Hot, STEAMY day = bath day (& good conversation)

Yesterday,  the heat index soared into the 90 's as predicted. It was the hottest day we've had yet this summer. 

As I had planned, I went to the barn to give Griffin a nice bath in order to help him cope with the heat. It's not uncommon for elderly horses to have trouble in ANY temperature extreme (hot or cold). Poor Griff has decided that his dinner just doesn't taste as good when the weather is steamy.

In past summers, I had a box fan attached to Griffin's stall to help move the air around when the thermometer rose, but sadly, that is no longer the case.

..but there is a good reason for that

Tammy recently found out that having household box fans in your barn is not a safe situation. They have actually been known to cause barn fires! (Scary)!  

You see...pretty much all of your general household, box fans do not have an enclosed motor on them. Since even the cleanest barn is a (very) dusty environment, that dust becomes trapped in the motor. As it builds up, the probability of combining with electrical systems and igniting sparks increases. The spark hazard, therefore causes barn fires to start.

The solution is to buy high, quality industrial type fans that have the fan's motor safely enclosed. 

Tammy did go and buy some of these fans to put around the barn, but since they are much more costly ($80 and up), not every horse can have their own, personal fan. In addition, the electric bill on a barn with that many fans is quite expensive. 

Fortunately for Griffin,  he lives in one of the coolest sections of the barn.

In addition to that, I do try to give my sweet, old man baths on the hottest days to help lower his body temperature a bit and help him cool off.

As you can see in the photo below, Griff is tolerant of getting baths, but it isn't particularly one of his favorite things. He usually makes a few "Angry Standardbred" faces and will attempt to paw with his front legs. 

....but no matter what he will tell you *winks*, it DOES make him feel better because he perks up significantly following the bath and definitely acts more comfortable. 

A wet Mr. Griffin with a slightly, peeved expression...

....but one of the after-bath rewards is being able to graze on grass on the "other side of the fence" while drying off.

Since Griffin's human (me) does NOT like the sun, she tries to convince him that eating grass in the shade is a GREAT IDEA!

...Meanwhile, Griffin's current pasture mate,  Morton looks on-- slightly peeved that he is not on the other side of the fence as well (because,  of course, the grass is ALWAYS greener there). 

Morton is a very sweet Quarter Horse who belongs to my friend Brenda. Like Griffin, he has battled his share of health issues including some arthritis and Lyme Disease.

Brenda was kind enough to allow me some rides on Mort when Griffin injured his Stifle 2 years ago. He is a super nice boy ♡.

Griffin, of course, can NEVER be 100% convinced that the grass he covets will always live in the shade.

This is where the longe line comes in handy-- so his human mom can-- at least attempt-- to stand in some shade.

As a side note, grazing a horse this far away from you isn't a recommended thing as the horse can easily get tangled in the line, but when you have a 19 yr relationship with your senior horse, these things have a way of working out because you have developed an Awesome relationship ♡♡.

I would not try this with a horse I did not know well, nor one that did not belong to me.

Before anyone thinks I left Tex out of the equation, he too also got a decent hosing (I just didn't get any pictures because I was too busy yapping).

His owner, Vickie, came for a visit yesterday to update a few of his vaccines. Because Vickie travels all over with her horses on a variety of trail/camping rides, she prefers to vaccinate for everything.

.....so Tex received a few of the less commonly used vaccines yesterday. 

He came in from the pasture a bit sweaty from standing in the hot sun (his choice- as his huge, pasture has shade). I gave him a nice, thorough cold hose and then treated him to an extra long graze session. Unlike my picky old man, Tex was happy to graze in the shade while Vickie, Amy (another very nice boarder), and I stood around talking.

....and as things would have it, we didn't talk enough....

Vickie disappeared for a bit while I gave Griffin his bath so she could visit some other friends in the area (she lives an hour and 20min away), then we got back together and enjoyed a yummy dinner at Pizza Ranch.

We talked about horses and people we knew and everything else.

....but mostly horses....

Because Vickie and I have the same interests (horse camping and exploring trails) the conversation was very enjoyable.

The folks at my barn are wonderful,  but most of them are show riders, so it's not always easy to relate because I no longer have any show interests. I used to do some shows when I was a kid and did a few when I first got Griffin, but these days I just don't have any interest in it.  It was like a breath of fresh air to have some good trail stories & chat!

I had said earlier that our conversation while grazing Tex must not have been enough, because we met for dinner....

What I did not say is that it REALLY wasn't enough, because it was 11 pm when I finally got home last night.  

We sat around at Pizza Ranch and chatted until about 9:30 and then went and stood out in the parking lot and talked for another hour!

....maybe one day,  Vickie and I can live closer! ;-)

I had planned a longer hike this afternoon but.....

My plan after work today was to try to fit in another hike after running a few errands. I was going to do 2 Devil's Lake trails totaling just under 4 miles. 

When I arrived home, however, I was so tired having not slept much in the last 3 days (my own fault) that I took a nap instead. By the time I awoke to my cats demanding dinner, it was well after six (sorry boys).

Not wanting to give up the whole evening to doing nothing, I headed over to the lake anyway and decided to do a short trail with the remaining daylight left.

My choice was the 0.7 mile, Grotto trail on the South shore. I hiked it out and back doing an easy 1.4 miles.

.....at least is was better than not getting to hike at all.

I have explored probably just over half of the trails at Devil's Lake. By the end of this summer and into fall, I am hoping to complete all -- if not most of them.

The 2 questionable trails for me are the Potholes trail and the cc c trail (both being extremely difficult trails). I want to be a bit more fit and have some more strength built in my knee/ankle before doing those.

....and I WILL do them..

I have never done the Grottos trail before,  so exploring it tonight was a bit of a treat. It has a few easy hills and dips, but otherwise was a very wide, simple trail.

One thing that is very nice about being able to blog on my cell phone is that I can do so anywhere. The photo below is my current view as I write this!

...So much better than staring at a monitor on a desk!!

The trail had some small bridges.

The views were beautiful!! ...which is so typical of this state park. It's part of the reason so many camp and play here...

Unfortunately,  no photo I can possibly take will ever do it justice.

This last photo is the entrance to the difficult,  Potholes trail. It doesn't look hard in the photo, but when you start up it and realize just how steep it is (going straight up into the bluffs) you can see that it's not for the faint of heart.

I'm hoping I can do some "on trail" photos of the challenging, potholes trail.

Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be a touch of storms with hot temperatures and dangerous humidity.

My old man Griffin has been quite bothered by some of the hot days we've had so far this summer ( & going off his feed a bit), so I will probably make it a nice bath/spa day for him.

 

I need to do a pony post soon...so maybe some sudsy pics tomorrow (Big Grin)!

THAT pretty hike I've been waiting for.....and "Bear Thoughts"

I've been craving a good, nature hike for some time now. I'd hoped to scratch that itch when I was camping, but the questionable weather made that difficult.

So yesterday, when I got done at work, I raced through my normal, afternoon house chores, donned my sneakers, strapped my phone to my arm, and headed over to the Steinke Basin trail head.

The Steinke Basin Trail Loop is a short, 2.4 mile loop that is part of Devil's Lake State Park. This is one of a few trails that have an access point outside of the park. There is a separate parking lot just up the road from the main exit.

I have several, favorite Devil's Lake trails--and this is one of them. This particular hike is considered easy, but there's still enough uphill grades to get your heart rate elevated (unless, of course, you are much more physically fit than I, which is probably most people). I thought this would be just the right hike to do after a long day at work.....not too difficult.....not too long. The weather was also a perfect, 77 degrees.

Since many of my hikes tend to be last minute,  spur of the moment, deals....I am usually solo.

Most folks who know me - know that I am an incredibly deep thinker (often times, too much for my own good).

As I set off on my hike, I let my mind wander as usual......I wondered what life would be like if I didn't have to work. How nice it would be to just enjoy my animals and hike and camp as much as I'd like.  There are so many places I'd like to visit if only I had the funds & time to get there.

Ahhhhh...that elusive, perfect world!

As my feet left the open, sunny section behind and carried me into the woods, I could hear the breeze rustling through the trees with an odd tree creak every now and then. Just myself and nature. Relaxing.

....that is until I heard a small to medium animal move through the woods on my left.

....and I thought about Wisconsin's Black Bear statistics (now, for the record, I know the sound wasn't a bear).

...as I said before, I'm a deep thinker...

The Wisconsin black bear population has risen from approximately 9,000 bears in 1989 to more than 28,000 animals currently.  Black bears are gradually spreading out to more southern parts of the state. 

I was curious of the chances of seeing a Black Bear on some of these remote, forested trails in Devil's Lake.  

It gave me some piece of mind to know that I had done my research on what actions a hiker should take should they come upon on a bear. Unfortunately,  should a bear decide I was a threat, I had nothing at my disposal except for a set of keys to use to protect myself. 

...and I was alone (groups are safer).

I told myself that because I am still fairly south, my chances of encountering a bear on my hike were pretty minimal.

....and so I kept hiking on and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and the other wildlife. I saw squirrels, a variety of birds, a couple of small rabbits, and  some mosquitos.

Wait.

Did I just say that?

Mosquitos?

Not exactly the wildlife one appreciates. Unfortunately,  a few spots on the trail had tiny bridge crossings over some tiny creek bed areas. In those spots, I managed to aquire a few bites. 

Next time, bug spray, chica...

Thankfully, most of the trail was fine however.

At one point, I crossed an access road and saw the only other human I passed while on the trail. A young lady was trail running the other way-- coming towards me.   ....and she was FLYING-- like a gazelle on fire. 

I thought to myself how much I wish I could run like that.....feel that runner's high. If only my lower half weren't so broken and I didn't have a bum knee and a bad ankle. *sigh*

Still....I am grateful for being able to hike, ride horses, and camp. 

....and I plan on doing those things for as long as possible!

....unless a black bear eats me. *laughs*

So I finished my hike uneventful and found myself wishing that it were longer. Next time.

When I arrived home, I did indeed look for information on Black Bears at Devil's Lake. I discovered that there have, in fact, been sightings at DL as far back as 2009. Bear scat (poop) has also been found on the south end of the park. Frightening enough, the sightings have mostly occurred in the Steinke Basin Area where I was just hiking. Yikes! (I wish i could post the info link, but my phone is not letting me add it at the moment. Grrrrr...).

I've been wanting a set of Trekking poles to help me hike hills better. Perhaps now is the time to invest in a set. They could also make a convenient defense tool should, God forbid, I ever need it. 

I know that plenty of hikers hike in far more bear populated areas safely (even among Grizzlies, which Thank the good Lord, we don't have around here). I don't plan to stop hiking, so becoming educated about what to do and hiking smart are the alternatives!

Here are a few photos from my hike. Enjoy!

Parking area. Several cars, but I only saw 1 other hiker/runner.

Vacation. Birthday. Camping. (in no particular order)..

My annual birthday, camp outing couldn't have come at a better time this year.  I was feeling quite a bit burned out from work and,  in a sense,  wanted a little break from the horse life.

I am the only horse lover in my family (sadly enough).

....so when we want to spend time together, we camp (the non - horse kind).

My mom and I camp together quite often. As far as camping companions go-- I think we make a great team in that we share a site and work together to have a great time. I am hoping that one day,  we will be able to take some seriously long road trips in each other's company. 

...Unfortunately, in life, there are always obstacles.

I have my animals to care for (I don't trust most boarding establishments and have yet to find a great pet sitter).

...and my mom has my dad.

He loathes camping in the same way that Superman hates kryptonite. In addition to that, he is disabled and has difficulty staying alone over long periods of time.

Thankfully,  we have 3 beautiful state parks within a half hour driving distance of our homes.

We are lucky.

We can camp AND take care of our respective responsibilities.

....but maybe one day circumstances will change and we can have that far away adventure.

Our stay last week was at the very popular,  Devil's Lake State Park. Our site this year was 065 in the Quartzite campground.

As is generally the case, my mom choose the site based on her ability to back her small ( but not tiny) camper into position. My mother, who is a self proclaimed "Glamper." wants just about every amenity she can have (short of air conditioning and the kitchen sink).

I, on the other hand, enjoy a few amenities (i.e A decent airbed and the convenience of electricity when available), but I'm happiest cooking on campfires and sleeping in a tent.

I downgraded from my old Pop Up camper 3 years ago to a high quality, canvas tent. While I would be lying if I said I never miss the camper, I can also say that it's not enough to have the desire to go back. The tent offers me 100X's the flexibility of the camper and is the most doable option for horse camping should I ever get that horse trailer I've been dreaming of having for years (the money gods are taking their own,  sweet time shining that light in my direction).

Our campsite was nice, but less wooded than I would have liked.

The first night of our stay was fairly windy, but nice enough for a fire and a bit of hanging out.

My sister and her husband and my niece, Fiona, also joined us, but they shared site 046 with friends.

I had plans to hike my favorite trails during the day, but since the weather forecast threatened the chance of storms all weekend, I pretty much just used the time to relax. I did a short stroll around the campground here and there, but nothing of any distance (or sadly.....with any sort of pretty view). I mostly busied myself with my nose in a book or working on some crossword puzzles I had brought along.

I think the highlight of my weekend was watching Fiona delight at seeing the live frogs, turtles, and snakes at the nature center. She couldn't get enough of watching them.

....and she can't get enough of camping.

Fiona is not yet 3yrs old and she loves the outdoors with the same level of enthusiasm that my dad has in his hatred of camping.

On the second night, we had a good storm for a few hours.

....as in several INCHES of rain.

My mom and I watched a movie (which we would do the 3rd night as well due to MORE rain).

My sister and her friends hung out in their rather large tent and made silly, Snapchat videos. Little Fiona thought the rain was about as much fun as bouncing on the air mattress in the tent. Thunder & Lightening? No problem....This little girl could care less.

Due to the impending rain (and a few mild leaks), Gayle & company choose to head home a day early. I didn't blame them as I also went home for the 3rd night due to the high incidence of heavy rain, lightning, thunder, and flooding. I needed to go home in the morning anyway to care for my cats-- so it worked out ok.

My mom felt safe in her trailer, so I left at 11 pm (quiet time). We watched an old Lucille Ball movie and ate Nachos up to that point. It goes without saying, that I would have rather enjoyed a campfire on a balmy evening....

.....but only Mother Nature can pick the weather.

In the morning, I was rather thrilled that my tent had undergone a second night of heavy rains and not a drop was to be found inside. I can't say enough for Kodiak Canvas Tents. I. Love. My. Tent.

It wasn't until the following day that I learned that Fiona threw a bit of a tantrum when her mom started taking their tent down. She wasn't ready to go home!!

....even if the big, bad storm wanted to huff and puff and blow their whole campsite down!!

Fiona had already made herself a "professional" camper. On our first day there, she made the observation that my mom's camper has wheels. In talking with her, I then proceeded to show her how the camper must hook up to the truck so it can be pulled to the campsite. I showed her the truck hitch and the coupler on the camper.

After this little show and tell,  Fiona took it upon herself to make sure all friends & family in attendance knew how these things worked.

She's not even 3 years old.

Bright. Little. Girl!!

As luck would have it, our last night gave us perfect weather. My mom and I enjoyed a lovely campfire, super yummy ribs, and banana split marshmallows for dessert.

My only regrets were that the stupid weather chased me home for a night (and that I let it....) and I didn't even get in a single hike on a favorite trail.

.....at least Devil's Lake is super close to my home and there are plenty of day trips to be had yet this summer!

Next month we are all at Mirror Lake SP for 3 nights. I am hoping the weather will be better as I am overdue for that pretty hike!!