Last day near Rodney

The wind is kicking up and waves of rain sweep the fields in bursts. The storm forecast for the past three days is finally moving in tonight. Tomorrow should dawn clear and much cooler as we ride out.

When I realized there was no way I could get boots for Walter in time to spare him another painful trek over gravel roads, I broke down and had him shod. Alan Lane - see the last post - once again did wonders on extremely short notice (hours!). He tailored the shoes to the type of riding we'll be doing with the understanding that they'll be needed for just a few weeks til boots arrive. And once again not only donated his services to the Ride, but didn't even charge for providing hours of excellent and entertaining storytelling of true adrenaline-laced adventures of cowboy life!

Seriously... a great farrier and enjoyed a great conversation about a disappearing culture among other things... again, thank you Sir!

The Richardsons have been wonderful hosts and in a final gesture of generosity, offered to deliver water to what would have been a dry forest camp tomorrow night, about 10-11 miles from here. That would have meant another 11 miles the next day to reach Port Gibson. Two long days with heavy packs for an out-of-condition mule.

We proposed an alternative - deliver all of Walter's packs (and some of Finehorn's) to a prearranged stop at a friend of theirs' place 15 miles from here. That way, Walter has a longer day but without having to carry and adjust to a lot of shifting dead weight he's not used to. The next day, with packs, is short at only 6 miles to Port Gibson.

Camella and Bill said that would be fine. What a relief! It won't be an easy day for Walter, but with the new shoes and light load I'm hoping he'll be up to it, gravel and all.

At Port Gibson we'll be looking for a place with a strong pen and preferably no other nearby equines to transition Walter to solo life. That's right, my dear friend Sea and I will be parting ways sooner rather than later. We have enjoyed each other's company, and it was a very difficult and bittersweet mutual decision. You can read about it on her blog, freerangerodeo.com . Step one of my ride will be finding a place to stay for 2 nights and one day, giving my mule time to grieve the loss of his herd and settle before setting out with only me for companionship.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our last night with the Richardsons...

sasafrass tea

Camella, little Lady and Bill

And by the way, after this post I might not even have phone service for a few days, and no computer for the foreseeable future (meaning short cell-phone posts and no photos, alas). Please bear with me, and please know your comments and support will mean more than ever as Walter and I head out alone. Thank you all as always.