It includes only a single ride (for now anyway:), but this ride has me very excited and re-energized for the fall. The plans are extensive and fun and inclusive of my two favorite boys. How could it get any better?
I was trolling facebook the other day and noticed a post on the SE Endurance riders page about space filling up quickly at a new ride. The ride name is what caught my attention:
Barefoot Shine and Wine
I called the RM and by the end of the conversation I had secured a spot in the 50 miler on that Saturday with primitive camping Fri-Sun. I was also grinning from ear to ear.
The ride is in early Oct in TN, so already it has gained big bonus points for a) being somewhere new and b) the potential for gorgeous fall foliage. The trails, as described by the RM, sound great as well being mostly sand, dirt, pine needles with the occasional rocky section and some creek crossings. It is called Barefoot for a reason - perfectly doable completely bare. In fact the RM rides her horses up there bare all the time without issue. Great! There are also some nice hills, maybe the addition of a very steep hill, but she said it is a very nice course for a first anything (25, 50 etc..) since the terrain is overall easy. Even better! I'm stoked!!!
The icing on this cake is the timing - the weekend after our 10th wedding anniversary. Our original plans 10 years ago to go on an African horseback safari (to celebrate not only our wedding but our honeymoon spent horseback riding from the French Alps to the Mediterranean) changed once W came along to a Disney cruise (how stereotypically American suburbanite family is that?) and then even that slightly less grand plan was killed off when I found out he couldn't go in any swimming pool unless potty trained (he isn't and won't be by October). This left us with possibly going to dinner. Boring. But now the hubby and W will be coming along for a weekend getaway in TN in autumn. Details on everything are still in the works, but I know there is a town close by so if I can't secure something better at least they will have access to a hotel. W adores being outside, so he will have a blast hiking around ridecamp. The ride has dinner for Friday night and the boys can find things to occupy them during my ride Saturday and then we will return home Sunday morning.
The facility also boasts a lodge that is heated/cooled and has TV etc... so they can also go hang out in there. I mentioned potentially bringing the boys along and she was very happy and started rattling off all the hiking trails, bike paths, the lodge etc... to keep them busy while I ride.
The only thing that will prevent them coming would be if the weather proves to be rainy and gloomy. Then I will be flying solo since it won't be good to have W out in that weather all weekend. But...I need to do some research on the town and nearby areas to see what all they can do to keep out of trouble.
I'm super excited and can't wait! This also helps ease my worries about my complete lack of riding as of late. With the new boots being trialed, the rents moving down here and the weather being stormy every blasted weekend, I haven't logged many miles at all since our LD at Biltmore. This weekend S and I planned to head to the mountains to get 15 or so miles in, but again the weather is calling for T-storms all weekend. This gives me more time to amp her up for it and I can not wait!
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