A day on the trail with the Purple Sage Riders

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Kittee and I have been so looking forward to this day, since Wednesday evening. At our Back Country Horsemen (BCH) meeting Robin Dale, our club's trail ride chairwoman announced that there was going to be a trail ride Saturday in our neck of the woods, hosted by the Purple Sage Riders (BCH of Tri-Cities, Washington).
We curried our horses at the ranch and left home about 9:15 this a.m. got to the park at about 10:20. We were all biting at the bit to get started on this ride.


Last weekend Robin and our Pendleton Chapter of BCH was hoping to do a ride along the mighty Columbia River just east of Wallula Junction at Hat Rock State Park, but freezing wet winter weather squelched those plans.

Everyone is saddled up and warming up our rides.

The past several weeks we have looked at snow cover and mud season every weekend. The last time we saw the ground was the Saturday I tilled our garden for the first time this season. I was almost ready to start planting that week. Today most of the snow is now gone from our world and our saddle horses were much cleaner, from their pasterns up.

Today's weather forecast for the Wallula Junction area was for mostly sunshine, 50º, and a bit breezy to windy. Much the same as it was when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark walked across this ground a little over two hundred years ago. Today the weather was a bit more cloudy than sunny, but if felt great to be out riding the trail with no falling snow
or freezing weather in sight. Kittee's cheeks even got rather rosy riding around in today's bright fresh air.


Instruction for today's ride was to be saddled-up and ready-to-ride at 11:00 a.m.
We hit the trail leaving Madam Dorian Park pretty close to 11:00. Most of us were bundled up well for the cool weather and breezing conditions, but there was no rain in sight and being in the saddle again felt great. This ride lasted about 3 to 3½ hours riding up the Walla Walla River and around its delta area next to the Mighty Columbia River. The trail is mostly a sandy dunes like area, with plenty of hills and draws to ride through. This is sagebrush country, and the smell of fresh sage that we brushed against was in the air most of our ride.

I would say that today's group was about 15-20 rider from age 4 years old and older.

Kittee and I found that Nugget and Misty wanted to jog the trail most of the way going and coming, while cantering up most of the hills. It has been quite awhile since they were out trail riding together, as most of our winter riding is done in an indoor arena.About an hour and a half out we came to our turn around point where everyone rested themselves and horses awhile.




Took a few pictures...



At this point most everyone's horse was in a good sweat /lather, and most of the rider took our gloves off as the ride was warming up. A good day's exercise; a good early season workout jogging/trotting/loping through the sand. It was fun for all.

Turning around and looking at the way back towards the trailer and Park, Misty was sizing up the trip, as most of the time she does to decide how much of that distance can she jog and run to get back to the trailer and some food and water.

Because all of our horses are now barefoot, we only rode the gravel road for a little ways, and returned to the sandy river bank of the Walla Walla for the return trip.

Upon getting back to the Park, there was a camp fire waiting and we had come prepared for a potluck feast to top off this communion. We did not have a pure sunshine afternoon, but it was very bright, mostly sunny and the wind stopped blowing during our lunch. It felt great to be in the great outdoors with new and ole friends.

OH what a wonderful feast we had spread for lunch. As the table was set, we found 3 or 4 different salads, a pot of warm rice, a large hot crockpot of gravy with meatballs, a pot of chili con carne, with desert goodies of homemade fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and sugar cookies. Mmmmm good stuff.

Today Shana, her husband Matt, son Levi, and Sinwaan joined us for this early season ride. Shana told Kittee that this day made a big different in helping lift her spirits from the winter blahs. Follow this link if you are interested in looking at this day's blog work from Shana's perspective. Shana does a very nice job with her blog, and is the young lady that got me into blogging.

I feel today made a big difference in everyone spirits, free from snow, free from freeze, warm and having a great communion with our horsey neighbors and our horses in the grandest cathedral ever created.
Purple Sage Riders, we have to give you a BIG Oregon Thank You for breaking up our winter humdrums with a great trail ride and a wonderful open air/potluck lunch to follow. Thank you Robin for bring this ride to our attention.

Again we are glad the Great Spirit-Creator of All, turns us loose in these great outdoor settings.

Tomorrow's weather forecast is 40% chance of rain... again. Makes no difference, it has been two or three weeks since Misty and I danced and cantered together, I know I am going to be sore after this day in the saddle.... but gee it felt good.

another day at the ranch, on the trail --- Dale