Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Walter's long day

We crossed the Red River today, a huge steeply arched two-lane bridge on Hwy 2 with no shoulder or lane dividers. Lots of truck traffic. The sheriff escorted us, driving behind as I lead Walter on foot.

Approaching the bridge


I'm so proud of my million-dollar mule! He never so much as hesitated, even when huge logging trucks roared past inches away in the opposite lane. I'd guess the bridge was about a half-mile long.


We made it! View from the other side.


The terrain changed on the west side of the river, suddenly flat and open farmland.



Swallows under a highway bridge

We rode 20 miles to Vivian, LA.

"backyard oil rigs" - shallow wells, owned by whoever has mineral rights

Walter was a champ but is a bit sore tonite. Staying with mule folks! Boe and Celeste Caldwell, great folks and proud owners of 15 hunting mules.

A few members of the herd

More mules, with backyard oil rigs

Donna, a friend from an online mule group, came by! Happy evening for Walter and me.

Monday, April 29, 2013

plain dealing part 2

But kind hosts Tina, David and daughter Chasity made sure he had grain
and plenty of hay plus the curious herd now stands at the fence
staring at his handsome self.

Plain Dealing LA

Met another traveller on the highway. Going from Austin to Monroe looking for work. Good luck, friend!




Poor Walt tethered again. In turnout next to 4 horses on lush green
pasture who did not want to share their playground with him.

But he's okay - chowing down on good hay & graze! And I have an entire house to myself and a shower and clean clothes, courtesy of the Doerrs - thank you!


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sarepta LA

Left the Bishops this morning, heading for Sarepta.

Fully packed & ready to roll!
Made it into Sarepta 17 miles later, getting towards dark. Found us in the middle of town...

Walter is tethered outside my tent in a field at the edge of Mullins RV park. It's a huge lovely park with a lake that Walter enjoyed wading into to drink. Tony and Carol Mullins took good care of us, finding hay for Walt and filling a water trough for him under the tree.

 
Problems with the Easyboots - rubbing sores - hope they work out.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

real country

Landed at compound of Bishop clan tonight. Huge BBQ for about 20
family & other - good folks, great time. I love this family! Walter in pen

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Haynesville

4th day in a row of uphill grade, hard work for Walter. He's resting
in nice grassy turnout next to 3 mares. Courtesy of Pastor Chuck
and Melissa Christensen's wonderful hospitality. Pastor Chuck tracked us down as I was talking to schoolkids through a fence as they reached through to pet Walter. A nice man who stopped on the highway to give me a Gatorade had called and tod him I needed a place for us for the night in Haynesville.

sleepmates

Last night camped in Coquit, a two-family town. In yard of the
Wilkersons, one of the two.


Walter lay down to sleep in front of my tent. Sweet dreams.




Tuesday, April 23, 2013

groundwork & fudge

Walter and I got some much-needed groundwork lessons courtesy of excellent trainer and equine consultant Steve Barrett this morning. Made a definite improvement in Walter's manners and our relationship. Thank you Steve!

Bernice, LA used to be a booming city, a warehousing center. Now it's a smaller town and all the warehouses sit empty and deteriorating, a surreal sight.



On the way through Bernice could not resist stopping at "Doc's Fine Chocolate & Fudge." If it's not famous yet it should be! The BEST fudge and the nicest people. They donated some delectable chocolate and peach fudge to the ride, yay - thank you Doc's! Walter tried some and liked it too.

Familiar sight astride Sir Walter - snack time
 
Late this afternoon just when Walter told me he was done for the day, as I was leading him and contemplating a dry camp in the forest, a truck pulled up and D'Arcy Stevens stepped out, asking where we were headed and would we like a place to put up for the night? So with rain predicted, Walter is safe in a warm stall with turnout and I'm at the gracious farm home of Mr. D'Arcy and wife Patricia, and their daughter Anna. 


 
Walter loves his new booties, by the way. And they actually fit, mule hooves and all.

Monday, April 22, 2013

monday 3

Helping me sort out some issues w walter and check his condition. Also
good hot meal and indoor bed.
walter did 12 hilly miles all packed today.

monday part 2

And took rural road insted of hwy 2. Ended up at farm of horse
trainer Steve B. and wife, good fortune.


easyboots

walter switched to boots today. Thankyou farrier Chris Jolly!

Saturday, April 20, 2013

farmerville

In Farmerville at Peggy and Kirt Touchstone,s place. Walter calm in
large round pen with horse grazing next to panels.

Friday, April 19, 2013

crossroads

Stopped after 10 heavily trafficked miles at Cross Roads on hwy 2.
Hosts Deb and Roy Braswell putting us up.
Very grateful for venison dinnner and warm bed on cold night. Walter
content in round pen

over the Ouachita

Ann trailered us over the Ouachita River bridge. Walters shoes have
become smooth as glass and too much danger of him sliding on the
concrete in heavy traffic.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Resting along the river

Packed Walter for brief 3-mile ride from one pasture to another before storm hit. Which it did, with gusto! Luckily Ann Currie had already made sure little Walt was safe and secure in his sheltered digs. We drove to town for me to get a new tent, but tornado threatened and we had to turn back in a hurry. Tonite mmmm delicious red beans (with pork) and rice and salad, and good company with Ann and her brother. At a very healing place, a 100-year-old house right on the banks of the Oachita (sp?) river. Tomorrow might be a long day, gotta go rest up...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

at Susie's

15 miles from open farmland thru wealthy estates in piney woods to
cypress swamp, dreamlike. Walter in full packs, 10 miles of it uphill grade.
He did great!

Ended up at Susie Sloan's for the night, just southeast of Sterlington. Susie generously took care of Walter's needs, fed human (fish and fried pickles, yay!) and gave me a bed in the shop. Walter is happily grazing in a huge pasture with his new BFF, an old palomino paint mare.




I'm in the shop, with a back porch facing the most beautifully surreal cypress bayou I've seen yet.









Tomorrow, ride early the short distance to Ann Currie's place to wait out another storm.





Tuesday, April 16, 2013

foxtrotting

Bittersweet farewell to Marlowe and Oak Mott Farm. Hope to see Marlowe again someday! Walt in full pack 11 miles.

Rode partway with Buddy Savage to his place, Buddy on Biscuit, his handsome old-style foxtrotter..


Buddy raises beautiful foxtrotters, says Walter sure moves like a foxtrotter mule. Great evening visiting with Buddy, Donna and thier friends Peggy and Jimmy Christmas - all collaborating to find me a place for Thursday storm - thank you!


Monday, April 15, 2013

more...

And I know these phone posts are bare bones, but there is lots more to
tell and pics to download at next computer stop!
Invited to stay extra day & let Walter play, good timing for later
weather. Thank you Marlowe!
Met many great folks today news friends and family...

Sunday, April 14, 2013

oak ridge LA

guest of Marlowe Barham at oak mott farms.


Walter in heaven. Im in
lovely barn apt designed by her late mother.


Walter did well w full packs.

And I so wish I had taken more photos while here!  Marlowe is truly one of a kind, and a hugely big-hearted host and new friend. This computer tonight is about out of battery power, or I would have so much more to say... but for now, thank you Marlowe, for everything. Blessings on you and yours!

saturday escape

Bruce Monroe and mother Ms. Cooter trucked Walter's heaviest saddlebags ahead today, to friend of theirs they'd arranged for us to stay at.



AND they took with them the little hound dog who had been sticking with me and Walter for two days and 12 miles - a much-appreciated favor! We knew exactly what house it had come from. Nice little dog but it belonged to somebody else, and kept running out in the road nearly giving me several heart attacks.

Along Hwy 183, Sir Walter and I stopped briefly at Faye's Burger House. I had a nice chat with a cheerful young woman I guess was Faye (?). She keeps her 2 horses, a mare and filly daughter, in the pasture next door. When she called her mare's name the horse came flying from the back corner to greet her. Wonderful to see that kind of bond between human and equine! Faye and another woman sent me off with chips and well-wishes.

Up the road a spell, I saw a house, some kind of auto shop and a store that had an old soda sign out front and looked like something out of old Mayberry RFD. I saw somebody emerge from the store with an ice cream cone and the desire to make good time instantly took a back seat to the desire for ice cream. I stopped to let Walter graze while I scrutinized the scene for somewhere to tie him.

The family with ice cream spied us, big grins broke out and they came over to have the kids pet the mule. Suddenly it seemed the parking lot was filled with a nonstop stream of cars and trucks parking, kids tumbling out, parents waving and asking if they could take photos of their children next to Walter! At first he was afraid of the kids' excited energy, but once I showed them how gentle he is when approached quietly, everybody got it, the kids calmed down, and I swear Walter smiled and began enjoying all the little ones' petting and attention.



Then the owner of the store, Shirley Thompson (along with husband Tommy), who also writes for a local paper, came out with paper and pen in hand to do an interview and take notes! But I was just as fascinated by her and her store. Turns out Thompson's Grocery has been in business since 1949, the age of the building. Inside, between the register and the back case of cold cuts is a lounge with comfy couch and chairs, and behind it the ice cream bins, then the rest of all the stuff you'd find in an old country store.


Ms. Shirley gave me two ice cream cones - one for me and one for Walter - but Walt wasn't interested.


Before we left, I was approached by a smiling young woman named Nicole who was doing temp contract work on the local pipeline. She said Faye had told her about the mule rider and she had tracked us down. Nicole was wonderfully supportive and helpful, and offered to link to my blog on her Facebook account - thank you Nicole!

Walter and I finally left and continued along, turning at Hwy 134 to our next destination...


guest of the Masons extended family. They graciously put Walter in an old
dog yard. I saw him testing the weak wire fence and nervously hobbled him for good measure while I went inside to shower. Just as I was about to step into the tub, I heard, "Katie, your mule's loose!"
Walter had stomped down the weak spot in his enclosure and was hightailing it at an unbelievably fast three-legged run across the orchard toward the road.

Mr. Mike Mason, highly amused, shouted "Now you see how fast a mule can run!" as son Scott and I leapt into the truck to head Walter off. With help of his wife in the other car, finally caught and tethered my scared mule. Walter was none the worse for wear, but his hobbles did not fare so well.

R.I.P. hobbles

I tethered Sir Walter for the night, pitched my tent a few yards away to keep an eye on him. Needless to say it was a long night.... maybe I should start carrying an electric fence?

Friday, April 12, 2013

north of delhi la

Leaving 4B Ranch...


Riding along Hwy 854.


15 miles in half packs, Walter barely broke a sweat.

Guest of the Monroe family for the night. Mule in secure pen and rider snug
in travel trailer.





thank yous

Mr Dick Brown of 4B Ranch, I cannot thank you enough!

And Mr Gary Jones, thank you also for help along the road.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Shelter from the Storm

Wednesday the 10th slack-packed again thanks to Steve Collins, 12 miles to prearranged stop.

Lydia called Teri Wilson and Dick Brown, who were real lifesavers, offering me and Walter shelter for two nights and a day during predicted violent thunder and hail storm. They have a beautiful spread, pastures for horses and cattle, many stalls, covered pens with turnouts and an indoor arena where Teri gives riding lessons. They put Sir Walter up in a princely covered pen with large turnout between three horses to his ecstatic delight. I was given full use of the barn office with heat and AC, coffeemaker etc. - and best of all I could step right out the door and check on Walter without going outside!

Which was a great situation from the wee hours of Thursday morning through the afternoon, when the skies opened, deluge drenched the land and wind howled. (No hail, though.)

Today Teri drove me to preview the roads, helped me find a place for tomorrow, and helped with tack repair. She's a chronic animal rescuer as is Dick - many happy dogs, cats, skunk, squirrels etc.



Edgar who works at the ranch made Walter a new tether rope!



And Brown's friend Ruth showed me all around.



The resident geriatric longhorn, also a rescue...



Tomorrow long ride. Update then - gotta go!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Tallulah

At Collins farm tonite, about 5 miles west of Tallulah. Riding through downtown Tallulah not an experience I'd want to repeat, led Walter through most of it. This evening host of Truman And Diane Collins who put Walter up in beautiful stall and let me stay in fully equipped office/bath/kitchen. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Collins!

Set up by brother Steve Collins (whose BD is tomorrow) after he was contacted by Tommy Cantin... then Steve and wife Lydia (who brought me med supplies for human and mule, ice cream for human and apples for mule!) took human out for burger. Human was starving hungry after riding 15.3 miles and most grateful...

Walter rolling in pen, you'd think he carried packs all day! (Nope, we slack-packed. Tommy trucked our packs ahead for us. Spoiled mule LOL.)

Monday, April 8, 2013

back into Louisiana

Crossed the Mississippi again! Trailered over Vicksburg bridge by
Leigh Ann of Rainbow Farms. Wound up at little bar called The World owned by Tommy Cantin, who steered us to the RV park & club he owns up the road and then to many other contacts... including where we are staying...

At farmstead of retired riverboat captain and wonderful storyteller Sidney Williams tonight, Walter in stall. Near Mound, LA on Hwy 80.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Rainbow Farms

At last! On a laptop and can write more than one minutes' worth.

(All my photos from Rodney on are uploading distorted, stretched out lengthwise. Sorry about that! Will try to fix camera later. In the meantime, try to mentally squeeze these images; for example, Walter has a much shorter back than it looks like in the pics...humans are narrower...)

Walter and I are at Rainbow Farms Therapeutic Riding Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi.


We are being given perfect accomodations and a much-needed 2-day rest courtesy of the owner/operator, Leigh Ann Nosser.



The trek from the Terry and Patti Miles' place, 5 miles west of Port Gibson, to Vicksburg took 4 days in all. I'd planned to ease Walter into it with slowly increasing days, from 7 up to 10 miles a day, riding with a very loose cinch and getting off to walk if he seemed sore or tired, and it seemed safe to lead him (Walter mule has panicked and jerked away fom me twice).

All went as planned until day four. Without a detailed map or laptop, I could only rely on locals' guesstimates for mileage. We had not gone as far up 61 as I thought on day three. Also, Walter was more tired and sore from the poorly balanced packs of day three than I realized.

He let me know, in no uncertain terms, just how sore he had been when I went to pack him again. It took nearly an hour to tack up. I checked carefully for swellings or heat, there was none, but Walter was anticipating discomfort. I had spent hours repacking the night before though, and the packs stayed balanced all day, with no protests once we were on the road. Also, the breast collar I'd fashioned out of leather hobbles, my belt and hay string worked quite well to keep the saddle in place.

Which was fortunate, since it turned out to be a good 15 miles to our next stop, much of it up and down hills. Walter was willing but slow compared to his usual rapid gaited walk; I could tell he was getting worn out. About an hour from the start we came upon a mile-long bridge over the Big Black (?) River. He was scared to cross the zigzag metal seams. I got off and led him, and he crossed like a champ. I stayed off for quite a while to rest his back. Then rode til we got to the Vicksburg county line or city limits (can't recall the sign). And who should pull up alongside us, but Randy from two nights before! He was just coming from work business in Vicksburg and had been looking for us.

First Randy offered to do reconnaisance: he drove to Rainbow Farms and reported back that it was easily six more miles than I thought. At that news, I asked if he'd mind carrying Walter's packs to the Farm. Randy cheerfully said sure. He returned a while later with wife Sandy to encourage me that it wasn't too much farther, and give me landmarks.

**By the way - Randy and Sandy, can't believe I didn't get any pics of you - please send 'em if you got 'em!!

When I arrived at the left-hand turn from 61 to the Farm, they were again waiting for me at the intersection. There was no light, it was rush hour, and crossing the highway was problematic. Randy and Sandy were on the other side and unable to help. Who should at that moment appear but two men in a pickup who knew the owner of Rainbow Farms, knew who I was, and pulled from the turn lane across two lanes of the 4-lane highway to block traffic while I crossed! And then pulled in front of me to block traffic coming from the other two lanes while I finished crossing. At that point I remounted on Sir Walter and rode the quarter mile to Rainbow Farms, the truck leading the way and Randy and Sandy behind.

After arriving and recieving a huge warm welcome from owner Leigh Ann Nosser, meeting several boarders, untacking and settling Walter in his new digs, and putting my gear in the LQ trailer, Randy and Sandy took me out to a fantastic Mexican restaurant (coming from Arizona, that's high praise) - and when we arrived we were joined by Leigh Ann and thier friends Ms. Butch and Pat, and several folks stopping at the table. It was such a nice way to end an exhausting day - laughter, good food and new friends.

Sir Walter loves his pasture!

 The next day Leigh Ann and her friend Kelley drove to town for errands, delicious lunch at Leigh Ann's brother Rowdy's restaurant, a look at the old bridge over the Mississippi, and a tour of the flood-wall murals Vicksburg has become known for.
Leigh Ann on the right, friend Kelley on the left 
Hill from river to Old Vicksburg
Old train station?
Labelled flood wall
Looking from old town down hill to river

Part of mural project on flood wall


Mural painting of the old bridge

Photo of the old bridge

It also gave me a chance to learn more about Leigh Ann's work with children with various disabilities at Rainbow Farms Therapeutic Riding Center. It's fascinating. For example, the reason she has so many horses is that for "hippotherapy," one of the types of therapy offered, each client has to be matched with a horse whose movement pattern will assist the physical therapist's manipulations of the client's limbs while the client is riding. For example, a person with spasticity in his or her legs cannot be on a horse with a long stride or choppy gait; they must be matched with a horse with a short, smooth amble, more like a shuffle.

There's so much more to running a therapeutic riding center than most folks would imagine. She's been in business 25 years, quite a track record, and it's honorable work.

And now I'd best get off her computer - hope y'all enjoyed the photos, please scroll back to earlier posts to see them all - might be another couple weeks before the next batch, but I'll be posting those little quickie updates from the phone.

It's spring - so beautiful - Sir Walter is calling at the gate - we'll be happy to get back on the road!