The 1st "ride with friends" went great. Met online friends Lois & John in person for the first time; met up with friends of online friends, Annie and Grady, again; met up with other friends of Annie and Grady again. We all had a nice ride on a sunny afternoon.
Then the questions: So where you gonna tie your mule? Where you gonna sleep? What? In a tent? In a tent in Butch's trailer?!? Do you know how cold it's suppposed to get tonight???
Lois: "Grady says you can stay at his place. You should take him up on it."
Grady: "There's room in my [travel] trailer, you can sleep on the couch."
Annie: "Or I can make room in my trailer. Sleep somewhere there's a heater."
I stepped out of the chill wind into Grady's comfy setup and said with a laugh, yeah okay...
So much for my resolve to try my first genuine mule camping. I'm such a wuss when it comes to cold. And these friends are just too darned accommodating!
Then, where to put Butch? I wanted him nearby, within sight and sound. Grady lent me a highline and strung it up between Butch's trailer and a tree. Butch did great all night, no fussing or bawling, stood quiet and went to sleep.
So, mules put away, we all ate (Thanks Lois & John! Lamb, mmm!), and now it was time for some real enabling. Lois brought over her big saddle bags packed with all the gear she and John take on weeks-long packing trips. I brought in old boxes of camping stuff I haven't used in years. Annie came and brought a pair of half-chaps, and her decades of backcountry packing expertise. Grady supplied whisky and cake. We proceeded to go over the gear piece by piece; they all dished out bookloads worth of info and advice while I scrambled to take notes. Then once it was established that even with my newfound knowledge of the proper gear, priorities and precautions, the first week or so of the trip is guaranteed to be a comedy (in hindsight) of errors, talk shifted to route and travel plans.
By the time everyone trundled off to thier various bedtime accommodations, the route had been settled. I'll haul Butch to Lois and John's place in far west Texas and launch the ride from there. (Leave the rig.) Northeast through TX, swing above Dallas, over near Texarkana, then head north to Kansas City. Leave mid-March, likely arrive KC sometime around August. This way I skip the arid empty stretches of AZ and NM, and also I start in a part of the country I've never seen before. It's a safer, more populated route. More mulie friends in TX too! Lois (and John? Not sure) has said she'll ride with me for a few days. She and John helped another Long Rider through NM a couple years ago. They know what the needs and hazards are. They have offered to be an emergency backup in thier area.
(Since then I've looked at how close they are to Marfa, and think I'll launch the ride from there. From a small arts center to a major one, seems fitting. Besides, I want to see the "Marfa Lights"....)
Next morning dawned cold, windy and overcast. I put on the half chaps Annie gave me, grateful to have 'em. Went to saddle up Butch mule - and he lost his mind! The minute he saw that Abetta, he began whipping his butt around so fast I could barely stay out of the way. Eyes buggin out, head high, pulling back, and when I finally got close enough to try and toss it on him, he actually bucked! I was utterly dumbfounded. Never in all the time I've had him has he acted in such a manner. Not ever. I figured something about that saddle must be hurting him so bad I better just leave it, and I told the others (all saddled up and mounted now) that I was taking him home. Well, they talked me out of it. Said, no way can your wieght in that light little thing be hurting him enough to act up like that... he's just testing what he can get away with... so I finally got the saddle on him and cinched without me being kicked, got on (very embarrassed at holding up the whole ride) and Butch was fine the rest of the day. Go figure. In fact he was better than fine, he was a real trooper, as noted in the last post before this one.
But the next day, another challenge. Butch doesn't want to load. This is a new problem, I don;t know what's causing it. The last several times he's gotten more and more balky. Annie had to help me get him in. Sheesh. All these sudden behavior problems in the past month, I must be doing something wrong. Can't think what's different, except for the time he had off.
Anyway, back to friends - Thier help so far, everyone's help, has been invaluable, I just can't describe what this support means to me. Emotionally and practically speaking. Even just knowing people are interested enough to keep up with this blog, it gives me strength. I only hope I can "pass it on" to others someday... Thank you everyone!
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