It was Electrifying !

3.5 members participated in the ride at the FL Agricultural Museum in Flagler County. Probably the forecast of 96° and thunderstorms kept many at home, but not us! We left the trail head at 9:30 and enjoyed the shaded path that led to the infamous land bridge. Crossing the bridge was the high light of the ride, according to our youngest rider, Cory. Everyone made it across safely and then headed into the familiar area of Princess Place. We rode along the creek and Traci entertained us with her shrill vocal skills (and hands-free riding) when a giant spider dangled off of her helmet. After about an hour and forty five minutes of riding, the rain started. While Traci was brave and donned her slicker on horseback, KD played it safe and dismounted to put on her rain protection. We learned that Miss Stylin is a rain-a-phobic and took of in a nice canter to find the closest shelter. Luckily the riders in front of us captured Stylin on the land bridge and returned her to KD. The rain increased and about the time we got to the top of the bridge, the wind became strong and the rain pelted us and the lightning was flashing. Hey - at least we got cooled off! You must be wondering what more excitement would fall upon us, so shortly there after a bolt of lightning struck about 30 feet from us. KD dismounted and walked so as not to become a lightning rod. A short way down the trail, we could actually smell the ozone where the lighting struck. (Michelle said later that the bolt of lightning struck VERY close to her and Cory !) Luckily we were only a few more minutes from the trail head, and rode/led back to the trailers and loaded up for protection from the bad weather. The humans headed for the nice covered barn to enjoy lunch, and horses stayed in the trailers for safe keeping. We saw a nice presentation on Cracker horses and then decided to head home when we saw a break in the weather. Despite the excitement, this was a nice ride and someplace worth going back to. The brochure mentioned camping, so we are going to check on the possibility of having a club camp out here. If any of you question if it was worth the hassle, just ask KD... I am sure her answer will be 'DEPENDS!" (KD - get it - ha ha!) Here are some PHOTOS for your viewing pleasure.

Blue Moon evening ride

Thanks to the thirteen people who joined us for our Blue Moon Trail Ride. We left the Diamond D power lines promptly at 8:00 PM and started our adventure on a single track path through the forest. This led us to open sandy roads, which were perfect for the moonlit ride. All horses and riders behaved commendably well. There was only one unseating when a horse spooked at some birds that flew up. Once again - a good reason to wear a helmet! After winding our way through the dusky woods, a nice big orange moon magically appeared to the east. As it climbed into the sky, we reached the open power lines, where the moonlight was brilliant. A nice sprinkling of fire flies topped off the night. The ride was about an hour and a half, which gave us just enough time to appreciate the cool weather, beautiful sky, and the company of good friends on horseback!

Here are some pictures that we managed to get while the light was failing. We didn't take any photos in the dark as didn't know how the horses would react.