Riding in the Desert from the San Tan Trail Head

Taffy is watching me, but is aware of someone else coming into the parking lot. My friend left us at the trail head about 6:00 a.m. and went to pick up her daughter and their horses, and returned by 6:30. The sun is coming up and shining golden on Taffy, bringing out the gold in her coat.

We were on the San Tan Trail by 7:00 a.m. Those are water packs that MM and her daughter are wearing on their backs. There is a plastic tube that comes over a shoulder so they can take a drink of water whenever they need one.

A cactus known as a jumping cactus because when you get close to it, a part of it breaks off and sticks into your clothes, or worse tries to stick into your skin! MM carries a small pair of pliers with her on a ride in case she has to pull out prickles.

A view of the San Tan hills and cactus in the foreground. When I first saw the desert, I was amazed at how much green growth is sustained in what is such arid ground.

We were climbing some of those hills, and when we came to the top, this is what was spread out in front of us.

It was somewhere along here, about 1 hour on the trail that we passed a rattlesnake. I was third in line of the three of us, and MM called out to me, "Stop, no don't stop!". I pushed Taffy faster, then looked down because while MM was calling to me I realized that I had heard a rattle! Yes, a smallish rattlesnake was slowly waking up beside the trail. Fortunately it was still cool and he was moving slowly. Taffy had never heard a rattlesnake, so she was unaware of the danger.

MM stopped a few feet up the trail and asked me if my heart was slowly down yet. I told her it was, slowly, and then she asked me if I wanted to go back and take a picture. I told her that no, I didn't need to as the picture was firmly embedded in my brain. I'm wishing now that I had! But that one sight of a rattlesnake was enough! MM says she averages seeing one per ride.

A sandy wash that we rode along. It was harder going in here for the horses as it is deeper than the regular desert trail.

A saguaro cactus and Taffy's head! (Just to prove that we were there!)

We stopped for a moment in the shade and I made it a photo op! MM took this picture of us. The saguaro in this picture is an old-timer... they are a hundred years old before they sprout their arms. They are also protected and you must have permission to move them, or purchase one.

This is the trail we are on, and where we are headed.... the picture below shows where we came from... the trail is in that depression that goes off the right of the picture. You can see that they are marked trails, so it is hard to get lost!

This is my idea of riding. I really enjoy getting out into the country like this rather than riding around and around in a ring. I do ringwork because it improves our riding and I enjoy learning, but my ultimate goal is to be out in the country, even just along back country roads. The roads are good for driving a horse in a buggy, too!

Another view from the top of the trail. I had a fantastic ride, but because I had not ridden for so long, I was a wee bit tender. It was a few days before I could face sitting in the saddle again, but Taffy and I had another ride before I had to leave to come home.