I left LA on 9/17. I am traveling with Dreamy (14 year old quarter horse mare), Wildflower (7 year old PMU baby, paint/draft mare), Tucker (10 year old lab), and Nalla (white persian cat stow away).  After packing up my apartment in Pasadena, putting it in storage, packing up the trailer, sleeping in it at the Flintridge Riding Club, I left the next morning.  I was exhausted from the past week’s efforts, excited to be finally doing my dream trip, but pretty darned scared. My last trip, my test trip had ended with $7,000 worth of damage to the trailer and my shattered confidence.

I arrived in Las Vegas at dusk and stayed at Bamberry Stables.  Don and Debbie, the owners, let me put my mares in their big arena for the night. They enjoyed the space and rolled and trotted around all night long.  I slept comfortably in the trailer with a little AC thanks to my generator.  In the morning I ran to the Albertson, got gas then loaded the girls up again.  Next stop Pine Valley, UT which is in the south west corner of the state.  It’s a tiny little beautiful valley up in the mountains.

Unfortunately there was only one small corral (rough timber bolted together with the bolts facing inward unfortunately) per campsite and putting one horse in another site nearby made them both too anxious. I ended up with them together and hoped for the best.  I spent the next few days experimenting with tying or hobbling Wildflower to keep her from beating up on Dreamy. The first day I ponied Dreamy, the next I rode both separately and ponied again on the third day. Tucker even went out with me one day, which he hasn’t been well enough to do in a long time. It is an incredibly beautiful area, lots of streams to cross, cool temps, roaming cows, pine forests, deer… very few other equestrian campers tho.

There was a lake for Tucker to play fetch in, his favorite game.

I had no cell service so I got to start playing with my new iReach which is a satellite thing that pairs with your iphone to send emails and texts.  It worked pretty good!

One morning I hobbled the girls and let them graze.  It always makes me happy to see them happy.

There was a paved 2 mile path along the stream that wandered thru the pine forest.  Tucker loved his walks there.  Much better than Memorial Park in Pasadena!

The last night there was freezing cold and Dreamy must of gotten cast.  She was all ripped up when I went to feed in the morning.  Wildflower had a lot of scrapes on her legs too.  My first thought was that WF had kicked her a bunch and I was mad.  After cleaning everything up tho I realized it was not that.  Dreamy had a puncture wound on her right front leg at the top.  I assume this was from one of the in facing bolts on the corral.

So I got a late start, I was leaving that morning for Payson, UT. I got there by 4 or 5 pm.