This Saturday was our second day off from riding, spent enjoying the company of our son and his family. See yesterday's post for a description of the ranch .
After a fine breakfast- Julia couldn't have imagined what a treat real orange juice is to travelers afflicted with the offerings of many restaurants- we set out on a hike up nearby Mt. Baldy, a 1000' grassy mountainside criss-crossed with disused wagon trails and mining trails. 2/3 of the way to the top was enough hiking to satisfy Sandy, Julia and Ethan, so Mike and I went by ourselves to the top where, besides a little statue of the Virgin Mary, we found a 360-degree panorama of nearby valleys and mountains, plus ranges of taller mountains in the background, including Pikes Peak. In the valley below we could see a herd of cattle and also a small herd of pronghorns- can you see them in the picture? We could also just see the three returnees as they reached the cabin 1 1/2 miles below. We took a longer route down and found several large animal bones to take to Ethan for his temporary collection.
After lunch, while others rested, Ethan and I explored the old buildings. One old one-room log cabin is partially restored inside, but still a long way from habitable. The other little cabin had a newspaper from August of 1960. We also found a trap door in that cabin leading down to a cellar. After fetching a flashlight, we ventured down into the cellar. We later learned that no one had been down there for a long long time. Ethan made a comment about Indiana Jones. The dark and chilly cellar had empty storage shelves, and spider webs, but not much else. We also investigated the big barn, in much better shape. It included a big hay loft, empty except for feathers and coyote poop.
Back at the cabin we pitched horseshoes and threw a ball for a while, but rain forced us inside where we played cards- I doubt it and poker.
Later everyone else set off by car to a rumored waterfall and swimming hole. I begged off to catch a nap- this was a rest day, after all. It wasn't long before the disappointed crew returned, the cabin info's instructions not having been good enough for them to find the trail to the waterfall. They had seen a very large number of deer, however, and also assured me that the town of Guffey was well worth missing.
The rest of the day was bone and rock collecting for Ethan, drinks for the adults, dinner, and more poker. Mike got his portable propane fireplace going- real fires are banned currently- to keep us warm in the chilly evening while we enjoyed a spectacular starry night, far from any city lights.
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