Exploring the New Neighborhood

I've had three chances to get out and ride out of the property to explore. Of course, the first thing I did was figure out where we were going to do the morning walk. Just because we moved doesn't mean the walk stops. Perish the thought! So I had about a mile of trail already explored before I rode Hoss out to check out what else might be available.

At the end of the road we now live on, where it makes a sharp left, there is a sign posted which says "No Motorized Vehicle Activity." Once past this sign, we are in the Cleveland National Forest. This part of the forest is really not meant for much recreational use. Obviously there are some trails/roads through it. The challenge will be to find the trails/roads we can use!

With views like this, who needs to trailer out?

The first time we went out, I rode him to the fork which marks the end of our morning ride and headed to the right. This wide road-like section of trail continued on around to the right until we came to a gate. I thought we'd have to turn around, but realized we'd be able to get around the gate. There was some old cut up brush beside the gate, an obvious attempt to prevent motorized vehicles from accessing the area. Hoss negotiated the cuttings with little trouble and we headed out along a well-traveled dirt road. We were obviously on the regular roads again and back out of the forest area.

After a time riding on this road, we came to a T intersection, and I recognized the cross road we live off of. Uh-oh and Roxy had decided to come with us, which slowed us down. I wanted to ride past our road and check out some further trails I noticed off the next road. Unfortunately it was warm, and Uh-oh was coughing, so I rode back to our street and we went home.

The second time we went out, I ponied DC along with us. This time, she had a great time being ponied. Once again, Uh-oh and Roxy tagged along (we really will have to get the fence finished, so I can leave them safely behind!), slowing us down once more. It was late in the day, so we weren't going to get very far. I'd hoped to get some good trotting in, partly to keep up Hoss's condition and partly to give DC a chance to move out.

This time when we arrived at the fork, we went left. Roxy and Uh-oh were far behind, so we had to stop and wait for them. As a result of them being so slow, we wound up turning around with less distance than I would have liked. We did get a little trotting in, and Hoss did a little cantering as well. While Hoss cantered, though, DC merely extended her trot and never broke. She's gonna run circles around him when she grows up.

Hoss was a little spun up after having cantered some and was difficult on the way home. I hope this doesn't become an issue here as it was at the old place. Riding at home around the old place was unpleasant because Hoss wanted to go fast to get home. I'm hoping to avoid that here, as it appears we will be able to do a considerable amount of our conditioning – the short rides, at any rate – right out of our front gate. We'll only need to trailer out to get in the longer rides we need to do.

The latest time we headed out, I once again had to adjust my plans because of Uh-oh and Roxy. But it was okay, we were heading out earlier in the day, and really it's hard to know how fast we'll be able to go when what we're doing is exploring. So I wasn't too unhappy about being slowed down.

At the fork, we headed to the left. After a time, there was another fork, and I selected the right fork. The trail became less usable, but passable, as we went along. I could see dirt bike tracks in the dirt. So much for that sign, eh? I had been seeing hoof prints, so I was reasonably confident I was on a good trail. Unfortunately this trail teed off at a section of trail which is evidently cut off from any other trail. We headed along It in both directions and found dead ends. So we went back up to where we'd taken the last fork and headed down the other fork.

Going along this trail, we came across an abandoned vehicle, a red pickup truck. It was pretty well stripped. Some of its parts were around. One of the bucket seats was set to the side with the seat slashed open. The axles and wheels were gone. All the glass was gone. Very interesting. I wonder what the insurance company was told happened? Of course it could easily have been stolen and taken off into the wilds to be stripped….

We continued past the junker and followed the trail up toward an abandoned house. This is an old mobile home which has clearly been unoccupied for a number of years. Most of the windows are broken and there is a lot of junk strewn about the yard. The hoof prints I had been seeing went through this property, so I continued on my way, confident we at least weren't the first to violate the property.

Abandoned house, from the road below

We rode off the abandoned property and on down the road. Another road turned off to the left, but there were "No Trespassing" signs, so we stayed on the road we were on. Not far after that, I saw more "No Trespassing" signs, and lost the hoof prints I had been seeing. We seemed to have come to an impasse. There was no way to continue on I could clearly see was okay for us to go. I turned Hoss around and we headed back the way we had come.

By the time we got home we had covered just over 5.5 miles. Not too shabby, considering. I think Roxy and Uh-oh may reconsider going along on trail rides. Both of them were downright beat. The next day, Uh-oh stayed home from the walk. Roxy was limping on one front leg and although she did go on the walk, it was clear she was bushed. She spent the rest of the day lying down very quietly!

There's a lot more to explore around here. I know there are more trails than we have found already. I hope Roxy and Uh-oh have learned their lesson, and the next time we head out, it will only be Mac and Ash coming along. I don't mind having them; they can keep up most days and need the exercise. 

I'm hoping to find between 8 and 12 miles of contiguous trail. It would be nice to have a loop, but I'll settle for out and back. I do have a three mile loop, if we go out to the right at the fork and come back around like we did the first day we went out. I understand there's quite a bit of trail and road connection, but I'll either have to find it all myself or find someone to show me around.