Horses to the meadow

Ma and Pa ready to ride the range:  up to 8500' plus.  For years we have wanted to take day rides in the nountains above Lake Edison and this year we saw the sign.  Day rides were now available:  from an hour to all day.  We chose 4 hours, thinking, we have done this.  Yeah. Right.  Years ago.  I was last on a horse with Barbara last summer and was terrified at the steep trails.  This was similar and yet, very different - we were in wilderness and climbed up and up and more.  When we crossed a small meadow, bees attacked us and my guy had front and back legs underneath him and I thought we were going to have a buck off.  It was dry and dusty climbing up - a huge difference from last year with all the flowers and underbrush.  Robert fell in love with horses.  I took lots of Ibuprofen and had trouble getting off the horse as my legs wouldn't work.

Graveyard Meadow was our trip destination and had a lovely little stream in it - and loads of cattle.  I was concerned at how the cattle got up to the meadow as the trail was pretty much single file from the horse lodge, and uphill.  The other trail needed a ferry or the cows swam across.  Their travels remained a mystery.  Robert is standing on part of the Pacific Crest/John Muir trail which continues to the low point in the trees and then up into a pass to more lakes.  We are across the lake from our camp and loving it.  years ago we hiked up to the pass and were pretty happy we had horses this time.  Until I had to get off it back at the lodge.

 

On the trip down the mountain, I asked Robert to stop so I could photograph the river below the hot springs.  Last year, the rocks on both sides were underwater.  There are small pools from the hot springs on the hill to the left.  Driving down to Mono Hot Springs is one of the terrifying part of the trip back down and it seemed to be as good an excuse as any just to get out of the car to take some long breaths.
I always hate to leave Vermilion Valley - and was glad we were able to do the trip this year, even a fast spur of the moment trip.  It was not the same without Dave and Bridget - perhaps next year.  I used to make fun of people who vacationed in the same place every year - but it is always new and different up there.  The tranquility, the fruitless search (sometimes) for fish, the sunsets that color the valley scarlet and purple, and the lake - all worth the awful drive.  It is a place that fills my soul.