Daisy's Telepathy

When Daisy senses we're heading out for a ride (and she's never wrong), she becomes manic.  She grabs the halters out of the garage and starts dragging them toward the barn.  Although we go out to the barn at least twice a day, she only grabs the halters when we mean business (a real ride).  Somehow, she knows.

We've been riding in Halfway Hollow several times a week, taking advantage of highs in the low 40's and still no snow. 

You never know what you'll find.  Does this bicycle designate a trail, or did the bike just die in the middle of nowhere and was buried, wheels up, on the spot?

This looks like a grave,

But apparently it indicate that a survey marker is nearby.  This could be the work of our friend Yogi, who admits to piling rocks over benchmarks in his highly rebellious youth! 

This rock formation appears to be falling in slow-mo. 

We ride down the hollow,

and sometimes on the mesa tops.  This BLM tract is huge.  We still have a lot to explore.

Mischief Steps Out

Mischief demanded some riding time!

So, off we went to Halfway Hollow, where a long straight sandy two-track allowed for a nice run.

We saw a herd of antelope, but by the time we got a camera ready, all we captured was their dust.  The antelope had already bounded over a slight hill and out of sight.

Mischief didn't care for the canyon rocks, and Coco sulled like a mule, hoping to avoid them.

Most of the ride was in sagebrush and bunch grass,

brightened by the occasional primrose or Indian paintbrush.

This pool provided a drink, but the water is disappearing already.  As the snow melts, which is at least two weeks behind, we'll ride at higher altitudes.

Halfway Hollow

On the last day of April, we braved predictions of wind, snow and rain, and took a ride on BLM land 15 miles east of home.  Above, a snow-capped peak of the High Uintas shines through a hole in the clouds.

The terrain was rougher than we expected. 

This photo looks down into a sandy wash called Halfway Hollow that we followed for a few miles.  You can see cottonwood trees growing along the wash.  They're still leafless.

A smattering of Indian paintbrush brightened our path.

Daisy found a stock pond, much to her delight. 

On the way back to the trailer, snow began to fall, at 4800 feet, a few hours from the first of May!  The ride was a chilly 12 miles, with 1000 feet elevation gain and loss, completed in about 2 hours.  All of our crew, human and animal, enjoyed a good run.