New Year's Eve Snowy Ride

Tonight is supposed to be a blue moon - and Zoe and I thought it would be fun to ride out in the dark in the blue moon -- BUT... stormy and snowy-- there will be no visible moon tonight - so we rode this afternoon instead.


Here's my beautiful girl waiting patiently on the hitchrail for me to get myself together and ready.

We decide on the route up my little mountain and over toward Zoe's house - then down the other side - to exit out the other side and trot home on the road. Now - last week I ended up sliding down this little roadway with my tractor because of the ice - we have so much running water still that is freezing it will be a difficult winter if it keeps up. We tried to keep the horses to the middle or the edge so they had some purchase in the crispier snow.

Up into the pine woods.

Couple of good views of the RAC jacket which by the way is, according to Zoe, very cozy and very durable ! :)

Oh no-- what is this.. I knew there was logging going on but where is our trail and everything in here is SO different now. We also find out they are working in here today, cutting some huge trees. We have to figure out an alternative route out.

We'll follow the skidder tracks down to their landing and change direction down there.

My farm is diagonally across the valley from here.

Operation Central..

They are even hauling logs today ! The little stuff is being chipped for the large chip furnaces that are popular now in Vermont.
Supposedly very energy efficient and acceptably "green".

We crossed the road, zipped into another trail and wound around out to this field and barn, which makes a nice somber winter photo.

After some time on the trail we are wet and beginning to feel a chill.

Here we are - Keri and me... trotting home. I am not sure what is up with my chicken elbows.. but it could be the many layers. I am even wearing my new insulated overpants. That's a lot of clothes !! I asked Susan if I looked like a red snowy weeble wobble.


And you can see Keri is a snowflake icicle queen too. You can't see it because it's partly cropped out- but the charm Michelle made is still on Keri's bridle. We won that for something with the RAC.

I hope the roads clear up a bit- because the ice is terrible this year and makes for slow going. The trails are wet and muddy and slick -- challenging for sure. Riding is still fun but there is little chance to really move out much --- treacherous everywhere. BIG SIGH.

I hope Zoe and I will be able to join in the New Year's Day ride with denise and others. We always ride on New Year's day- a tradition.. so if the weather holds out we will be out in the saddle again :)

Enjoy ~ and Happy New Year !