Feb 17 - Half Way?!

We camped last night next to the Peace River where it crosses under SR 64, near Zolfo Springs, FL. We were exhausted and woke up tired and sore! Feels a bit like scout camp; up at 5:30am for horse's breakfast, our breakfast at 6, then break down camp, groom and saddle up, and ride out at 8am. Bugle calls included!

After crossing the Peace River, and US 17, we had a parade
past Zolfo Springs Elementary School. The whip cracking was a big part of the show, and boy did our two Paso Fino's look like they were dancing! Cindy did a great job of keeping Blondie all together, and Sombra stayed together by herself. I'm not saying it was pure pleasure; more like a controlled series if explosions. The horses were better today but they still have a long way to go!

Here is a little history on the whip cracking. Cattle roamed wild across Florida after the Spanish brought them ashore in the 1500s. The early settlers found that they could, with some effort, round them up out of the seemingly inhospitable brush that makes up Florida's scrub land, and drive them to market. Their tool was a large whip that they cracked, and the "Cow Hunters" (don't call them them cowboys) soon earned the nickname of "Crackers" because of the sound of the whip. Now you know where the term "Florida Cracker" came from!

We rode a nice low-traffic, 2-lane road called Stacy Roberts Road for most of the morning and finally arrived at our lunch spot at the Putnam Ranch with only a few riders being thrown (no one seriously injured). As we crossed a stream on the Putnam ranch, the mule-drawn wagon got stuck but with the help of several horses and cowboys, they pulled that wagon right out of the muck! We did not see Mr. Putnam, but I am sure he is busy working today. Adam Putnam is our State of Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. Nice ranch!

Here is a little info about the Paso Fino. The horses we are riding are from the Columbian Paso Fino line that were bred to be work horses but are known for their "fine step" (the translation of Paso Fino), their "brio" (contained energy), and their gait. As a gaited horse, they have an extremely fast walk type of step that is the speed of a trot, but without the bounce. They are born with this ability; it is not something they are taught. When they are asked to, or they get really excited, as ours have recently, they will step very, very fast using a lot of energy! Someone commented that it looks like a sewing machine! Another person who saw us doing this told us to "shift gears"! Yet another said that by the time these horses have finished the ride, they will have taken enough steps to go 240 miles, not the 120 we are traveling. They are all too funny!

Today's mileage is the longest so far, at 21 miles. Rain is in the forecast for tonight with cold air dropping temps below freezing soon. Right now we are getting sun burnt in T-shirts, though Cindy and I did dress up a bit for the parade today!

The wind is blowing hard and you can feel the weather coming in. It has been wonderful to see the stars every night and when we get up (we have not slept more than 3 hours at a stretch), it's neat to check the stars' rotation through the night sky and try to estimate the time of night before checking your watch.

We have met lots of really neat people on this ride and hope to remain friends! It will be sad to part when the ride is over!

We made it to the Kahn ranch for dinner and baths (for the horses, not us). It's raining hard now and the horses are in the trailer for the night. They are making the whole rig rock and roll. Hope we can sleep a few hours! Exhaustion is setting in. Decisions are more difficult. Staying alert to potential dangers is harder. We are begging for sleep. Tomorrow is a new day! Despite the niceties of the port-a-potty and the catered food, we think about how lucky we have been so far to not be thrown, kicked, or stepped on! Good night from a location near SR 653a few miles west if Sebring, FL!