Go West!
In our semi-retirement, we feel determined to travel, meet interesting and fun people, and nurture our sense of adventure while we are still active and in good health (and perhaps one will foster the other!). In the last few years, we’ve been blessed to journey to Italy, the British Virgin Islands, Mexico, Iceland, England and the Maldives. Paul and I have also been regularly taking our horses to our cabin just 3 hours away in the Big South Fork area of North-Central Tennessee to trail ride.
The last several winters at our farm in central Kentucky have been wet and gloomy, so the idea of heading somewhere warm and sunny for part or most of the winter has become appealing. Some of our “horse friends “ have shared their experiences with winter riding in Florida and Arizona. When our Tennessee riding buddy Leonard invited us to join a group going to Apache Junction, Arizona for “horse camping” and trailriding, we said YES and ordered a Living Quarters horse trailer, with room for us and our dogs in the front and quarters for transporting our steeds and all of their gear in the back.
The trailer was ready at Lakota of Ohio in October and we combined the pick-up with a short camping trip. After a walk-through to learn about the trailer’s features and mechanics, we were feeling intimidated and decided to spend the first night at the dealership. The next morning we drove to Hocking Hills State Park for the night. We managed a nice hike to Old Man’s Cave before a cold rain set in, but we were dry and cozy in the trailer. Driving home, we gained confidence driving with the big, wide rig on both narrow roads and interstate highway.
We’d hoped to have the chance to go “horse camping” a time or two before the big trip, but time got away from us. It’s always been a huge endeavor to leave the farm for long, but with far fewer animals to care for (one older retired horse, a few alpacas, sheep, and goats) and farm sitters and security in place, we are READY for this novel adventure! Along with holiday celebrations, we’ve spent a LOT of time planning and packing and organizing the trailer for the comfort and safety of the horses AND us. We’ll leave with friends from Tennessee and take four days and 3 nights to reach Arizona.
Who knew, but there are “horse motels” along the way that provide camping hookups (water and electric) and stalls for the horses. We have reservations in Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico. Watch for future posts with photos and stories of this trip and others!
The last several winters at our farm in central Kentucky have been wet and gloomy, so the idea of heading somewhere warm and sunny for part or most of the winter has become appealing. Some of our “horse friends “ have shared their experiences with winter riding in Florida and Arizona. When our Tennessee riding buddy Leonard invited us to join a group going to Apache Junction, Arizona for “horse camping” and trailriding, we said YES and ordered a Living Quarters horse trailer, with room for us and our dogs in the front and quarters for transporting our steeds and all of their gear in the back.
Our first camping spot at Hocking Hills in Ohio, Paul and our dogs Annie and Hoss
We’d hoped to have the chance to go “horse camping” a time or two before the big trip, but time got away from us. It’s always been a huge endeavor to leave the farm for long, but with far fewer animals to care for (one older retired horse, a few alpacas, sheep, and goats) and farm sitters and security in place, we are READY for this novel adventure! Along with holiday celebrations, we’ve spent a LOT of time planning and packing and organizing the trailer for the comfort and safety of the horses AND us. We’ll leave with friends from Tennessee and take four days and 3 nights to reach Arizona.
Who knew, but there are “horse motels” along the way that provide camping hookups (water and electric) and stalls for the horses. We have reservations in Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico. Watch for future posts with photos and stories of this trip and others!
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