American Gam

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle” ~ Winston Churchill

And so we did get an opportunity to ride horseback before we leave the Black Hills! Or rather we made it happen. We awoke this morning, checked the weather and found that it would be cool, comfy and partly cloudy. No rain, no wind, and most importantly, no marble-sized hail to stop us in our tracks.

We got to The Stables at Palmer Gulch here at the KOA five minutes before departure time and they accommodated our request to go on a ninety minute horse ride. They even accommodated my request to ride on Ace, the same horse I was denied last week to ride to the chuckwagon dinner. He was a handsome devil. 🐎

Treva was mounted atop of Phoenix, a beautiful chestnut brown mare with a predilection for flatulence (I was behind her for the entire trail!) 🐎

So we set off on the journey with our trail guide Taylor, a four-year veteran of these trail rides, ready to star in our own Louis L’Amour western novel, up into the Black Hills, into the verdant countryside where the path was lined with Ponderosa Pine, Black Hills Spruce, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Quaking Aspen, some Paper Birch, and Boxelder that hugged close to the streams. We even saw what looked like a stunted, skinny bamboo grove growing up out of a barely running stream. We’re in an extreme drought in these here parts.

The sweet solitude of riding in silence through the countryside (in between Taylor’s comments) was deliciously deafening as the sun’s golden rays cut through the dappled deciduous leaves. It was a perfect morning for both humans and horses. And the fact that the tour consisted of just Treva and I made it all the more sweeter. 🐎

The three mile trail ride was everything we had hoped for on this perfect riding day, but the trail system here is vast. Only a few miles away, you could ride your trusty steed to places like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, and Sylvan Lake. And some of these trails go back to a time when Sioux Lakota warriors roamed this land hunting tatanka and people like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane would venture from Custer or Keystone down into Deadwood for some drinking and gambling.

“Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Get them doggies rollin’
Man, my butt is swollen
Rawhide!”

We had a splendid ride on Ace and Phoenix. They were both excellent horses on an excellent day. This was a real treat!

I hope I can walk normal again real soon!

The gam continues…