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Dispatch #14, Saturday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 18: Lough Arrow Icelandics, Gulnare, CO: Pre-ride Preparations

On Saturday, Pete, Pat, Andrea, and I drove up Cordova Pass to scope our the first part of our route. After, we drove to Walsenberg and checked out a second-hand store. Pete and I bought straw hats. I had a fun time dressing up.

The following day, Pete, Pat, and I drove a portion of our proposed Divide Ride route across the San Luis Valley to Del Norte. We left a five gallon bucket of dog food in Del Norte. On the way, we made a side trip to The Sand Dunes National Monument where we went for a hike. Because of the elevation, it was quite strenuous going up the dunes, but fun sliding down. We stopped on the way home at the micro brewery in Alamosa where I picked up this label.

It’s hard work carrying large peppers on horseback.

Pat decided to head back to Ojai on Wednesday morning, so on Tuesday we drove up Cordova Pass and hung dry bags full of dog food and horse supplements. This will reduce Signy’s pack weight. Signy’s shoeing appointment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, which means that we’ll be taking off from Andrea’s on Thursday, sans support. We also decided that it makes more sense logistically to depart from here instead of New Mexico. We’ll leave the trailer at Andrea’s and come back and pick it up after the trip.

We worked with the horse Andrea calls Signy the Beast between doing other things. Pete put her on a highline, and I’ve been giving her hay and water. She has rope burns on her rear feet, which we’ve been treating with Corona Ointment.

Andrea mentioned in passing that Signy got in with the stallions on the day before our arrival, so there exists the likelihood that she might be pregnant. Well, if she’s carrying a foal, it, like its dam, will be in great shape at the trip’s end.