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<\/a>Miss Daizy is always posting stuff on Facebook … I thought I should share her cranky posting about leaving for the ride.<\/p><\/div>\n
The rain started a little earlier than anticipated.\u00a0 It was over at lunch time out at the ride in western Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Here in eastern Pennsylvania, the deluge went on until supper time.\u00a0 We left in heavy downpours and by the time we hit Harrisburg, the clouds were breaking up.\u00a0 So Miss Daizy did not have to get up at 2:00 am Saturday morning, instead she traveled on Friday as originally planned.<\/p>\n
I realized that I had no internet connection and only one bar of cell service so I was limited to texting.\u00a0 With that said, I just shut my phone off and took the time to be disconnected from the world and just concentrate on some “me-time” with Miss Daizy.\u00a0 The ground was soaked and very soggy so I decided not to set up my tent.\u00a0 I decided that since I’m short, I should be able to sleep comfortably in the back of my truck.\u00a0 It worked out rather well actually.<\/p>\n On a new note, remember the above statement about Miss Daizy watching me?\u00a0 Well, she joined us for supper and the reunion.\u00a0 Yes, she got out of her pen and came down to the supper area looking for me.\u00a0 How embarrassing.\u00a0 At least she didn’t act like a crazy horse running all through camp screaming at the top of her lungs.\u00a0 She knew EXACTLY where I went and she just came down to make sure I was still there.\u00a0 When I put her back in the pen, I made several “pen keeper” adjustments to make sure she could not follow me around any more.<\/p>\n I spent an hour with LeeAnne, Tiffany, Lauren and Adrienne at LeeAnne’s camp drinking wine and shooting the breeze until after dark.\u00a0 Around 9:30 pm we noticed that the camp had gone very very quiet and we were still making a racket.\u00a0 Ooops.\u00a0 I decided to go check on Miss Daizy and turn in for the night.\u00a0 I had downloaded a new book on Kindle and thought I’d read for awhile in the back seat of my truck.\u00a0 It was really chilly and although Miss Daizy lives outside 24\/7, I thought I should put a sheet on her.\u00a0 SHE WAS NOT AMUSED.<\/p>\n I decided it was time to put on my riding clothes and get tacked up.\u00a0 Miss Daizy was NOT ready to stop eating that dew soaked grass so after she was tacked up and we’re ready to go, I walked over to camp with Adrienne, LeeAnne and Tiffany to let her keep eating.\u00a0 I was starting the ride with Adrienne and Kevin.\u00a0 I rode with Adrienne on Zayna at Cheshire.\u00a0 Miss Daizy really liked Zayna and lo & behold, she had not forgotten her.\u00a0 She greeted Zayne and Zayna greeted her back.<\/p>\n Time to go out on trail and Miss Daizy is as calm as a cucumber.\u00a0 I love this mare’s overall disposition at rides.\u00a0 No Crazy Daizy here (even if that *IS* her registered name).\u00a0 She just meanders over to the starting line and leaves calmly in her group.\u00a0 Loose rein and soft back.\u00a0 She’s so easy to ride.<\/p>\n The first couple miles were interesting as we climbed the mountain and the rain drenched trails were muddy muddy muddy.\u00a0 Once we were up off the lowlands, the trails weren’t bad at all.\u00a0 I was impressed, actually.\u00a0 I was expecting terrible trail conditions.\u00a0 The only thing that was an issue were the water runoff crossings.\u00a0 Miss Daizy wanted to bunny hop every one of them.\u00a0 On the second loop, she did a flying trapeze leap over one of them and it was very amusing to Mary and April, who were behind us.<\/p>\n gawd<\/p>\n We cranked out the first loop in an amazing 1 hour and 50 minutes.\u00a0 WOW.\u00a0 I mean, this is not a flat ride.\u00a0 You’re either going up or going down and there are some pretty steep trail conditions both ways.\u00a0 The views and the terrain is most remarkable.\u00a0 I really wnjoy this trail.<\/p>\n I was terribly impressed with Miss Daizy.\u00a0 She was barely puffing up and down those hills.\u00a0 Carrying my fat ass, that’s quite a feat.\u00a0 And remember, she’s a little bitty thing, barely 14.2 hands.\u00a0 What a tank she is!\u00a0 On Miss Daizy’s ride sheet, at the vet fly by on the first loop, someone made the comment “Moving Lickity-Split”\u00a0 I loved that!\u00a0 I think that should be Miss Daizy’s new motto.<\/p>\n At the halfway hold, Miss Daizy pulsed in very well, which was surprise #2.\u00a0 Again, she just worked really hard and she didn’t even break a full sweat.\u00a0 This is the ride picture from the first loop.<\/p>\n So, that also means a big mob of us started out on second loop at the same time.\u00a0 I wear a ton of jingle bells on my gear.\u00a0 Mostly because I ride alone and I want all the bikers on trail to hear me coming.\u00a0 It’s also a “Dodie-Thing”.\u00a0 Last year, many different people ride Miss Daizy while I was laid up with my back out.\u00a0 It was quite funny how they all donated a bell to her gear as a prize for riding her.\u00a0 At last count, we have 17 bells on the gear.<\/p>\n Okay, the reason I bring that up is that as we left for the second loop, we were riding behind two horses that were a little feisty to begin with.\u00a0 Apparently, the bells were driving them crazy.\u00a0 I tried to pass them twice but as I neared them, their asses flipped towards us in a very threatening manner.\u00a0 Finally, the two riders pulled off the trail so Adrienne and I could pass.\u00a0 Whew.\u00a0 They were probably saying, “Whew!”, too!<\/p>\n We were cranking out the second loop too fast so we started working a little bit with Zayna on rushing hills. I’d put Miss Daizy in front of her and we’d take the uphill at a reasonable pace instead of Zayna’s mad-dash gallop.\u00a0 I don’t know if Zayna figured anything out by that little training exercise or not, but it made me happier.\u00a0 Miss Daizy was following Zayna’s lead to mad-dash the uphills and I wanted to stop nip that in the bud.\u00a0 No mad dashing for you!<\/p>\n Kevin and Czar caught up to us, after Czar got his brain on, and we rode together most the second loop.\u00a0 We had great conversations on that loop.<\/p>\n Because we were moving so fast, we slowed way down the last couple miles, doing a lot of walking.\u00a0 Our minimum ride time was 1:17 pm arrival.\u00a0 We arrived at 1:20 pm.\u00a0 (grin)<\/p>\n Once again, a HUGE mob of us arrived at the same time and the P\/R volunteers were right on the money getting us pulsed in.\u00a0 Miss Daizy was fully pulsed down at her 20 minute hold time.\u00a0 Her respiration was a little high for her (is was at 16 – she is usually around 10 to 12 for the final P\/R)\u00a0 I had to give it to her.\u00a0 She just finished a difficult ride and I know I’d be huffing and puffing if I had to carry someone up and down those hill.\u00a0 Since her heart rate was at 42, I was not concerned at all.<\/p>\n We did our trot out (she’s so very very good for that) and left Adrienne and Zayna to go to our camp and wait for hands on.\u00a0 Miss Daizy was a nervous wreck.\u00a0 She wouldn’t eat or drink or relax.\u00a0 She kept looking and calling for Zayna.\u00a0 Finally, I gave in to her protests about being left alone and I walked her down to Adrienne’s camp so she could eat grass outside of Zayna’s pen.\u00a0 She ate like she had never seen grass before.<\/p>\n Silly mare.<\/p>\n So, I had a great visit with Adrienne, LeeAnne and Tiffany while we waited for hands on.\u00a0 The horses mowed down the grass with great gusto.\u00a0 This is a photo of us waiting.\u00a0 Oh, and did I mention that Adrienne is also a yellow rider.\u00a0 Everyone at the ride thought we were The Yellow Team, riding together is our flashy gear.<\/p>\n Hand-on went very smoothly and remarkable, I didn’t hear many “points off” comments by either judge.\u00a0 I had hopes to finish in the top 10.\u00a0 Although I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible because it’s a 3.5 hour drive for us, I decided to stay for the awards ceremony.\u00a0 Dinner was most excellent, Thanksgiving in May.\u00a0 Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy.\u00a0 Mmmmmmm.<\/p>\n The riders all presented Betty with a couple awards (organized by Mary Coleman).\u00a0 Betty has opened her home and property and managed this ride, consecutively, for 25 years.\u00a0 And she has never ridden in a CTR.\u00a0 Can you imagine that?\u00a0 She got all teary eyed and it was great fun to see a ride manager be recognized for her awesome contribution to ECTRA.<\/p>\n The award prizes are handmade from a tree that fell down over the winter.\u00a0 Nice nice nice.\u00a0 Everyone got a wooden handmade completion award with their ribbon.<\/p>\n So, I sit in anticipation as completions are called first, then 10th place … 9th place … and imagine my surprise to get First Placing!\u00a0 Never expected that!\u00a0 And Miss Daizy finished the ride 3rd overall.\u00a0 WOW.\u00a0 This little mare is the bomb.\u00a0 She works so very very hard and really seems to love her job.\u00a0 All I can do is thank Renee for breeding her and raising her and starting her and letting me have her to get her distance career going.\u00a0 I love this little mare.<\/p>\n If I did all the work, why are you sitting on the ground???<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Miss Daizy) WTF? The Lady says we’re gonna get up at 2:00 am and drive 3 hours Saturday morning to ride 25 miles because She doesn’t want me to stand in the rain all night? Seriously? I can stand in … Continue reading <\/a>The closer we got to the ride camp, the more sun we saw.\u00a0 Whoo Hoo, I was not wanting to be camping in rain.\u00a0 I hate getting up and everything is wet and soggy.<\/p>\n<\/a>I arrived at camp around 5:00 pm and was instantly greeted by Sallie.\u00a0 HI SALLIE!\u00a0 She was my welcoming committee and what a welcome I got.\u00a0 I love Sallie to pieces.\u00a0 Her and I met many years ago when I wanted to do my first 50 mile ride on Numbers, but reached out to the endurance fan club looking for a riding partner.\u00a0 With some trepidation, Sallie said she’d ride with me (on Mr. Kirby) and it was a grand time!\u00a0 We’ve been friends ever since.<\/p>\n<\/a>I got Miss Daizy all vetted in and then took her to her camp setup.\u00a0 She is too funny.\u00a0 She watches me like a hawk when she’s at a ride in her corral.\u00a0 In this photo, I had walked around the back of the trailer and she was waiting for me to come back.\u00a0 She was looking and calling and after I snapped this picture I said her name and she trotted over to me as if to say, “Whew, I thought you were lost, Lady.”<\/p>\n<\/a>What a fun reunion this ride is … everyone knows everyone and we spent hours at supper just talking and catching up.\u00a0 Betty throws a wonderful party here at the Glass Rides.\u00a0 It was a BYOF dinner and there were so many yummy dishes it was hard for me not to go back for a third plateful.\u00a0 I thought it prudent to minimize my stomach weight for Miss Daizy to carry the next day.<\/p>\n<\/a>Do you notice all the heavy jackets?\u00a0 It is mid-May and it is very brisk.\u00a0 The temperature when I arrived was only 58 degrees.\u00a0 That night sleeping, it dropped below freezing and I woke up around 3:00 am because my nose was frozen.\u00a0 The rest of me was pretty warm and cozy under two handmade quilts, but my nose was a problem.<\/p>\n<\/a>The wine, the reading and the heavy warm quilts put me to sleep around 10:30 pm and I slept really well until my nose got cold.\u00a0 After that it was a fitful sleep, waking every 30 minutes or so … that got tiresome so I just got up at 5:00 am and fed Miss Daizy, cleaned the poops from her corral, got some coffee and played some chess on my kindle.\u00a0 Here comes Sallie, interrupting my chess game (chuckle) so I got up off my fat ass and grabbed Miss Daizy to walk around camp and eat some grass (Miss Daizy, not me!)\u00a0 We had a glorious visit talking about all kinds of things.\u00a0 I asked her some personal questions about her cancer recovery and she answered them with no hesitation.<\/p>\n<\/a>There was a big mob of us that came in to the first hold.\u00a0 The volunteers were remarkable!\u00a0 Every single one of us got our P\/R done on time.\u00a0 THANK YOU!!!<\/p>\n<\/a>Too funny.<\/p>\n<\/a>