It seems every winter we get a window of opportunity to glance at what the weather will be like say, a month from now- or two. On Saturday the temps. hit 70 the winds were non-existent ( rare for our mountainous plains ) and the girls were with their Grammy Liz. So, what do two adventurous Western souls do in such conditions? We head to the mountains on horses, of course.

We ventured to the Albuquerque side of the Sandia Mountains (Also known as the tail end of the Rocky Mountains.)

There is a trail head called Elena Gallegos right at the foothills of the Cibola National Forest in Albuquerque, the view is astounding.

We headed up the Eastern foothill trail until it hit the entrance to the Wilderness. What ended up being our most challenging ride to date with our trusty mounts was a single track trail winding, turning and bending its way up the mountain. Rocks, logs, snow pack, trees, and bushes were just a few of our obstacles. It was peaceful, quiet except for the random chirping of birds and rustling of what remains of last fall’s golden leaves. When it became obvious the horses needed a rest, we pulled off the trail up a hill and enjoyed the view, shared apples, granola bars and handfuls of snow.

Patrick discovered that Tamers not only has a sweet face, but is a sturdy, trustworthy, hardy, and enjoyable mount.

Since purchasing Choppo, my 19-year-old mustang, we have learned, grown and built trust together over the past 2 years. We’ve had our MAJOR difficulties and I discovered that not one human ever took the time to gain his trust although he had had at least 2 previous owners.  On this day, Choppo proved his mustang hardiness was something I could count on, his love of the backcountry obvious, and the fact that we could rely on each other to get through a series of sometimes uncertain scenarios was just what our relationship needed.

Here’s my boy in his element

and mine, and we loved it!

We ended our ride on the sandy foothill loop skirted with sage brush, Chollo Cactus, and Pinion trees. The trail was graced with coyote scat and what appeared to be bear scat every so often. A wonderful site to see and know wildlife (the bigger guys) are still flourishing in this area with over abundant rabbits and rodents! Here’s to the high desert plains and “Spring” weather.