loosing wonderful area's of beauty that I have ridden now, for 4 years.... I Am thankful for the reason I have ridden there for the past four years time-A RENEWABLE RESOURCE!-
I am sad to see the changes come and don't believe in clear cutting...but, I have to Thank God for the thousands of acres and the wonderful products/jobs from wood that are available in Oregon because of these area's resources.
So please do not read me wrongly...I remain thankful... just pensive for the changes/noise pollution and traffic patterns that will be effected- for where I board currently.
Never read you wrong, know you to well. Keep that infamous outlook you have shown in your blog of "search for the positive" you are spot on
ReplyDeleteThat's a great find. I could use one of those. Turn me around 3 times in the living room and I'm lost!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter once got lost on a trail ride and her dog showed her the way home. Guess we could all use a tracking device.
Nice pictures of your ride too. You always seem to have such fun.
What a great find! I hope no one claims it:-)
ReplyDeleteAmen Shackbuilder!! Thank you for saying--much more eloquently than i could--exactly what i was thinking.
ReplyDeleteMy job involves having conversations like these every single day.
Logging isn't always pretty, but that doesn't make it bad. Oregon has some pretty strict laws to protect the land, as well. For instance, all clearcuts in Oregon are limited to 120 acres within a single ownership. Usually clearcuts are smaller than 120 acres. Also, clearcuts can't legally occur within 300 feet of other clearcuts on the same ownership/unit if the combined acreage would exceed 120 acres. Unless, of course, the old clearcut has a healthy helping of regeneration on it. :)
More information for anyone who would like it:
http://www.oregonforests.org/factbook/Forest_Pract_Act_(13).html
Keep on keepin' on, Kacy! And congratulations about the GPS! That is a little present from God, i think!
I was not ntending to make this a forum on logging, The media has done that for us all. I appreciate your reply Serena also the work you appear to do. Enjoy the beauty that change can bring and bring change with guarded considerations. Happy riding and relish the creation for it is beatifully made. Glad to see you finally figured out who I was Kacey.
ReplyDeleteOh Bob! Love you too!!
ReplyDeleteKK