La Tierra Trails Ride

In February, I decided to go on a road trip and explore the trails at La Tierra Trails in Santa Fe. It had been on my list-of-places-to-ride for about a year, and the weather had been pretty great, so, with maps in hand, I decided to head up there. I invited my riding companion, Judith to join me and we met in Santa Fe at a gas station and she followed me to the trailhead.

The Frijoles Trailhead horse trailer parking area was pretty nice. 

Below, you can see Apache waiting behind my horse trailer as there wasn't much space in between trailers to saddle up. Judith even pulled over past the railroad tie that delineated the actual parking space, just to give me some more room.

There is a lot of helpful signage and thoughtfully built horse gates at La Tierra Trails.

Just beyond the horse gate, was a very nice gazebo that would make a great lunch spot after a ride.

Apache and I led all day since we had maps and had a good idea of where we were going since I had done a lot of research before coming to the park. But there were signs at almost every intersection.
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains were beautiful with the snow dusting their crests.

Apache and I happy to be out exploring new trails together!

Gorgeous vistas towards the west.

Me reading the map and navigating, while Apache drives. I'm Apache's co-pilot.

I'm in love with trails that don't travel straight....notice the Sandia Mountains in the distance.....over 50 miles away.

Judith and her horse, Pinturo. Today we were both riding our pintos.

Between the ears views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Trail Selfie!

I always love curvy, winding trails. It's easier to take photos of folks I'm riding with.

Apache and I leading the way.

Taking a rest along the trail...I have no idea what I was thinking about. I think Apache my One Eye Wonder Horse was thinking about finding some grass to eat.

Pretty cool arroyo beside the trail.

And inside that arroyo was a very old, abandoned car.

Apache and I checking out the old rusted car.

Like I said, the trails are well marked and there are signs at every intersection.

A couple times, Judith took turns out in front, even though I was still the navigator/map reader. It's good for the horses to take turns leading and following.

Like I said, I love trails that don't travel straight. The trail builders did a great job at La Tierra making the trails fun to ride.

Even traveling through a long meadow, the trail still has a bit of bend to it.

Soon, we were back at the trailer parking area and I didn't get us lost!



What an awesome day we had!



The End........



Oh yeah!!!




Life is Good!!

Tres Piedras Day Two

On our second day at Taos Horse Getaways (THG) in Tres Piedras, after breakfast, we saddled up to head out for an all day ride.

Apache and I were the trail guides that day because I'm pretty good at reading maps and I had ridden that area 7 years ago when Apache and I stayed at Dragonwyke Ranch nearby.

There were actually trails to follow at times, although they were often cattle trails. But the area was fairly easy to navigate by myself.

Apache and I posing in a beautiful aspen meadow. Well, I was posing. Apache was eating.

I have no idea what we were all looking for or at....but it is a funny photo.

So gorgeous! And green!

Lovely green meadows!

More beautiful aspens!

Now, we're posing!

We rode past many water tanks built for cattle and wildlife in this National Forest area.

Apache and I were technically leading, even though we were far behind. Two of the ladies in our group rode very forward horses, and the other two of us just enjoyed moseying along enjoying the scenery.

Whenever the two ladies with faster horses got confused about the trail direction or encountered an intersection, they just stopped and waited for Apache and I to catch up so I could tell them where to go.

It worked pretty well, so Apache and I could just relax and enjoy ourselves.

And oh! It was so beautiful!

None of the trails were challenging, not even when we rode off trail to explore. They were all gently rolling hills and beautiful meadows.

I eventually found The Mother Tree. I had been here before 7 years ago and it was awesome to see her again.

Although there were a group of hunters camped out beneath her.

We continued on our way, with me following the map and my great sense of direction.

We eventually stopped in a shady grove of trees for a lunch break.

The horses enjoyed a rest, too.

But we were all eager to get moving when they shy grew dark and we could hear thunder in the distance.

We rode through another lovely aspen grove meadow.

Waiting for me to tell them which direction to go.....

Almost back to the cabin. This is the camping area ahead.

And the fancy outhouse with the outdoor shower in the distance to the right...and cabin to the left.

The rig parking area beside the corrals.

Standing beside my rig looking towards the corral where Apache is spending the night.

And now for the cabin tour.

The main bedroom....my room!

The kitchen.

The second bedroom.

The boot room.

Anther view of the kitchen looking towards the living room.

The living room.

Dinner is ready!!

It was Mexican night for dinner...so of course, we had margaritas!

After dinner, I enjoyed another outdoor shower and then we relaxed on the back porch with cold beers to enjoy conversation and the lovely views.

Life is Good!