Last week, I took a loping/canter ride on Tuesday and rode a beautiful Palomino named Diego for the first time.
I was warned that he liked to eat, and as soon as we left the corral, he was on a mission to grab all the musk thistle (large, tall purple clover looking flowers) he could find.
He'd spot them from yards away and try to detour off the trail to get to them. It was sort of cute. I rode with a wrangler that comes here to work for the season from Vero Beach of all places... my "winter home".
We rode north into Grand Teton National park and criss crossed lots of creeks, maybe 6 or 7? The horses are sure footed and it's interesting to watch them find their way across the water, not necessarily following the horse in front of them. We crossed some man made plank bridges too, and Diego looked left and right the whole way across as if they made him nervous. We also stepped over a lot of fallen tees, and the horses were great!
There was more water on this ride than any I have done previously. We meandered through the park for about 30 minutes, then emerged onto the levee and paralleled the Snake River. Here we finally took our first canter. Wide open, level with nothing for the horses to trip on.
It was another great ride on a beautiful day with perfect weather. The Tetons
were always in view.
Tuesday night was Italian night for dinner. I had planned to attend week 2 of the music festival, but around 4pm, there was a huge electrical blackout affecting eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and even Montana! It was due to a substation malfunction, possibly having to do with the wildfires. We were told it could drag on for hours, and I was wondering how the kitchen and guests would handle it. To my amazement, the kitchen pulled out gas burners etc. and prepared the Italian feast anyway, serving it on disposable plates. The power eventually came back on around 8pm and everyone cheered. Crisis averted, although the wildfires are still burning, and some guest ranches to the south and west have been evacuated.
Thursday night was the weekly hayride and cookout. I had the night off and hopped on with a cocktail. This was the view as we rounded a bend on the ranch... all the horses grazing in a field.... beautiful! The cookout was held outside in front of the lodge due to excessive mosquitos at Pete's Pond where they usually have it.
I took this picture (left) from my BED this week... and yes, I can see the Tetons from there ;) As I emerged from my cabin Friday morning, I scared a deer and it scampered away. Last night, I was awakened at 2 am by something grazing/chomping on tree leaves just outside my rear window. I'm guessing it was a moose. Today, I saw a small deer just outside my cabin window, and as I watched it run away, a tiny speckled fawn followed! It never gets old encountering wildlife. I just heard at lunch today that "bear calls" (sightings) are coming in from all around the area. A co-worker saw one on her ride this past week, and another group spotted a mountain lion on their ride.
Around town this week, there are two ongoing wildfires in the Jackson area, still not contained. Another grizzly cub was hit and killed by a tourist in the park. There's a 4H livestock auction and the county fair is in full swing. Over the weekend, a family's raft overturned on a rafting trip, and the father was rescued from the river and seemed fine, but then died unexpectedly once on shore. Saturday, a seasoned mountain guide, 42 years old, fell 2,400 feet to his death while leading a group down from Teton peak just a few miles away. He left behind a wife and two small children. Interesting how different the "news" is out West.
Finally, last night's dinner was among the best I've had here. It was tender, roasted duck in a Port wine sauce, wild rice, spring vegetable medley and spinach salad. Dessert was a delicious chocolate espresso custard of some sort. Amazing! Not a bad week. Temperatures are going to remain in the mid 80s this coming week (highs) and 40s at night, but with low humidity. Perfect.
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