Monday, October 24, 2011

Boca, again

tl;dr: I went back today and explored the other branch of the road. It's just as rocky, with very few sections I'm comfortable trotting, so I probably won't regularly return.

I took some beauty shots of my girl. A head only a gaited fan could love:
Big head

This is better!


Got a picture of the sign I mentioned last post. Muscle cars not recommended!
No muscle cars

Can't you just imagine a family in matching outfits pulled up at that sign, scratching their heads and checking the family atlas to find a new spot to drive to?

Here's the perfect example of why I get nervous riding toward unknown forest target shooters. The white/black thing is a target blowing in the wind; there were boxes of Blazer ammo all over the place. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it, yall. (To be clear: this is not the gun club area I was riding toward on Friday; this was a lone gunman on a different trail.)


About 500' up, looking down at Boca Reservoir and a prescribed burn.


Nice climbs, bad footing. This is why I won't regularly ride Boca - there's almost no trail that I feel comfortable asking my horse to trot regularly.


Hard work for a fat hairy mare :)


She looks so noble when she stares into the distance at imaginary predators.


It really is beautiful up there.


I'm glad I went. Dixie is such a pleasant creature now - easy (for me) to handle, loads good, hauls good, cooperative to ride. And I got a little sun - it was about 65 up there, but a cold wind came up in the last mile and I was glad of my new windbreaker.

I'm going to try supplementing Vitamin D and see if that helps keep my mood up this winter. It helps some people and others don't notice a difference. I'll let yall know in a couple of months.

13 comments:

  1. It looks like a nice place to go riding - too bad about the rocks though.
    Dixie is such a pretty horse. I love her mane.

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  2. Do you think you have something like SAD? Hope the vit D works.

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  3. Nice countryside! Shame about the trails. But glad you enjoyed it.

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  4. Hey quit pickin on Dixie's beautimous head! She has a lovely face! (Yep. I've seen a few too many of the gaited horses down here. Dixie is LOVELY!!!)


    Just friggin love how some shooters refuse to clean up after themselves. Idijits.


    Give some extra TLC to that lovely dreamboat mare of yours from us! ;)

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  5. Dixie looks great! And those views are to die for- I'm so jealous of that scenery :) I got soaked on my last training ride, to the point I need to oil my saddle again, ugh.

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  6. Looks nice! Even though the footing isn't great it looks like a cool place to spend some time once in a while.

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  7. Aw, I love her head!

    It's a shame about the footing. Lovely photos though.

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  8. LOL, Dixie's head is like a plus-sized model. It's definitely beautiful, but there's a lot MORE of it than you might be used to seeing!

    Lisa, I probably have mild SAD. (Like many people - it doesn't seem uncommon.) I am approaching it from the Vitamin D angle instead of the full-spectrum light angle, but I might get a FS light too.

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  9. I think Dixie's head is LOVELY. But then, I love suitcase-heads. >g<

    Vitamin D helps me a lot, but I still experience a big slowdown in winter. In recent years, I've learned to go with it--I deliberately underschedule myself from November to March so that I don't get worn out or freaked out. Giving myself permission to sleep a LOT during the winter helps a great deal. Keep us posted.

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  10. Aarene, I deliberately slow down too. Winter is when I catch up on TV shows! But I just feel so much better when it's warm enough that I can bask in the sun - I wonder if my October demons aren't just my brain trying to get used to lower vit D levels maybe?

    Have you read Sunshine by Robin McKinley? I feel like the main character - like soaking up the sun actually makes me cheerful and strong.

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  11. Look at that Gorgeous Dixie..her head is perfectly Dixie! Good job on her white~
    Yea...that footing reminds me of the Zumwalt Prairie we rode this summer. But add 3ft Gopher holes! Beautiful place to go riding- if you WALK- both those places. Conditioning walks.

    Crap...when ever my man and I go for a shoot fest...we make sure that there is a backdrop...so no one gets hurt . Made me nervious too-to see that lone tree for target practice.

    Good plan with the Vita-D. I also just found DHEA. Read up about it first. I am taking 5 mg. only and have been very much uplifted. Do read up on it...too high a dose may cause problems...and you are much younger than me, so it may not be for you.
    KK

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  12. I've always joked that I'm photosynthetic... I definitely notice myself slowing down and less enthusiastic about life in the winter. I've had myself tested and I always have normal levels of everything, so it must be all in my head.

    Dixie is gorgeous and so are those views! Too bad about the rocks and stuff... I guess they aren't really horse trails?

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  13. Beautiful, but it looks like tough going.

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