We Got RAINED ON - or Trail Maintenance 101

The Ambassadors from the Estes Park Visitor's Center are doing tours this week of local lodgings, and we were scheduled for this morning; first on the list, so we made up a 'sampler' breakfast for them.  We spent some time discussing how we could get approximately 30 people in and out in the allotted 15 minute time we were allowed, while showing them our rooms and letting them sample food.  Set the stage:

A couple of cars pull in 10 minutes early, announcing they kept watch on our blog and could they please meet the horses.  Cool!  I walk over to the pen with them.  As we are discussing various blog posts, we see the bus load going down the main highway.  One of the ladies says, "There goes the bus!  They missed the turn off!"  We all snicker, thinking we have another 10 minutes before they get to the next turn off and wind their way back up the hill.  No bus.  Pretty soon another car arrives to announce the bus broke down at the other end of the business route.  Oh my, that's a 1.5 mile walk, so the cars already here headed down to pick up people.  Remember, no cell phone usage here, so someone had to get here to call for repairs.... and our dilemma was solved.  A second bus was sent out to pick up everyone and we had a most marvelous chat with about 36 wonderful purveyors of information about our lodge.

After everyone left, we changed into 'work' clothes, caught up the horses and headed out for some trail maintenance.

Ranger is much happier with Beel on his back, even though he had to have the iron bar in his mouth today, just to stay in practice.

He doesn't even mind supervising Bill at work, although I'm not sure he agrees with how the job is being done.  Check out the ears!  We were lucky; only one spot needed diverting; the rest of the trails that we traveled today were in great shape.  First rides of the season go out tomorrow.  Horses arrived last night.  Talk about good timing.

Jesse did her share by trimming bushes hanging out into the trail.  Those first leaf buds must be really tasty, because the horses won't touch theses bushes later in the season.  Since only one spot needed worked on on the one hour trail, we opted to do the two hour loop and check it; the weather was great!

Ranger must have 'auto-pilot'; I see a shovel in one hand and a camera in the other.  The reins are probably laying on Ranger's neck, where they seem to like to hang out, but he jogs along like a happy camper.

Run off is getting started really well and our streams have lots of water right now.  Both horses had fun wading in the currents.

This trail had lots - and lots - of this.  Moose poop.  A couple of times the horses stopped and watched the trees, listening, before they would continue on.  Maybe this year we will get to see the actual creatures!

We did run into a herd of four young deer; one didn't even bother getting up, they just watched us ride by.  As we rode out of the trees into the meadow we noticed it had gotten quite dark.  Jesse took one look at the sky and broke into a canter for home.  I trust that horse's weather gauge and we only got a little wet before we got home - but it was RAIN!!!!  Yeah.
Bionic Cowgirl