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The next morning we put up the
solar panels and batteries in the sunny lawn for a quick charge wile we
packed the horses. Very soon after, a big fire truck drove up to the solar
array. Somebody had reported a bomb in the park. The friendly driver laughed
after I explained the electronics. Then the park caretaker drove up and
I had to come up with an explanation for why I was there. He asked if
I was camping in the park. Miraculously, the horses were quiet and nobody
knew they were hiding just 50 feet away. We succeeded in another "campground
caper".
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| We stopped by a
store and spent our last $5 on a giant pack of corn tortillas. We debated
buying either the tortillas or splitting a hamburger when the aroma passed
our noses from the Cafe. After several months of dried food and no fresh
produce I told Gretchen I would die for a fresh orange. We rode about two
blocks where a lady picking oranges gave us a dozen. They were the best
we have ever eaten. Then I said I wanted lemons and a short time later we
rode by a tiny lemon tree growing wild on the side of the road. They were
very mild. |
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Next I decided I wanted some persimmons and someone gave us persimmons and
more lemons. I was thinking about grapefruit when a lady gave us some of
those. Incredibly, just as I was thinking about walnuts, sure enough, we
were given a big bag of walnuts. We were running out of space for any more
fruit.!
We rode through the tiny 'berg of Paskenta and had to camp on the side of
the road. We were hungry and jokingly said it would be nice if someone would
invite us to dinner. About 10 minutes later a girl drove up and invited
us to dinner. It was the best! these people lined us up with a week's work
for an 80 year old resident of this small town. This kind lady was very
informative about our next big obstacle - the Mendicino Pass in the Coastal
Range. She, along with many of her friends, tried to stop us from riding
over the snow-covered mountain. The forest service on both sides of the
mountain also tried to persuade us not to ride the pass, saying we would
not be able to make it. The Coastal Range can get a tremendous amount of
snow in a short period of time, since it is the first range to block the
moist marine weather coming from the ocean. For that reason, we kept track
of every storm all winter and we had a good idea how much snow would be
in the Cascade, Sierra and Coastal ranges and we knew we could make it.
With the TV, scanner and Ham radio, we can follow any developing storms
and have plenty of time to drop to a lower elevation if needed. With a clear
5-day forecast and the Doppler radar showing a large high pressure system,
we started the pack string up the mountain. |
We ran into snow quicker than expected. I told Gretchen I was craving an
apple. She laughed and said "Fat chance for that!" A few minutes
later a small pickup trick slid to a stop on the icy mountain back road.
The man was coming from his mountain orchard and had a truck load of apples.
He offered us and the horses all we could carry. We were filling all the
empty spaces we could find as the horses were eating from the truck bed.
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We rode up above 5,000 feet elevation and made camp in the snow, leaving
the fruitful Sacramento Valley far below. This night just happened to be
a record cold that destroyed 80% of the citrus crops in Northern California.
It was too cold to pitch the tent but we stayed warm sleeping on our saddle
blankets next to a 6 foot fire in the subzero temperatures. |
The Hinterland's Community
Main House
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After a two day ride we made it over the Coastal Range and started down
the mountain and out of the snow. We were looking for a place to camp when
we were invited to stay at a commune-type community. It was a beautiful
place with solar and hydropower. We spent two weeks at the community, enjoying
a wonderful Christmas. |
| The horses were
getting thin from the low protein in the winter grass so we decided to ride
to Covelo, inside the Round Valley Reservation, in search of work. We gave
a presentation to the Covelo Riding Club and a private school. The kids
all did a report on us and drew pictures of us all. |
We worked off the price of a new horse on a Peruvian Paso breeding ranch.
We found one of our horses had a chronic kidney problem. Not only did "Rocky"
had serious health problems but was an awful trail horse, and that could
be life-threatening in the high mountains. We replaced him with a very elegant
Peruvian Paso gelding named "Gonzo". |
Each year we have purchased expensive horses only to find that they do not
work out and then sell them dirt-cheap. This is not particularly a breed
problem, since we have had trouble with horses of many different breeds.
We may also have been too gullible in our horse-dealing. This has been a
major problem to our expedition and has at times been a threat to our lives.
Luckily, this time, someone went out of their way to give us a dynamic horse
whom they loved, rather than a cull. |
Now, we finally have all the right horses! |
