It rained all last night but we put the horses in the trailer. They moved around a lot which made for short stretches of sleep, but at least they were refreshed in the morning! I can't exactly say the same for us!
The rain stopped just after we got up, so we got the horses out of trailer in time for their breakfast and ours, packed up, mucked out the trailer and were riding by 8am. Now I see why troops use bugles! It's the best way for them to tell us to get up, gather up, and ride out.
We got on SR 66 right away and soon crossed into Highlands County. We stopped mid-morning for a parade and demonstration for the Cracker Elementary School in Sebring, FL. Calvin and Debbi dismounted and brought their horses over to a group students who got to pet the horses (Possum and Trigger) and ask questions. One 5th grade girl asked "How do you become a Cracker Trail rider?" Debbi said "well, you need a horse, you have to like to camp, and you don't mind riding a really long way"! Debbi said she saw the girl deflate at the "have a horse" part but maybe someday she will, or she will have a wonderful friend like I do, who is sharing her adventure with me! Cindy is my pilot (I am the co-pilot) or as I sometimes like to say when Cindy has to use her super horsewoman skills, that "Cindy is the Superhero and I am the Sidekick"!
At noon, we finally got to and crossed US 27, a major north-south road that runs down the center of the state, and SR66 became US98 as we continues east through the intersection. We finally stopped for lunch about 1:30 just south of Sebring International Speedway and I could hear lots of cars racing on the track there!
Luckily, no one came off their horse this morning. We have a lot less riders today, only about 60 in the morning now and 45 in the afternoon. Quiet a few people took today off and just trailered to the next site. Not us! We want the full experience! The rain did not stop us and neither will the forecasted freeze the next two nights! Luckily the mares are staying healthy!
We are both sore and ache from long hours in the saddle and constant attention to our surroundings. There is no boredom. Something is always going on and while we both work to remain calm for our horses, our minds are on high alert for problems and issues every moment of the ride. Lunch is a nice time to get out of the saddle and get a change of pace. I typically watch the horses while Cindy moves the rig from the previous camp to tonight's camp.
We both really appreciate all the comments via this site, Facebook, text, and email. It really helps us to go on despite the rain, cold, sleep deprivation, horses acting up, and riders and horses being injured. It has been a long road ride today and the trucks, motorcycles, cattle, dogs, and even other horses sometimes get on the horses nerves. It's a far cry from the last few days where we got to see so many wild animals. So far on this trip we have seen Sand Hill Cranes, Spoonbills, Storks, Egrets, Herons, Hawks, Bald Eagles, Wild Turkey, White-tailed Deer, Wild Hogs and even a Cotton-tailed Rabbit who was scampering out from under hooves! That was interesting!
This afternoon we traveled across Arbuckle Creek, a major waterway (more like a river, and thorough a town called Lorida (pronounced lor-EE- da) where a few riders bought produce from a fruit stand without ever getting off their horses! We passed through lots of fish camps and RV parks. There were a lot more people waving us on today!
We travel behind some wagons at about 3 miles per hour. Today was our longest day at 24 miles! It was a 10 hour ride today, with 8 of those hours in the saddle! We got only 3 breaks, with lunch and the rig move being the longest.
We really do appreciate the support of our husbands on this ride! Their messages of encouragement really lift our spirits! Thanks to Jim Spence and John Brown!
FyI - Picture attached is of Debbi and her horse, Trigger, at Cracker Elementary School.
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