Ten Miles on a Horse

... named Boogie. Who has the world's most uncomfortable trot, ever.

But seriously, we rode from Kalkaska to Rapid City. Why? To get ice cream.

And seeing four girls ride through town on horseback has got to be the most excitement this town has seen in a long time because man, we were, literally, the talk of the town.

The ice cream was great. The french fries, too.

When it came time to get back on Boog, I got up, but every muscle in my body was either screaming, or not responding... or both. Even pulling myself forward with my arms was futile because my legs were nothing but dead weight.

So we called for reinforcements. Normally we only go 3-4 miles, round trip, and we had more than doubled it with this excursion. I had minimal problems with Boogie today, though since I hadn't ridden him in a few weeks he was a bit rusty with the verbal commands.

Anyway, I was picked up and they rode back. Her aunt took me back to the girls' house where I stretched, sat, stroked one of their dogs, and talked with their younger sister until they returned, three hours later. Their mom made us (all 13 of us!) lasagna and salad for dinner, and we older of the crew sat around the living room and chatted and laughed. After he put the little ones to bed, their dad came out and asked us if we felt ice cream floats were a good idea. Of course! It was a really good day. Casey and I literally spent 12 hours out there. It's so good to sit around and experience a good, healthy family who enjoys one another's company. I feel so lucky to have been a part of that environment, even for just one night.