Whew!! We arrived in Lexington last night at 7:30 pm after three LONG days. We are staying in the Fort Boonesborough State Park camp ground- I keep wondering when I'm going to hear banjos... The entire place is decorated for halloween, with orange lights, giant inflatable ghosts (which are strangely accompanied by an entire cast of inflatable cartoon characters ranging from Sponge Bob to Snoopy, and a space ship, complete with aliens, strung up in a tree? weird). If anyone wants a Fort Boonesborough Halloween Bash T-shirt, I am willing to take orders... Anyway, the Subaru is unloaded from the back of the trailer and our house is now set up, complete with a living room (with a sofa) and a nice little bedroom area- it kind of reminds me of my first studio apartment. Not too shabby for a horse trailer.
The last two days of the drive were fairly uneventful- I had the most pleasant drive to date across Nebraska- I slept most of the way... We did indeed find Wahoo, Nebraska, and managed to drive the big rig right down the main street. Luckily the roads are wide. After spending the morning looking up dead people on my Droid, we found Chris's great grandparents' graves in the Wahoo cemetery. We stopped for a moment, took some pictures, stretched our legs, and hit the road again.
Speaking of roads... If you like your car, your tires, or your sanity, avoid Indiana and Missouri AT ALL COSTS!! Really, how hard can it be to make the joints between bridges and roads meet up? And potholes? They are big enough to swallow a Prius! I have a new respect for long haul truckers and a new disdain for highway "engineers." Also, if you like any variety of food that won't outlast you, make sure you stock up before you hit Nebraska. I finally found some fruit and a power bar right outside of Lincoln, which was a welcome relief after a day of junk-food enforced fasting.
Mom and I don't have tickets for any events today, so we plan on doing some grocery shopping (hello, vegetables) and kicking around Lexington a bit. So far, I have found a coffee shop and a Middle Eastern grocery, so I'm pretty content. We dropped Chris off this morning at a fantastic Thoroughbred farm to meet up with one of her Connemara Society friends. She is going to the dressage today for the Grand Prix Special- I am awaiting a full report tonight. Tomorrow eventing starts, so we will be hitting the horse park bright and early to deal with the inevitable parking fiasco. I hope to update tomorrow night, so stay tuned...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day Two
Greetings from Perkins in Sidney, Nebraska!! We spent last night in the Perkins parking lot parked next to the "God Squad" RV- I felt very safe... Chris reports that the American flag snaps all night and is obnoxious (bear that in mind if you are ever planning on sleeping in the Perkins parking lot in Sidney- maybe pack earplugs...)
Our trip began yesterday at 9am in Chesterfield- in true Caribou County fashion, it was 25 degrees- brrrrr!! The drive was largely uneventful, mostly because we have all spent far too much time on the section of I-80 between Idaho and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The roads are terrible, and for the first time in my life, I was relieved to cross into Nebraska! Chris did have an impromptu truck rodeo in the Little America parking lot, much to the amazement of all the assembled males. Oh, and we nearly ran over a little old man- that would have been a lousy start to the trip!
Today, the trip should start to get more interesting. We are taking a trip to Wahoo, Nebraska. What's in Wahoo, Nebraska you ask? Chris's dead grandfather... I'll let you know how it goes. We plan to make our way across Nebraska and then down into Missouri- from here on out, the humidity rises, the grass gets greener, and we will be getting closer to the Kentucky Horse Park!
Our trip began yesterday at 9am in Chesterfield- in true Caribou County fashion, it was 25 degrees- brrrrr!! The drive was largely uneventful, mostly because we have all spent far too much time on the section of I-80 between Idaho and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The roads are terrible, and for the first time in my life, I was relieved to cross into Nebraska! Chris did have an impromptu truck rodeo in the Little America parking lot, much to the amazement of all the assembled males. Oh, and we nearly ran over a little old man- that would have been a lousy start to the trip!
Today, the trip should start to get more interesting. We are taking a trip to Wahoo, Nebraska. What's in Wahoo, Nebraska you ask? Chris's dead grandfather... I'll let you know how it goes. We plan to make our way across Nebraska and then down into Missouri- from here on out, the humidity rises, the grass gets greener, and we will be getting closer to the Kentucky Horse Park!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
and the preparation (madness really) begins
Greetings from Utah!! In four days my Mom, my mentor Chris Knox, and I will set out for Lexington, Kentucky for the WEG. This trip has been in the works for over a year, and now I realize how completely unprepared I am! I will be leaving my training business for more than two weeks in the middle of a recession, leaving three sale horses, and leaving one lame prelim horse, an accident prone two year old, and a semi-questionable retiree who is refusing to gain weight because he keeps chasing (lusting after...) his mustang pasture mate girlfriend... But really, I can't pass up this chance to see over 600 of the best horses and riders in the world all assembled in the same place, for two glorious weeks of competition... Luckily, my horses at home will be in the very capable hands of my friend (and dressage trainer extraordinaire), Stephanie Beamer.
On Saturday, Mom and I will drive from Utah to Chesterfield, Idaho to meet up with Chris at her farm. Oh, and to put the Subaru in the back of her 6 horse semi with living quarters trailer for the drive to Kentucky ... I did mention it was madness, didn't I? Just to give you a little background, the last time Chris and I were in Kentucky at the Horse Park together we got kicked out of the barns. By a Pony Club horse management judge. For sweeping too much. It wasn't even our kids barn aisle... That trip also included sleeping in a cattle barn in the most wicked rainstorm I have EVER experienced, being attacked by peacocks in Missouri and spending a full day at a cement statue factory that produced, among other things, 8 foot tall concrete Jesuses. And so, the camping gear is unearthed from the garage (no fancy $700/night hotel rooms here- take that, corporate America), the car had been cleaned and the oil changed, and I am torn between excitement and terror at what "adventures" we will have!
On Saturday, Mom and I will drive from Utah to Chesterfield, Idaho to meet up with Chris at her farm. Oh, and to put the Subaru in the back of her 6 horse semi with living quarters trailer for the drive to Kentucky ... I did mention it was madness, didn't I? Just to give you a little background, the last time Chris and I were in Kentucky at the Horse Park together we got kicked out of the barns. By a Pony Club horse management judge. For sweeping too much. It wasn't even our kids barn aisle... That trip also included sleeping in a cattle barn in the most wicked rainstorm I have EVER experienced, being attacked by peacocks in Missouri and spending a full day at a cement statue factory that produced, among other things, 8 foot tall concrete Jesuses. And so, the camping gear is unearthed from the garage (no fancy $700/night hotel rooms here- take that, corporate America), the car had been cleaned and the oil changed, and I am torn between excitement and terror at what "adventures" we will have!
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