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February 2008
Here we are again in Apache Junction, Arizona for our
eighth winter trail riding season. We left home the last
day of October after an early fall soybean harvest with
my trusty old Arab mare GiGi in tow for her 8th AZ trip
as well and with a young 3 yr. old Arab/Foxtrotter cross
gelding that my wife wants to convert into a brand new
trail horse. We got a good start with the colt during November,
then spent December down on the beach in Mazatlan at our
time share, then returned to MN for 9 days at Christmas
and New Years, then returning to AZ for the rest of the
winter until mid April or so.
This year two of the retiring MTRA BOD members, Kathy
and Dave Boron, have joined all of us down here in AZ.
Kathy handed the reins of the MTRA Roundup Committee to
Wanda Hanson, and Dave handed the reins of the MTRA Expo
Committee to Carolle St Jean. Everything is in good hands
so they can now spend ALL of their time trail riding. And
believe me they have been doing just that. Nearly every
day! I asked Kathy to take a break long enough to tell
you about their experiences so far now that they have six
weeks of winter in AZ under their belt. So here is Kathy's
story:
Boron's First Winter in Arizona
Howdy to all our friends back in frigid Minnesota. We are
currently enjoying a balmy 68 degrees (above zero) in
Apache Junction, AZ along with the wonderful company
of the Wrights, other retired MTRA members, and many
other horsemen (and women) who are spending the winter
out here.
Kathy and Dave Boron, Anoka MN,
in the Superstion Mountains near Apache Junction,
AZ |
Our trip out was a bit harried. Though we left Anoka on
a warm sunny December morning, that afternoon we were in
the middle of Kansas City rush hour in a rain storm, and
by evening it had started to freeze. We spent the first
night, an hour short of our intended destination, under
the awning of a Phillips 66 Station in Ottawa, Kansas.
After walking figure eights around the gas pumps and drinking
buckets of water our four horses spent their first night
ever in their horse trailer while we parked our motor home
along side a semi truck and hunkered down for the night.
The second day we drove through many areas devastated by
the freezing rain storm of the previous 24 hours. Rows
of power lines were down beside the highway and hundreds
of trees were devoid of branches in numerous communities.
Though we drove all morning in the rain, we felt lucky
and were able to make up for lost time the day before.
Our horses were delighted to roll and stretch their legs
in the roomy corrals of Jim and Marlene Haller's boarding
stable in Tucumcari, New Mexico that evening. Day three
was sunny but the wind tested the stability of our rigs,
Dave driving our new 29 foot motor home and me pulling
the 4-horse trailer with our Dodge pickup through the Rocky
Mountains of New Mexico. The box stalls of the Navaho County
fairgrounds at Holbrook, Arizona kept our boys warm and
cozy that night despite the inch of ice that formed on
their water buckets over night. Our last day of travel was
a beautiful trip through high desert, white with six inches
of new snow, followed by slow assents and cautious descents
through the Mazatzal Mountains of Arizona.
Blue Sky Ranch has facilities for boarding over 30 horses
but only one RV site, which we feel fortunate to have rented
for the winter. It didn't take us long to discover all
our necessities are located within two and a half miles
of our location: credit union, grocery stores, laundromat,
feed store, post office, hardware store, and many restaurants.
Within a week or two we had met and ridden with most of
the other boarders here, all of which live year round in
AZ. Our first rides were two to three hour jaunts into
the nearby Goldfield Mountains, riding through washes (dry
river and creek beds), down ATV trails, and single file
horse trails around saguaro, prickly pear, and cholla cactus.
We love riding to Goldfield Ghost Town where we can tie
up our horses, get a bite to eat, and wonder through the
many buildings made to look like the old town of Goldfield
that once stood on that site. For a fee one can tour the
old gold mine nearby, take a ride around the area on an
old time train, or even rent a horse for a trip into the
mountains. Though some of them have historical artifacts,
most of the town's buildings are shops filled with souvenirs.
Thanks to Russ and Darlene we have also met many of the
other horsemen and women spending their retirement here
with their mounts, most of which are from the Midwestern
states. We recently joined the Superstition Horsemen's
Association (SHA) which is an advocacy group dealing with
horse issues in the area. In addition to organizing membership
trail rides into the Superstition Mountains and other local
areas they sponsor an elementary and high school reading
program called "Black Stallion Literacy Program" which
provides free books and horse-related activities to children
in local schools.
Elephant Butte - Tonto National
Forest near Queen Valley, AZ |
Having been here over a month now, we have fallen into
a routine, riding 3 to 4 days in a row, taking a day off
to shop, do laundry, and other necessities, then riding
several days again. Monday evenings Arizona Lecture Series
presenters giving information about history of the area.
Tuesday is hamburger night at the VFW. Thursday evenings
the local school district has scheduled various musical
performers. Friday is fish fry at several local restaurants,
and Sunday night is pot luck at the O.K. Corral. It's a
good thing we brought four horses or our mounts would be
getting pretty worn out already with us riding over 60
miles per week. Wednesday mornings the retired contingent
of SHA meets along the highway and drives out into the
Superstition Mountains for a 4 to 5 hour ride into some
of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery on earth.
The Elephant Butte ride passed an immense rock weathered
into the shape of an elephant. Apache Tears Trail included
a ride past ruins of cave dwellings where Apache Indians
once lived, a stop to look for "Apache Tears", small black
rocks which light passes through when held up to the sun,
and lunch along a cold, rocky creek bed lined with trees
that almost reminded me of home. On the Coffee Flats ride
we stopped for lunch beside an old rustic windmill. All
these trails were rough and rocky but afforded gorgeous
views of the colorful, craggy mountains and spectacular
vegetation of the Arizona desert. I'm anxious to see what
wonders await us on tomorrow's ride to First Water and
all the other great rides that lay ahead of us before we
head back to MN in April! We'll see you at the MN Horse
Expo.
Kathy and Dave Boron
Other Items:
See our Arizona page for the
listing of AZ Stables down here if you are interested in
winter riding. All of them are busy, but have some space
left if you are thinking about coming. Boarding rates have
started to go up around here because hay is up to about
$13 per bale for the 3 string 80 pound bales. Most of the
rates start at about $175 to $200 per horse per month.
See you on the trails - Russ Wright
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