Saturday morning was bright sunshine and perfect for a day building and brushing trails. We had a good turnout (6) for this year’s Derby Day event.

5 crew members continued tread work on the new trail from Cat Lake Rd. Rick had been working on this project at 3 previous work parties so I put him in charge of the tread work while I took a brush cutter and cleaned up the connector trail from the Trailhead Loop to Diamond Point Trail.

For a while it appeared we had a winner in our Derby contest, but since there was a disqualification no one picked the winning horse, Country House. No one picked the second-place finisher either, so we will save the prizes for another time.

Is there a better way to celebrate spring than from the back of your
horse? Buckhorn’s March chapter ride at Gibbs Lake enticed ten riders
into the woods. Birds’ song and gently filtered sunlight welcomed us onto
marked trails. We rode a double loop and never crashed into ourselves
coming and going. Before starting the second loop Jay and Maryann
met us with sandwiches, coffee, tea and cookies to fortify us for the
second half of the ride.

It was most interesting to see that the trails were bone dry and hard
except at the edges; unheard of conditions in March here.
I can only speak for Jeff and myself describing mountain bike
encounters, since we were drag riders. The bikers were thoughtful,
friendly and helpful. Molly did a 180 as a bike was coming up a hill
toward us. The biker stopped and pulled his bike over to the upside of
the hill. As I heard the neurotic thoroughbred snorting behind me I
asked the guy if he wouldn’t mind moving to the downhill side of the
hill explaining as best I could why. I apologized for the horse’s behavior
and said I was so sorry I had to ask him to move to downhill side. His
response was: “no problem we all just want to have a good time out
here.” Molly seemed sheepish as she passed and realized it was only a
bike and not a cougar. All the other bikers we met were as nice and as
friendly.
Robin and her dad flagged trails that I had never ridden before. It was a
good thing too because I would have gotten lost in a jiffy. Even Jeff got
turned around. It has been a long time since I had ridden on those
‘bike’ trails that were now often marked with signs saying ‘horse trail.’
I think Bob has done much to effect the change in attitude toward
horses out at Gibbs Lake County Park. I think too that the chapter
members who have worked out there putting in a trail and a puncheon
made a very public statement; we are here, we ride and we work.