Top of the World!!

After leaving behind Sandia Crest and the Heli-Pad, we arrived at the Cibola National Forest gate, which has a walk-around for hikers and horseback riders.


This section of trail traveled along old jeep and Forest Service roads.

Soon we noticed the higher number of hikers, many of which were kids who were excited to see horses on the trail.
(This was also the major trail junction for Sandia Crest, the Sandia Peak Tram Terminal, and the CCC Kiwanis Cabin. We took the trail to Kiwanis Cabin)

We, of course stopped to allow the kids to pet our horses.


And our horses seemed to enjoy all the attention.



The trail to Kiwanis Cabin traveled steadily upwards on an old gravel road that Apache was not all that happy about. Unfortunately there weren’t very many soft areas to ride on the sides of the trail, although Apache certainly searched for them.
 
Before too long we reached a short set of limestone stairs, and I realized we had made it to the Top of the World! I was so excited!!!


After riding our horses up the stairs and an incline, we got up close and personal to the Civilian Conservation Corps Kiwanis Cabin!


It was so exhilarating to be on top of the world with our horses!

Of course we took lots of photos! (See those towers off in the distance behind Kendra and Bailey? That’s where we had ridden from. They are the Communication and Radio Towers on Sandia Crest.)

Apache was the one with all the good horse sense, because even though I asked her to move up closer to the edge, she wouldn’t get any closer than 5 feet from the drop off. (Albuquerque down below)
 

“Silly human, someone needs to keep us safe. I’m not a Pegasus, you know.”

 
We decided to dismount and have a picnic near the Kiwanis Cabin.

While we were next to Kiwanis Cabin, just as I was getting ready to dismount, some mountain bikers rode up behind us and then rolled up right beside us. Apache took it all in stride. Last year, I had my sons ride their bikes all around and beside Apache and I, and then I posted about it on my blog, with photos. Back then, Apache was never fazed by the bikes in the least. Some people commented on my blog, that it didn’t mean anything because Apache could still react negatively to bikes while out on the trail and not at home. I’m happy to say that she reacted exactly the same way that she reacted home: Unfazed and not an issue at all.

We had all packed a lunch in our saddle bags, so we let the horses nibble on the sparse grass up there, while we enjoyed our picnic on top of the world.
Kendra and Bailey.

Peggy and Joey, with Kiwanis Cabin in the background.

Now don’t laugh at me. I have never eaten a PBJ sandwich with my horse before.


This was our first time. And I had no idea Apache loves PBJ sandwiches so much!


I mean really loves them! At one point she even licked my entire chin all the way down to my neck! haha!

But when the PBJ was gone (half eaten by my pony!), she finally went back to nibbling grass.
(Peggy pony-sitting while I went over to Kiwanis Cabin to take a photo of Kendra taking Bailey inside the cabin.)

I only managed to get them as they were coming back outside of the cabin. darn!


But I did manage to capture this photo after Kendra had remounted. Cool, huh?

We enjoyed our picnic on top of the world, but it was already 4:00pm and we still had to ride back down to the horse trailers…..


More to come!