Long ago, the native nomadic people in Wyoming required a week and a half to travel to the mouth of this canyon. Today, we decided to stop for Thirty Sleeps to fully appreciate the abundance of rock climbing. The limestone cliffs that line both sides of Ten Sleep Creek (and the parallel highway 16) offer… Continue reading Ten Sleep
My horse and I have just gone our furthest distance yet. I’ve been in the saddle for hours. My knees and back ache. The sun is beating down; temperatures are climbing, causing us to slow to a walk. It feels like it will never end. The enthusiasm I felt at the start is waning but I don’t want to give up, so I just keep riding, taking it mile by mile.
It turns out that being a gypsy takes a lot of fore-thought. There have been numerous iterations but our route for this year is now fairly solid. Originally, our plan for 2019 revolved around Squamish, British Columbia. We thought we’d make our way north from Arizona and settle in Canada for two or three months… Continue reading The Plan for 2019
The weather in Oracle has a tendency to change quickly. It seems like just as we’re getting comfortable with warm and sunny days, the type one expects from Arizona, a storm will blow over the mountains. On one such occasion in mid-January we decided to escape the predicted storm and take a weekend trip south… Continue reading Cochise Trail in East Stronghold
In the Dragoon Mountains lies Cochise Stronghold, a natural fortress for the Apache chief, and an appropriate locale for a Ride+Climb weekend. Jess tells me she misses multi-pitch, since we’ve only gone cragging since leaving the Northeast. My research lands on The Wasteland as a suitable outing, because it’s a 6 pitch 5.8 with an… Continue reading “Come in under the shadow of this red rock”
We’ve been living at Hay Creek Ranch in Oracle, Arizona for about six weeks now, less a week-long trip to Mexico. It has been wonderful to remain stationary after traveling so much. We’re settling into our life in the desert, exploring the area, and establishing daily routines. I’ve been enjoying the opportunity to immerse myself in… Continue reading Man Seeks Horse for Long-Term Relationship
We get Mackenzie situated in her “small paddock” and then head to our own, which is how Google translates the Mexican climbing area El Potrero Chico. Flights from Tucson (or Phoenix) to Monterrey, Mexico are a bit expensive at the last minute, would require a layover in Dallas, and limit the luggage we could take.… Continue reading The Small Paddock
Mackenzie has never been West of the Mississippi, and now we’re taking her West of the Rio Grande. We set off from Mike and Dana’s house in Flemington, NJ and collect Mackenzie from A Hope Equestrian in Lebanon. We drive about 6 hours through Pennsylvania and Maryland to our first stop in Purcellville, just over… Continue reading Go West, Young Mare!
According to The Plan for 2018 we intend to have Rubble shipped to Arizona. I post a listing on uShip, and receive a couple quotes for $2,600. We then try to recruit some friends to make the trip, offering to cover all gas and tolls (I estimate these at $1,200) plus $1,000 payment. Finally we… Continue reading Moving Rubble to Arizona
We drive from Leonidio to the Athens airport, where we meet up with our friends Joe and Jessica. The direct flight to Kalymnos is convenient, but the plane is small and easily battered by wind. Many flights get cancelled, delayed, or rerouted to Kos (a neighboring Dodecanese island). We land safely and get into our… Continue reading Kalymnos
