Re: [RC] pCup: When the sun was shining - Barbara McCrary
Yes, on the first Applegate-Lassen
ride, in the early 1980s. No Burning Man, just a bunch of endurance riders
out there having an adventure. I wasn't bored, but my horse was having
trouble with the monotony of the terrain and the heat reflected up off the
playa. Nevertheless, I'd like to do that same route again. Even
better was the time the ride manager drove from the west side of the desert over
to Double Hot Springs and Black Rock Springs on the east side, then back across
to the west side again. We riders were instructed to follow her truck
tracks. It was a wonderful experience! Double Hot Springs was
exciting and frightening at the same time, as the water temp. is about 160
degrees F. Animals that inadvertently fell in have been scalded to
death.
It would be interesting to determine whether the flat sandy
track is dispiriting to the horses. I once rode 18 miles on the
Black Rock Desert, on an average sort of day, weather-wise, and my horse
was so down in the dumps from the monotony of the terrain that he
dragged. The minute we left the playa and rode through sagebrush
and little undulations of the ground, he perked right up. I can't
imaging dealing with 100 miles of sand and the horses' reaction to the
monotony of the trail. Tell us about this, as you see
it.
G.Affleck