Caroline had to work on Saturday till 4 p.m. I went to the Golden Valley to get the trailer hitched up and get the horses ready to load. I filled the water tank, which takes a long time to fill, and loaded the hay and grain that the horses would need in the trailer. The trailer was pretty much already packed since I just came up to Michigan from Missouri five days earlier.
It is only 75 miles to Hopkins Creek and is an easy, pretty drive. We stopped briefly at the Tractor Supply in Traverse City to pick up a couple of hay bags. I had left ours in St. Louis.
The road going in to the campsite at Hopkins Creek is a little challenging because it is narrow and very sandy. I just don't want to meet another car or especially another horse trailer coming towards me. Well no one came down the road, which was good. We found a good place to park and unloaded the horses. By that time, it was around 6 p.m.
We unloaded the horses...then...oh, mosquitoes! I had forgotten about Michigan mosquitoes. The horses were flinging their heads around trying to keep the bugs off. We put fly sheets on Eli and Ginger and also fly masks to try and help them keep the bugs off. We got the horses checked in with the vet and put the horses in their pen for the night.
Caroline and I decided to just ride the 25 mile Limited Distance the next day, June 30. Although Eli can do 50 miles, this was Ginger's first ride of the season. Also, Ginger is not really a 50 mile horse. She does her best doing 25-30 mile rides. She has done plenty of 25 mile rides and only one 50. We both agreed to keep it fun and pick the distance that was best for Ginger.
We woke up to thunder rumbling in the distance. Not good. Sometimes Michigan storms roll in and pass right on through quickly or the weather can stay rainy all day. We were hoping the rain and thunder would move on through but it didn't.
The trail opened up at 6:30 a.m. I had my raincoat on and also these vinyl rain pants. Caroline just had a rain coat. Well it did rain almost all of the first loop. We both laughed about feeling the water slushing around in our boots. Caroline says she can tell when she has her heels down because the water rolls down that direction and sloshes around her heels. We tasted the rain on our tongues as we trotted along. We felt the cool rain on our faces. It was kind of fun. Once you're wet... you're wet-- at least it wasn't a cold rain.
Sometimes I think it is the discrepancies in life that make us look forward to things. For example, when it rains and I get soaked, I then appreciate being dry and warm again. Or when I am hungry and then I eat, food tastes better and I appreciate it more. If weather was always dry and warm, I would not appreciate it as much.
The rain did make the footing more solid on the trail. The loose sand was firmer. This trail was never slippery even with all the rain. That is a really nice thing because at home in Missouri, trails can be very slippery. Also, no sun meant cooler air for the horses.
These trails are flat- mostly two-track and very beautiful. The trail winds through pine forests, over little wooden bridges which cross a small creek several times and through wooded areas. I would say that this is a relatively easy trail. And on both loops, when I thought I was getting near the end...well I look ahead and there was camp. I like that.
Eli and Ginger both vetted through fine. Caroline and I let the horses relax while we packed everything up and then we drove back to Empire, Michigan. Another fun day.
