Two things to report:
1. My car was recently involved in a storm-related accident. A tree branch stabbed through the windshield of my parked car during a storm and damaged the dashboard and the instruments inside. The damage was enough to total the car so now I am car-less. Well, I've been car-less since I flew to Colorado but when I get home I will truly be car-less. The insurance will cover the value of the car and they're giving me more than I expected so that's a nice surprise. I plan on buying a new car when I get back and I'm trying to decide between four different cars: the Hyundai Elantra (which has gotten excellent reviews), Nissan Versa hatchback, Toyota Matrix (which I could get in 4-wheel drive and has excellent storage area), and Kia Forte 5-Door. If anyone has an opinion, feel free to shoot it my way. There probably won't be any progress on this front until I get home so don't expect a resolution on this blog.
2. One of the wranglers was fired this morning and left just about an hour ago. He has been doing multiple things over the past two months but the last straw was him loudly banging on the metal railings to get the horses in from the fields. It was really, really loud and woke up people who were trying to sleep (on their days off). Though it might sound rash to fire someone over just that, this was just one problem on top of many others. I'm not so sorry to see him go--he's been rude to me numerous times.
Anyway, that's the dish for today.
Upcoming events:
Tomorrow: Wrangler day
July 1: The start of 5:00 Steak rides, meaning we work an hour later than normal...
July 4: My day off! And fireworks!
July 14: Rooftop Rodeo (we get off work early!)
July 25: Lauren comes back to visit!
August 10: To be determined...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 44: Short Update
My wrangler day is now Friday so I wrangled yesterday. Took out a 1-hour and a 3-hour. It was an exhausting day. No sunburn!
Today was our busiest day of the summer yet and we all felt it. I even got to take out a random, unexpected 2-hour on one of the horses I had really been wanting to ride! His name is Spirit and he looks just like the horse character from the similarly titled movie. He was a good boy and I enjoyed getting out of the office for a bit.
After work today, Jeff, Shelby, Zak (new wrangler and nephew of the owner) and his sister, Selena, went out for Mexican food. It was delicious and we came home to Funfetti cake for Kelli's birthday party celebration. Yum!
Now bedtime, please. Thank god Monday is soon...
Today was our busiest day of the summer yet and we all felt it. I even got to take out a random, unexpected 2-hour on one of the horses I had really been wanting to ride! His name is Spirit and he looks just like the horse character from the similarly titled movie. He was a good boy and I enjoyed getting out of the office for a bit.
After work today, Jeff, Shelby, Zak (new wrangler and nephew of the owner) and his sister, Selena, went out for Mexican food. It was delicious and we came home to Funfetti cake for Kelli's birthday party celebration. Yum!
Now bedtime, please. Thank god Monday is soon...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 40: Lauren
Lauren's leaving tomorrow. Hopefully you remember that Lauren is my bunkmate and we've become good friends so I'm really sad to see her go. She says she just can't do this work and then go right back to school and keep working hard. She wants a break and thought she could do this summer ordeal but has found she can't. It's her first time really away from her family and boyfriend and she's having a hard time so she's headed home. She's going to fly back, even though she drove here. She'll come back in a couple of weeks to hang out with us for a few days before driving home.
To say goodbye we had a little bonfire tonight and roasted s'mores and ordered pizza and sat on the porch and talked. I'm really going to miss her and I'll be a lot lonelier now but I still have Shelby and I think the two of us will soldier on. As Lauren told me, I'll be fine because I'm "already so independent" but having people out here that you really enjoy is what makes the work and the long stretches of time bearable. So I hope it works out but we'll see. I'm not even excited about having fewer people sharing one bathroom or having the dresser all to myself (and, if you know me, that says a lot)!
To say goodbye we had a little bonfire tonight and roasted s'mores and ordered pizza and sat on the porch and talked. I'm really going to miss her and I'll be a lot lonelier now but I still have Shelby and I think the two of us will soldier on. As Lauren told me, I'll be fine because I'm "already so independent" but having people out here that you really enjoy is what makes the work and the long stretches of time bearable. So I hope it works out but we'll see. I'm not even excited about having fewer people sharing one bathroom or having the dresser all to myself (and, if you know me, that says a lot)!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 39: Fifth Day Off
I was pretty productive today! Well, if you call spending money productive...
I started off by sleeping in pretty late. It was nice for a change. Then I got up and did laundry (of course), watched my show (as usual), and had lunch. I also found some cowboy boots online that I liked and bought them. Lauren has similar ones and I used hers to figure out what size I needed. Plus, there's a free exchange for a different size if I need it. They should be here in a week. Picture below!
After lunch I headed into town to pick up my hat which, luckily, had been delivered only a few minutes before I arrived. I picked out a hat band (which goes around the crown) and a stampede strap (which keeps the hat on when it's windy) and window shopped around town until the hat was finished. My hat looks pretty similar to the one below but my hat band is a nice red-brown. The hat is made of palm which is pretty sturdy and glazed to make it stronger. I'm pretty excited to wear it!
After getting my hat, I stopped into the local book store and bought a book called Lonesome Dove which is a cowboy story that has also been made into a movie. The boys here really like the movie so I thought I'd give the book a try. I'm in desperate need of something to do in the office when it's not busy so I think a cowboy book might do the trick.
Then I headed to Safeway to pick up groceries for dinners throughout the week and also got a Swiffer WetJet so I can spot-clean the office. We have a big, old-fashioned mop but it does a really awful job and I usually only need to clean specific high-traffic places so I think the Swiffer will work out better.
All-in-all it was a good, productive and expensive day. But what else am I making money for, right? Kidding, of course.
Bonus: Today was payday!
Double bonus: We're going to Smokin' Daves tonight!
I started off by sleeping in pretty late. It was nice for a change. Then I got up and did laundry (of course), watched my show (as usual), and had lunch. I also found some cowboy boots online that I liked and bought them. Lauren has similar ones and I used hers to figure out what size I needed. Plus, there's a free exchange for a different size if I need it. They should be here in a week. Picture below!
After lunch I headed into town to pick up my hat which, luckily, had been delivered only a few minutes before I arrived. I picked out a hat band (which goes around the crown) and a stampede strap (which keeps the hat on when it's windy) and window shopped around town until the hat was finished. My hat looks pretty similar to the one below but my hat band is a nice red-brown. The hat is made of palm which is pretty sturdy and glazed to make it stronger. I'm pretty excited to wear it!
After getting my hat, I stopped into the local book store and bought a book called Lonesome Dove which is a cowboy story that has also been made into a movie. The boys here really like the movie so I thought I'd give the book a try. I'm in desperate need of something to do in the office when it's not busy so I think a cowboy book might do the trick.
Then I headed to Safeway to pick up groceries for dinners throughout the week and also got a Swiffer WetJet so I can spot-clean the office. We have a big, old-fashioned mop but it does a really awful job and I usually only need to clean specific high-traffic places so I think the Swiffer will work out better.
All-in-all it was a good, productive and expensive day. But what else am I making money for, right? Kidding, of course.
Bonus: Today was payday!
Double bonus: We're going to Smokin' Daves tonight!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 38: Sundance
Last night a couple of us went to Sundance Saloon, a cowboy dance club. There was real bull riding, mechanical bull riding, line dancing and free drinks for ladies from 9-11 (Ladies night).
It was a lot of fun and Lauren and I just stared at the dancers the whole night, envious of them. It looked so complicated! It was all partner dancing and we were pretty intimidated. An older man came over and tried to teach us the two-step but it was hard and we felt silly. I think we'll go back on one of the nights they do dance lessons.
So we had a great time and Jeff and Melissa (bartender from Smokin' Saves who is sort of seeing Jeff) kept buying me drinks and we didn't get back to the ranch until 2... I accidentally slept in past my alarm until almost 7 but people covered for me so I was ok. It was a very fun night but I'm exhausted. Good thing my day off is tomorrow!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day 36: Update
So Kelli had a check-up at the doctor's on Wednesday so I've been in the office the past two days. Clare had a migraine yesterday so I got to take out a ride in her stead. So that was nice. It's nice getting up a little later (5:15) and getting to sit but I'm bored and get frustrated since LITERALLY none of the guests listen to me when I give them instructions. People...
I felt like I had more to write about which is why I started to write this entry but now I can't think of anything...
Umm. It rained all last night (we needed it) and was pretty darn cold today (ugh). Shelby and I went to a new (to us) restaurant for dinner tonight and I ordered a buffalo burger but only got a normal one.
This weekend looks pretty busy so I'm sure that'll help keep me busy. I need a day off already so I'm sure Monday will be awesome when it does come. And I'll get my new hat! And maybe a belt, too. (Sidenote: one of the other girls went into town last night to buy a hat and she bought the same one I'm getting... Ugh).
So sorry that I didn't have much to really say but I thought you guys needed an update, especially about my office status. So there you go!
I felt like I had more to write about which is why I started to write this entry but now I can't think of anything...
Umm. It rained all last night (we needed it) and was pretty darn cold today (ugh). Shelby and I went to a new (to us) restaurant for dinner tonight and I ordered a buffalo burger but only got a normal one.
This weekend looks pretty busy so I'm sure that'll help keep me busy. I need a day off already so I'm sure Monday will be awesome when it does come. And I'll get my new hat! And maybe a belt, too. (Sidenote: one of the other girls went into town last night to buy a hat and she bought the same one I'm getting... Ugh).
So sorry that I didn't have much to really say but I thought you guys needed an update, especially about my office status. So there you go!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Day 33: Italians and Longhorns
Today I rode again and have a few interesting things to share:
I had a group of Italians for one of my rides and realized just how little Italian I actually learned/remember from my semester last Spring. I struggled to be able to say more than "You're doing well!" and "Good!" and "You're welcome!" I felt a little silly. But, I did realize just how much French I remember from my 5.5 years of study! I almost asked them if they knew any French so we could talk in French instead but I thought that'd be a little silly. Anyway, that was interesting. I hope I get some French guests.
We also got a small herd of longhorn cattle in. Apparently every year they put a herd on our land to graze and keep the grass in check (so the horses can resist it easier) and provide some "wildlife" sightings in addition to the real wildlife sightings we have. I saw them on one of my rides and they are so cool! They have gigantic horns and are spotted and there's even a little baby (with horns). I look forward to spotting them on my rides in the future.
In other news, more girls have shown up so here are some more introductions:
Michelle: different than the first Michele; wrangler; from California; redhead
Julie: French; from a town southwest of Bordeaux; wrangler; speaks English pretty well
Becky: wrangler; from New Hampshire
I'm riding again tomorrow but Kelli has a doctor's appointment and if the doctor says she's good to ride, I'll probably be going back in the office. I had a nice time riding so much but I knew I'd be going back to the office one day so it's not that bad. Plus, Kelli doesn't do a very good job in the office. Which is fine--it's not a job for everyone. I'll update when I can!
I had a group of Italians for one of my rides and realized just how little Italian I actually learned/remember from my semester last Spring. I struggled to be able to say more than "You're doing well!" and "Good!" and "You're welcome!" I felt a little silly. But, I did realize just how much French I remember from my 5.5 years of study! I almost asked them if they knew any French so we could talk in French instead but I thought that'd be a little silly. Anyway, that was interesting. I hope I get some French guests.
We also got a small herd of longhorn cattle in. Apparently every year they put a herd on our land to graze and keep the grass in check (so the horses can resist it easier) and provide some "wildlife" sightings in addition to the real wildlife sightings we have. I saw them on one of my rides and they are so cool! They have gigantic horns and are spotted and there's even a little baby (with horns). I look forward to spotting them on my rides in the future.
In other news, more girls have shown up so here are some more introductions:
Michelle: different than the first Michele; wrangler; from California; redhead
Julie: French; from a town southwest of Bordeaux; wrangler; speaks English pretty well
Becky: wrangler; from New Hampshire
I'm riding again tomorrow but Kelli has a doctor's appointment and if the doctor says she's good to ride, I'll probably be going back in the office. I had a nice time riding so much but I knew I'd be going back to the office one day so it's not that bad. Plus, Kelli doesn't do a very good job in the office. Which is fine--it's not a job for everyone. I'll update when I can!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Day 32: Fourth Day Off
On my fourth day off, I slept in until 7:30 and then started my day off with laundry, of course. I had a lot of laundry to do and used the morning for that. I hung around on the computer a little bit watching shows and talking to people and then headed to the kitchen for lunch.
After lunch, I borrowed Lauren's car and drove downtown. My first stop was the Colorado Hat Company since my dinky straw hat had been mostly destroyed yesterday and I was in the market for a new one. I settled on a short-crowned palm hat which is similar to a straw hat but sturdier. Even the straw hats at this place were better than mine, though--the straw is glazed to be stronger and tear less easily. So I put in an order for my new hat and it should be here by next Monday!
After finding my hat, I had an ice cream mission. For those of you who know me well, you know how much I love ice cream (it's my favorite thing in the world). So I had to make a mission out of it. Estes Park has MULTIPLE ice cream shops all claiming to be handmade or old fashioned. I was unimpressed by most of them but settled on one shop that had a delicious wedding cake flavor which was awesome. I sat outside and ate it while watching tourists walk by.
Then I did a little window shopping and ended up buying a blown glass snowflake Christmas ornament for my future Christmas tree (when I have one of my own). I like to buy ornaments from the places I visit so I can remember them. I think this comes from Granan who always brought us grand-kids back an ornament from her travels and stuck it in our stocking.
I walked around town for a little longer and then got in the car to head to Safeway for some groceries. I bought some Mac and Cheese, some spaghetti sauce (we already have pasta), contact solution and some Q-tips. My shopping all finished, I headed back to the ranch and napped for a while and then watched some TV until people finished work.
After work, Shelby, Jeff and I went to Smokin' Daves (our usual spot) for dinner (we usually go on Monday nights, though I don't know why). Lauren would have come with us but she had friends visiting so they did their own thing.
It was another awesome day off! Monday is now the best day of the week. More riding tomorrow so yay!
After lunch, I borrowed Lauren's car and drove downtown. My first stop was the Colorado Hat Company since my dinky straw hat had been mostly destroyed yesterday and I was in the market for a new one. I settled on a short-crowned palm hat which is similar to a straw hat but sturdier. Even the straw hats at this place were better than mine, though--the straw is glazed to be stronger and tear less easily. So I put in an order for my new hat and it should be here by next Monday!
After finding my hat, I had an ice cream mission. For those of you who know me well, you know how much I love ice cream (it's my favorite thing in the world). So I had to make a mission out of it. Estes Park has MULTIPLE ice cream shops all claiming to be handmade or old fashioned. I was unimpressed by most of them but settled on one shop that had a delicious wedding cake flavor which was awesome. I sat outside and ate it while watching tourists walk by.
Then I did a little window shopping and ended up buying a blown glass snowflake Christmas ornament for my future Christmas tree (when I have one of my own). I like to buy ornaments from the places I visit so I can remember them. I think this comes from Granan who always brought us grand-kids back an ornament from her travels and stuck it in our stocking.
I walked around town for a little longer and then got in the car to head to Safeway for some groceries. I bought some Mac and Cheese, some spaghetti sauce (we already have pasta), contact solution and some Q-tips. My shopping all finished, I headed back to the ranch and napped for a while and then watched some TV until people finished work.
After work, Shelby, Jeff and I went to Smokin' Daves (our usual spot) for dinner (we usually go on Monday nights, though I don't know why). Lauren would have come with us but she had friends visiting so they did their own thing.
It was another awesome day off! Monday is now the best day of the week. More riding tomorrow so yay!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Day 31: Short Update
So I've been wrangling the past days (since my last post) and having fun. I almost miss the office, though. Giving these rides is only fun for so long and then the people just start getting on your nerves because they're rude/stupid/don't listen to you (choose one). Anyway, I've had good horses and nothing much has really happened but the riding is nice and the tips are nice (if I get them...don't even get me started on how rude people are) and I'm getting a little bit of a tan. But I do like the tidiness of the office and the orderly fashion of it (because I'm obsessive) so I won't be too bummed when I go back to it.
Tomorrow is my day off and I intend to do a lot of laundry, watch a TV show I need to catch up on, nap, and go into town to look for a new hat (my dinky straw one is getting chewed up...), a caramel apple, and groceries. Busy day.
Tomorrow is my day off and I intend to do a lot of laundry, watch a TV show I need to catch up on, nap, and go into town to look for a new hat (my dinky straw one is getting chewed up...), a caramel apple, and groceries. Busy day.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Day 28: Changes and Third Wrangler Day
So yesterday morning, one of the girls (Kelli) fell off a new horse she was testing out. She accidentally made a noise with her radio (we wear radios to communicate between all the wranglers) and the horse spooked and she fell off. She ended up getting a really bad concussion and some soft tissue damage in her neck. Because of this, she can't ride for a week and will be taking over the office for me. While I'd never want these to be the circumstances in which I get to ride, I'm kind of happy for the change while it lasts. So, while it was my wrangler day today, I think I'll be riding most of the day every day for at least a week (maybe more).
This morning we had another injury--Clare got kicked right below her knee while bridling horses out in the pen. She hasn't gone to the doctor (and is refusing to?) so we don't really know what the status of the injury is but I think she can move her knee but not her ankle and the whole leg is really swollen. I think she's ridiculous for not going to the doctor but whatever. Anyway, she probably won't be riding for a while as well.
Aside from all these tragedies that will have me in the saddle a lot more than usual, I also rode all day because it's Thursday and my wrangler day. I rode Randy again today and he was very good and very cute. We took out two 1-hour rides (mostly uneventful) and 1 half-day steak ride which is a 4 hour ride. I had never been on a 4-hour ride before today since I don't ride much. Today, though, I finally went on one and got to see the trail. It's a really long ride and I don't think it's my first choice for rides but it was very pretty and I got a steak dinner out of it so I can't complain too much. Until tomorrow when my whole body hurts, that is.
We also got a new shipment of horses while I was out on the ride so there will be new horses to see tomorrow. A couple of horses also left since we're doing the winter-summer herd switcheroo (winter horses leave to go on their vacation and summer horses come to work). So that'll be exciting and maybe I'll get on a new horse soon.
Until next time!
Interesting note: It STORMED last night. It thundered and lightninged and hailed. The hail and rain sounded so loud on our metal roofs and the horses went absolutely wild from being beaten by the hail. It was a ridiculous thing to experience.
This morning we had another injury--Clare got kicked right below her knee while bridling horses out in the pen. She hasn't gone to the doctor (and is refusing to?) so we don't really know what the status of the injury is but I think she can move her knee but not her ankle and the whole leg is really swollen. I think she's ridiculous for not going to the doctor but whatever. Anyway, she probably won't be riding for a while as well.
Aside from all these tragedies that will have me in the saddle a lot more than usual, I also rode all day because it's Thursday and my wrangler day. I rode Randy again today and he was very good and very cute. We took out two 1-hour rides (mostly uneventful) and 1 half-day steak ride which is a 4 hour ride. I had never been on a 4-hour ride before today since I don't ride much. Today, though, I finally went on one and got to see the trail. It's a really long ride and I don't think it's my first choice for rides but it was very pretty and I got a steak dinner out of it so I can't complain too much. Until tomorrow when my whole body hurts, that is.
We also got a new shipment of horses while I was out on the ride so there will be new horses to see tomorrow. A couple of horses also left since we're doing the winter-summer herd switcheroo (winter horses leave to go on their vacation and summer horses come to work). So that'll be exciting and maybe I'll get on a new horse soon.
Until next time!
Interesting note: It STORMED last night. It thundered and lightninged and hailed. The hail and rain sounded so loud on our metal roofs and the horses went absolutely wild from being beaten by the hail. It was a ridiculous thing to experience.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 25: Third Day Off
Today was my day off!
I started out by sleeping in until 7 again. Woo! Then I put in laundry and watched this week's episode of Game of Thrones. I took a shower after the laundry was done and got dressed to go on a ride.
I asked Kristyn for a horse so I could take a ride by myself and she gave me Baby, a little paint horse. He's a good boy but none of the horses like going out by themselves (since they're not used to it) so he yelled (neighed) the entire time. We eventually met up with a 2-hour ride Malori was taking out and tagged along so Baby would be happier. It was nice being out there on a ride while not having to pay attention. I got to look around and really enjoy the views and the woods. It is so pretty. The weather was perfect--a little hot but with a nice cool breeze to cool it off. There were a lot of points where I wanted to get off the horse and just sit and relax but I knew Baby wouldn't be happy with that. Maybe I'll take a hike on another day off.
After my ride I had lunch at the barn and then borrowed Lauren's car to drive down to Loveland. The idea was to go shopping for a few things and deposit my paychecks (both from Sombrero and PowerTrain). The drive down (and up) was just gorgeous. It's said to be one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the country and I'd have to agree. The mountains loom above you, the river flows beside you and it's just terrain that is nothing like what we have back in Maryland. If I made a drive like that everyday to work, I'd be a happy girl.
Unfortunately, it turned out that all the Bank of America ATMs in Loveland are withdraw-only so I didn't get to deposit anything... Not sure what I'm going to do about it--I might mail my checks to Mom and have her deposit them with a slip. We'll see. Anyway, I was still more than able to do the shopping part of my Loveland mission. I went to Jax, an outdoor and ranch supply store, and bought a shirt, two sweaters and a litterbox for Avery (he's been using the bottom half of a cardboard box lined with trash bags...). The clothes were all 50% off and the litterbox was reasonable so it was a good day!
Then I drove back up to Estes and hung out watching TV and napping until everyone was done breaking down. We went to Smokin' Daves for dinner and I had a great salad (even though they forgot to put bacon on it) and it was all-in-all a great day! Lots of things packed in and next week I might be a little lazier.
I started out by sleeping in until 7 again. Woo! Then I put in laundry and watched this week's episode of Game of Thrones. I took a shower after the laundry was done and got dressed to go on a ride.
I asked Kristyn for a horse so I could take a ride by myself and she gave me Baby, a little paint horse. He's a good boy but none of the horses like going out by themselves (since they're not used to it) so he yelled (neighed) the entire time. We eventually met up with a 2-hour ride Malori was taking out and tagged along so Baby would be happier. It was nice being out there on a ride while not having to pay attention. I got to look around and really enjoy the views and the woods. It is so pretty. The weather was perfect--a little hot but with a nice cool breeze to cool it off. There were a lot of points where I wanted to get off the horse and just sit and relax but I knew Baby wouldn't be happy with that. Maybe I'll take a hike on another day off.
After my ride I had lunch at the barn and then borrowed Lauren's car to drive down to Loveland. The idea was to go shopping for a few things and deposit my paychecks (both from Sombrero and PowerTrain). The drive down (and up) was just gorgeous. It's said to be one of the top 10 most beautiful drives in the country and I'd have to agree. The mountains loom above you, the river flows beside you and it's just terrain that is nothing like what we have back in Maryland. If I made a drive like that everyday to work, I'd be a happy girl.
Unfortunately, it turned out that all the Bank of America ATMs in Loveland are withdraw-only so I didn't get to deposit anything... Not sure what I'm going to do about it--I might mail my checks to Mom and have her deposit them with a slip. We'll see. Anyway, I was still more than able to do the shopping part of my Loveland mission. I went to Jax, an outdoor and ranch supply store, and bought a shirt, two sweaters and a litterbox for Avery (he's been using the bottom half of a cardboard box lined with trash bags...). The clothes were all 50% off and the litterbox was reasonable so it was a good day!
Then I drove back up to Estes and hung out watching TV and napping until everyone was done breaking down. We went to Smokin' Daves for dinner and I had a great salad (even though they forgot to put bacon on it) and it was all-in-all a great day! Lots of things packed in and next week I might be a little lazier.
Day 24: Cookout
Last night we were invited up to the Allenspark stables for a cookout. They have been having a lot of people quit recently so we've been doing a lot to help them (picking up their pack rides, loaning them trucks, driving them places, etc) and they wanted to do something for us to say thank you.
So after work on Sunday we drove down to Allenspark and had a cookout! All of us except a few (Lauren, Shelby and Matt) went and we ended up playing horseshoes and badminton and eating brautwursts and hot dogs and a really great potato salad.
It was a lot of fun to do something different and be somewhere new. We all sat around the bonfire to stay warm in the cool summer night. We all brought our own drinks so it was a real party. I left with the later crowd since my day off was the next day and we stayed out until an unprecedented 11:30 (that is SO LATE).
I had a great time and I'm glad we got to do it and even gladder (??) that people actually came. Day off tomorrow and I've got plans so it should be good!
So after work on Sunday we drove down to Allenspark and had a cookout! All of us except a few (Lauren, Shelby and Matt) went and we ended up playing horseshoes and badminton and eating brautwursts and hot dogs and a really great potato salad.
It was a lot of fun to do something different and be somewhere new. We all sat around the bonfire to stay warm in the cool summer night. We all brought our own drinks so it was a real party. I left with the later crowd since my day off was the next day and we stayed out until an unprecedented 11:30 (that is SO LATE).
I had a great time and I'm glad we got to do it and even gladder (??) that people actually came. Day off tomorrow and I've got plans so it should be good!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 23: Wrangler Ride
Today, after we broke down the horses, all the wranglers (except Matt) went for a ride. Apparently this is something we occasionally do in the summer. We leave all our horses out and then break down all the others and then go for a ride after work.
Tonight I rode Otis who I've ridden before. He was really good and I'm glad I got to ride him. What I didn't know is that it's essentially a free-for-all gallop up and down our rocky trails. It was a BLAST but I was not expecting to be galloping around those trails. We did it, though, and it was so fun. I really hope we do it again.
One of the new girls, Kim, ended up losing her sweatshirt while we were running so I offered to turn around and help her look for it. The horses really, really don't like going off on their own so I knew she'd need someone to go with her. While we were looking, it was really nice to be out on the trails in the beautiful dusk silence in those mountains. I'm so lucky to be somewhere so beautiful and I'm glad we all got to go out and experience it. When we're giving rides, it's really hard to be able to focus on the scenery since the guests require so much attention. This way we got to get our ya-ya's out by running (ANYTHING but a walk, please!) and got to really see our beautiful trails.
It was a great ride and I hope to encourage them as much as possible.
Final introductions:
Kelli: from Ft. Collins, Colorado; wrangler
Clare: from Columbus, Ohio; wrangler
Tonight I rode Otis who I've ridden before. He was really good and I'm glad I got to ride him. What I didn't know is that it's essentially a free-for-all gallop up and down our rocky trails. It was a BLAST but I was not expecting to be galloping around those trails. We did it, though, and it was so fun. I really hope we do it again.
One of the new girls, Kim, ended up losing her sweatshirt while we were running so I offered to turn around and help her look for it. The horses really, really don't like going off on their own so I knew she'd need someone to go with her. While we were looking, it was really nice to be out on the trails in the beautiful dusk silence in those mountains. I'm so lucky to be somewhere so beautiful and I'm glad we all got to go out and experience it. When we're giving rides, it's really hard to be able to focus on the scenery since the guests require so much attention. This way we got to get our ya-ya's out by running (ANYTHING but a walk, please!) and got to really see our beautiful trails.
It was a great ride and I hope to encourage them as much as possible.
Final introductions:
Kelli: from Ft. Collins, Colorado; wrangler
Clare: from Columbus, Ohio; wrangler
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