The Adventures of The RoadQueen: Happy Independence Day!

Ah, the Fourth of July. To many, it means cookouts, steak, sparklers, fireworks and family get togethers as we celebrate the freedom of our great country.

To me, it means all of that, plus shucking off Friday entirely and leaving Thursday morning to go camping at Mohican Memorial State Forest.

HAPPY!

With Guinness:

You Handsome Devil, You.

Ignore the facial expression, he was just being a goof because of the camera. I would call him a Smart-Ass, but he's not an ass at all. He's a horse.

This One's Better

Anyway, here in Ohio, I'm fairly certain that the state has gotten confused with what weather patterns we're supposed to have, and we've adopted the weather patterns of Washington State. Seriously, it has rained EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for MONTHS! Ok, at least one or two. So of course, that's what I was treated to this past weekend as well. Rain. Mud. Etc. Bleck.

We got to the campground around 9:30 am on Thursday. Guinness rode with his buddy Beezley (my mom's horse) and we all arrived safe and sound. My Old Man Jake even got to come along for the weekend:

Jake was VERY excited to be coming with me on this camping trip! Right up until he discovered that A) He has to be on a leash at all times and B) Mud. Mr. Diva does not like mud, mud puddles, dirt, hell he doesn't even like dewy grass.

Leash + Mud = Not Cool

But once we got our Home Base set up complete with a carpet to keep His Majesty's feet dry, it was all gravy.

Dry Feet = Happy Puppy

We got a couple of rides in, Thursday afternoon and Saturday. The rain limited us not only because I'm just really not fond of riding in it, but the trails were muddy as well and certain ones were just plain unpleasant to ride because of it. But, we made the best of it and had fun anyway.

Ready to Rock out with his...well, you know.

The following picture was taken on a ride that I went on with a few friends. The lady sitting sideways on her horse, or 'Sidesaddle' is 76 years old and still going strong. She doesn't even use a saddle...she straps basically a blanket on her horse's back to keep her butt clean and heads on out. Her bad hips require her to ride sideways quite often to avoid discomfort. I hope that I'm still rocking out like her when I get to be that age.

I freaking love being in the woods. My favorite method of seeing the sights is of course, mounted on my trusty steed, Guinness. We traverse some beautiful country together.

All in all, despite the cold, rain and mud, it was a decent weekend. I'm glad I went and I'm sure I'll be doing it again soon. You just can't beat the feeling of having your horse under you, your troubles behind you, and a world of challenges and adventure laying ahead of you.