This trip was an official Bay State Trail Riders Association (BSTRA) campout. We had planned to get there on Thursday to make a full four day trip, but the weather didn't cooperate. It rained and poured all day Thursday, and there's few things less fun in the world than setting up a horse camp in the pouring rain. We decided to hold off until Friday, hope for better weather, and give ourselves an extra day to pack. It's a good thing we did, because we were a little out of practice and it took me pretty much all day to pack, run my errands, and prepare food. By Friday morning the trucks and trailers were packed, the rain stopped, and we were on the road!
We got to Escoheag around noon and were very surprised to see that the campground was completely empty except for our good friend Aurore who had gotten there about an hour before us. We assumed the rest of the BSTRA riders would be pulling in behind us and got to work finding a good camping spot. You'd think this would be easy, but as it turns out, too many options mean too much of a good thing. We spent a good 20 minutes or so hemming and hawing over exactly where to park everything and where to set up the fences. Once we finally agreed on a spot, it took about an hour to set up everything for the horses and get the camper all squared away. Then it was time to relax and have a snack before an afternoon ride!
Just before we set off for our Friday afternoon ride, I got a call from Jane and Phil (the hosts of the ride) that they ran into truck trouble on their way to the campground and wouldn't be able to make it. That was a real bummer, especially for Jane who had been looking forward to a get-away after some hip surgery earlier in the year. She also rattled off a list of people who wouldn't be camping this weekend, and it made us wonder who would be showing up. My friend Allison arrived in the afternoon and waited for Ronnie to show up with an extra horse for her to ride. Allison quickly learned that Ronnie is a talker and it took him a lot longer to get there than he planned!
So mid-afternoon on Friday, Aurore, Mom and I headed out for a nice two hour ride. It was only about 60 degrees but the horses weren't overly excited about the cool temps and just plodded along. We had been a little worried about the weather but it really was a non-issue. It never rained once on us all weekend!
Ronnie showed up just before dinner with an extra horse for Allison, and they were able to take an hour-long ride before it got dark. Allison rode Ron's horse Stinker and had a blast. Friday evening was damp and chilly and it made an early night for us. The horses had rain sheets on and they were quite comfy, wasting no time settling into their new temporary homes.
 |
| Rocco enjoying a little breakfast in bed |
Weather improved Saturday and there were some breaks of sun. Aurore, Mom, Ronnie, Allison, and I all rode together and had a nice 10 mile ride.
 |
| Allison & Mack, making Rocco look tiny! |
 |
| Hands off my mother! |
Michael and Loretta joined us on Saturday, and Dan came down to visit for dinner. Finally, we had a real group of campers!
 |
| Chow time! |
Sunday was the pick of the weekend with sunny skies in temperatures in the mid-70's. We had a bunch of friends truck in for a day ride, so it was nice to see a lot of people in the park. Mom and I rode with two ladies we met on Saturday, Lori and Robin. We had a nice 3.5 hour ride with them out to Breakheart Pond.
 |
| Robin & Lori |
 |
| Rocco being extremely handsome at Breakheart Pond |
 |
| C'mon Hudson, look at the camera! Look! |
Like all good weekends, this one ended too soon. The weather was only going to continue to get better throughout the week, but I had to get back to work Monday and the horses were getting tired.
We had one last lunch together, which meant one last opportunity for Rocco to shake people down for treats. Really, how can anyone resist this face?
 |
| Just one more cracker? Pleeeeeease?? |
It was an awesome camping trip and a great debut for the new camper. The true test will be a couple weeks from now when we head to Vermont!
No comments:
Post a Comment