Trail Ride Through Neptune Canyon and Some Blogging Thoughts

 

I just realized today that my comments have dropped way off lately. Where I used to receive 15-30 comments, now I’m lucky to receive 6. Oddly, I’m not bothered by this, because when I check the views that each post receives, I discover that upwards of 80-100 people are viewing each of my posts. Although it does feel weird to know I have that many lurkers slinking around.

And it sure is interesting, too. When I owned a horse that caused me all sorts of problems and I was going through a ton of challenges and shared them all, boy howdy! My blog was heavy with comments. But now that my life is mostly happy, and I have the best horse in the entire world, and get to experience so many exciting and fun trail rides with real life friends, my comments have dropped off. It seems to me that people are much happier to comment and give unasked for advice on drama and hardship, but when times are good, they are disappointed and don’t have anything at all to say, not even supportively. Or perhaps these folks are just unhappy in their own lives and just jealous? How revealing this is about the Blogger Community…or perhaps this is just society in general….Hmmmm?!

But I’m not blogging for anyone else anymore. I haven’t blogged for anyone else for over a year now. I don’t care about entertaining anyone with cutesy posts or controversial subjects. Nope. My blog is my own personal journal. It’s a place for me to post my photos and stories. I’m not posting for anyone else, but if anyone else wants to read my posts and enjoy my photos, that’s just fine with me. If y’all want to comment, that would be great! But if y’all just want to remain lurking, that’s fine, too. It’s all the same to me.

So with that said, onwards and upwards to post about the rest of my most awesome, amazing, fun, bucket-list weekend!

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After we left the main canyon trail and the ridge trails, we ascended towards the gap that opened up to the breathtakingly beautiful Neptune Canyon.

Apache may be a bit slow when riding steep trails, but she is a tank, and just motors up with strength, power and perseverance. Apache has such a huge heart and is my willing partner, taking me to places, I might never see on my own. I love her so much.

When we finally reached the gap, we all climbed up and posed for a photo before dropping down the other side into Neptune Canyon.

Here is my buddy Kendra and I, with our awesome trail horses.

 

And then we were riding in Neptune Canyon!

 

Apache and I found a different trail to ride, so I could take photos of the ladies in our group from a side angle with the canyon geology as a stunning backdrop.

(From right to left: Karen A., Marsha, Karen R., Latana, and Annette)

And Casteel and her horse bringing up the rear!

 

And Kendra and Janet followed me.

At the far end of Neptune Canyon there stands a volcanically created structure called The Petrified Sand Dunes. I had ridden another horse named Splendor on this structure last February (February Sweethearts of San Acacia ACTHA Ride ).

But it was on my Bucket List to ride my own horse on the unique and beautiful Petrified Sand Dunes.

So, without even pausing for a moment, I asked my Apache mare to head up to the sandstone platform below the odd-looking structure. And Apache didn’t pause for a moment and just willingly climbed right up there for me.  

 

Let me also add that out of 9 of us, only 4 decided to ride up onto that platform. Some of the riders were too nervous to ride up there, and a couple had horses with shoes, which would have been dangerously slippery to navigate on the downward side.

But Apache never questioned why we were the riding up there alone, and she never balked and tried to go down with the rest of the horses below us. She and I were a team and navigating this new challenge together. I feel honored that my Apache mare willingly accepts my requests and takes on the challenges I give her with courage and heart.   

 

I am also so grateful that my friends were taking photos of that special moment. My friend Latana took this amazing photo and it just takes my breath away each time I look at it and remember that moment.

When we reached the top of the sandstone platform, we paused for a moment to take it all in, and I could feel Apache trembling beneath me. Was my mare’s muscles tired or was she trembling from fear?

I took a moment to encourage my mare, and love on her. And I told her how amazing she is. And then I felt her stop trembling.

 

When I asked her to scoot down the steep downward side of the sandstone platform, I could feel some trepidation from my Apache mare, but I told her I knew she could do it, and I cheered her on patiently. Then Apache carefully and slowly worked her way down that slope, while I focused on my balance so as not to throw her out of balance.

Apache was such a total rock star! I am so proud of her! And I am so appreciative to her for helping me reach another special Bucket List moment. My Apache mare truly gives me wings so I can fly!

Ok, so after we finished up exploring the Petrified Sand Dunes, we all decided to head over to the Great Wall of Warmth, so named because during the winter, the massive, tall rock wall emanates wonderful warmth from the sun.

It wasn’t cold the day we were there, but there is a cool little narrow trail that skirts the base of that wall and we all thought it would be great to get up there and pose for a photo, too. I handed my camera over to my friend Janet (the gal in the middle in the photo below)

But after the Petrified Sand Dune Experience, Apache’s courage was lost and she didn’t think that riding up the steep slope to reach that tiny trail, that we couldn’t even see from our vantage point, was a good idea.

So, she and I did have a brief conversation with encouraging words, as you can see below, and she found her courage again and willingly climbed up to the base of the Great Wall of Warmth. 

While we were climbing up there, Janet was taking some photos of those who were already up there, like Latana and her lovely mule Lilly.

And Karen A., Marsha, and Karen R.

And my buddy Kendra and Apache’s BFF, Bailey Boy.

And soon Apache and I were up on the narrow trail and joined them.

See what I mean by narrow trail?

But Apache was phenomenal!

 

And finally 7 of us were all lined up on that narrow trail at the base of the Great Wall of Warmth for our photo shot, while Janet and Casteel took the photos.

Our Cowgirl Weekend Spring Fling to San Lorenzo Canyon was a total blast! After our ride in San Lorenzo Canyon, we came back for a BBQ and some partying fun at my friend Kendra’s ranch in the mountains. (From left to right) Casteel, Annette, Karen R, Kendra, Marsha, and Latana.

And my contribution to that evening’s meal was a tray of S’Mores Pudding Shots, made with Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka! Mmmmm!

 

But our weekend wasn’t over quite yet. We still had Sunday’s ride the next day, and that would be quite the adventure!

Canyon Riding

 

To reach San Lorenzo Canyon our group of ladies, pulling horse trailers, had to drive about an hour and half from my friend’s ranch where we were cowgirl camping. And then we drove on all manner of roads, including the Interstate, long straight country roads, down sandy arroyo roads, and even underneath the Interstate through a skinny tunnel.

 

 

 

 

Queue the theme music from Twilight Zone….

 

 

We parked and then unloaded our horses and got them tacked up to ride.

Apache took a nap…..

 

And then we made our way towards the main canyon….

 

Some of the posts that include me and my Apache mare were taken with friends’ cameras, like my buddy Kendra.

We all made our way into the canyon, just enjoying the views and being back in the saddle again.

 

When we got a short ways into the canyon, a group of hikers offered to take a photo of all of us. We were thrilled for the opportunity to all be in a photo together with our horses, too.

 

Several of us brought cameras, and we all handed them over to a few of the hikers. My camera went to a guy in an orange shirt. He took a pretty good photo of all of us.

Apache was a very good girl and was happy to pose for a photo. But poor Kendra had to deal with an impatient, wiggly Bailey Boy. Come to find out, he was so anxious because he wasn’t standing right beside his BFF, my Apache mare.

I now wish that I would have moved Apache beside Bailey, so that Kendra would have been visible in the group photo. Next time……

In this photo, all the mares (4) are on the left and the geldings (6) are on the right. And no….. that wasn’t planned.

 

After all the photos were taken and the hikers were thanked, we continued riding through the canyon. We explored some of the narrow side canyons, too.

 I had ridden and hiked in this side canyon before, but it was very special to be riding my own horse and sharing the experience with her, too.

I love how narrow the side canyon was with it’s steep walls towering above us.

 

Here you can get a better idea of just how high the side canyon’s walls were. These two ladies drove up from Ruidoso, NM to ride with us. They are as nice as can be and lots of fun!

 

The texture and layers of the walls fascinated me, as well as these cave-like openings at the base of the canyon wall. 

 

And then we were back out into the main canyon again.

Here is my friend Cindy and her mare, Nova.

 

 The day was beautiful, warm, sunny and just a little breezy. We started peeling off layers down in the steep walled protection of the main canyon.

We mostly walked but sometimes we did some trotting and cantering, too.

 

It was a lot of fun to just wander around and explore having fun with friends while on horseback.

 

Every so often a dust devil would blow through and that would make me grateful that I was wearing a helmet. Stampede strings on cowboy hats were a useful item that day.

 

Kendra figured out the best way to see the canyon and get a good view of those steep, high canyon walls…….

 

The Cottonwoods were leafing out in the canyon and it was great to see so much bright green in an otherwise brown and grey, dry environment.

And of course we had to take photos of some of us standing among the trees on our horses. 

 

When we rode in parts of the main canyon that were more open and not protected by the high walls, we had to deal with some very breezy conditions!

It was so breezy, that, by the time we got back to the trailers at the end of the day, my Apache mare had rings of sand, encircling her eyes and coating her eyelashes from the wind-blown sand.

 

But we still had a grand old time!

This is Kendra and Bailey on the left and me and Apache on the right, just strolling along.

 

The dead-end of the main canyon was a perfect photo op, with the huge red boulders, tall rock wall and bright green Cottonwood tree.

As you can see in the photo, at some point, someone had had a campfire in the center of this area. And Apache wasn’t so thrilled about putting her back to those boulders. But she was a good girl and did it for me.

 

Since the canyon is managed by BLM, they placed some educational plaques in different areas to give information on the geology and nature of San Lorenzo Canyon.

 

Since I had read those plaques before while hiking there, I skirted Apache around them and we posed for a photo instead.

 

And then we all turned around and rode back out through the main canyon to do some more exploring.

 

We rode back to the trailers so a couple gals could grab their water bottles, and also to say goodbye to my friend Cindy who had to leave early.

So there would be 9 of us riding up above the main canyon on the ridge trails. 

 

We stopped often to let the horses rest and to enjoy the expansive vistas.

If you look just above Bailey’s butt, you can see the white color of some of our horse trailers parked below. 

 

 My friend Janet was able to join us for this ride. I had not ridden with her for over a year, from when I used to ride with ARA in these same canyons. Back then Janet used to be a Wrangler for ARA.

 

I really dislike nose-to-tail riding, and for the most part our group avoided it. But sometimes, the trail was narrow and we didn’t want to destroy the fragile vegetation. And we’d just get bunched up.

In the pink jacket below, riding the jenny mule, is my buddy Latana, who drove up from Las Cruces to ride with us. You might remember her from our White Sands Horseback Riding Weekend back in February. We all stayed with Latana and she and her friends showed us around White Sands National Monument, too. 

 

Apache seemed to enjoy herself up on the high ridge. She has always loved to be in high places with views that go on forever. She loves to stop and gaze, while I take photos. 

 

There were so many awesome photo ops, that we were all snapping away every chance we got during this ride. Someone would say, “Stop! I’ve got to get a picture of that!” and we would all stop and enjoy the views while one, or more of us, would take photos.

 

As you can see, in these photos, we were now above the same canyon that we had just ridden through down below. It is a totally different perspective to be up high looking down. The canyon looks completely different!

 

Apache enjoyed the views, too. But it was hard work carrying me up onto those ridge trails, so she was happy to take a little nap. But it sure was windy up there.

 

See what I mean about the canyon looking completely different looking down into it, compared to riding through it.

 The high ridge trails traverse the kind of terrain that Apache and I both enjoy. The flat trails can be relaxing, but a bit boring. We like some hills to play on, too. 

 

We don’t need anything super steep, but trails with some challenging terrain are just more fun and interesting to ride. 

 

We did encounter a few steep sections on the trails, but Apache was a rock star…..while Kendra kept turning around to take photos of us.

 

 See what I mean?

(Oh, and we had just ridden down and around from the top of those huge rocks behind us)

 

One of mine and Apache’s favorite things to do on trails, especially those with hills, is to ride slow so we can capture some angle good photos, and then once we are far enough back, I ask Apache to trot or canter to catch up. Wheeee! So fun!

 

                     Like this!!!!!! Wheeeeeee!

Of course, with all the hills, we made sure to stop often and let our horses rest, which gave us ladies a chance to chat, too. 

 

We did get to ride through several sandy arroyos. Apache likes to trot and canter through arroyos, but we didn’t too much of that through these arroyos because they tended to have branches that stuck out and rock steps to navigate up or down, too.

 

But we did do some trotting……

I really like this tree in this photo. It looks so artsy and sculptural, even with the dead branches.

But this also shows you the kinds of branches that sometimes stick out into the arroyo trails. They can easily grab you and/or your clothing and give you some mean scrapes and scratches if you are riding through too fast and not paying attention.

And here you can see what some of the rock steps look like, that must be navigated when riding through the arroyo trails.

Apache was ready to go, but I was posing for a photo for Kendra…..

And sometimes the arroyo trail becomes narrow, too.

And sometimes, those rock steps are not so much a step-down, but a jump-down instead.

And there were more hills to ride up and down, too.

 

Apache was willing to stop halfway down for a posed photo, so we did. Yeehaw!!!

 

And my dear friend, Kendra and I were so excited to be accomplishing another ride from our Bucket Lists, that we had to do some celebrating with one another. And my buddy Latana captured the special moment!

Apache celebrated by grabbing a mouthful of grass!

 

 

Many of the photos we took of one another looked like this….camera in hand, held up to the face.

 

 

But sometimes, unbelievably, my camera was tucked away in my saddle bags and I was just focused on my horse and the trail. That’s when my friends were taking photos of me and my mare, which was a nice surprise, too, since I tend to be the only one behind the camera lens on many of the rides we do. 

Didn’t I tell you that my Apache mare is a rock star? She totally is! And I just love her so much! 

 

We rode up and down hills and in and out of arroyos all afternoon. It was a lot of fun and a great way to work together as a team with your horse. You can’t just flop around on your horse’s back when covering all of that varying terrain, or you can throw her off-balance. You also can’t text, talk on the cell phone or daydream either.

It’s exhilarating to ride in-the-moment with your horse, conquering challenging terrain together.

 

 

 I could not be more proud of my Apache mare. She did everything I asked of her that day and trusted my judgment and was willing, patient, and had a big heart.

And I trusted her, too. She took very good care of me.

 

                                                                         

                            I LOVE MY APACHE MARE!!!!!!

 

 

Here’s the GPS Map of our Trail Ride. 

 

 

San Lorenzo Trail Ride

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in New Mexico

 

Next up:      Trail Riding in Neptune Canyon!