A Grand Mesa Celebration
The August Birthday Ride is always a club favorite. We hosted both a Green and a Blue ride on the same day. What a fantastic turnout, 21 people total; 17 riders, including 2 spouses, Anne’s guests, plus Katherine, hiker/photographer, and Estella joined us for the potluck! We staged out of the Mesa Top Trailhead because County Line isn’t quite big enough to accommodate all 13 of our horse rigs while leaving room for other outdoor enthusiasts. Kudos to August “Birthday Husband” Dave for bringing Janet and Rose to the party!
Both groups set out for the scenic overlook on the County Line Trailhead side after a careful crossing of Highway 65 which is always a little dicy.
- The Blue Ride: 7 riders took off first, led by Birthday Girl Brandy. They planned to tackle an extra loop out to Outer Limits. This ride marked a major milestone—it was the very first club ride for Louise’s horse, Bebe! Louise has held this dream in her heart for several years, and they both aced it. As a bonus, Louise and Brandy even spotted a bear scurrying off into the timber!
- The Green Ride: Our wonderful trail boss for the day, Beth, led a group of 10 across Hwy 65 onto the Traverse Trail (newly dubbed the “Blowdown Trail”). Round-trip from Mesa Top to the scenic overlook logged nearly 7 miles, and everyone was all smiles when the group returned. Thanks again Beth for taking on the Trail Boss duties!
Our club Rocky Talkies proved their worth when a member’s horse suffered a stone bruise just before reaching the overlook. The rider had to lead her horse out for 2+ miles, with the drag rider staying behind for support. The radios helped coordinate with Brandy, who drove her rig over to County Line Trailhead to pick them up.
Back at the staging area, the birthday celebration was a hit with incredible food and great company. The only thing missing? We couldn’t light the candles on Brandy’s cake due to the active Fire Ban—but the sweet celebration made up for it!
