Perfect weather today, sunny, cool, threatened to rain but did not. Everyone else must have thought so too because people were out around here recreating, the translation of the term being riding their motorized toys and making lots of noise.

This afternoon, on a ride on Hrimmi, I came across two guys who were standing beside their ATV, which they’d driven to the top of the bench. It was covered with mud. They were strutting around like they had just climbed Everest. I attempted to talk with them about the damage they are doing to trails, the one they just came up as an example.

ATV trail damage

One fellow turned away and would not look at me. The other one responded to my questions by being defensive and vague. I made no headway. But as I later told Pete, perhaps I was the first to ever suggest to him that bikers, hikers, and horseback riders could not safely use these trails. You just never know.

Then this evening, as I was walking Tyra and Shadow up the Jim’s road trail, a fellow on a motorcycle came fast around a blind turn, nearly resulting a head on collision. I body slammed Tyra off the trail. After I then got back on the trail, a second motorcyclist followed and I again pushed dog and pony off the trail. I then got back on the trail. A woman driving a swamp buggy kind of thing followed the other two. Again, I body slammed Tyra off the trail. She passed, smiling and waving.

This was as scary as the time I was riding Raudi and the snowmobilers converged on us from both directions. I am glad that I was walking Tyra and not on her. I was also glad that I had a very level-headed horse in hand.

I don’t know what to do about any of this. I think that I am going to begin documenting what’s going on. I’m going to take photos of the large vehicles on the trails, and the rutted trails themselves, from the back of the horses. I am going to call this “A Horses’ Perspective.”

Sad to say, those who think like I do don’t believe anything can be done. If they spent as much time on the trails as I do, they might think differently. The whole matter is in my foreground and is in their background.

On the positive side of things – I feel safer once I get onto the trails we put in. It was just so lovely, riding Hrimmi down Pete’s trail, and riding Raudi up and down Pete’s trail. I then felt removed from all the hoo hah, although I could still hear the machines and also some gunfire.

Enough said. Could be a long weekend around here.

Next: 155. 6/5/21: Kindred Spirits