Day 14: Brief Herds - 26km

We left just after 9am, and the best part, with new friends!! Barb on Beauty, Maria on Indy, and Rachel on Lady. They arrived early that morning, I just thought they were squeezing in a ride before school, but they were playing hooky to join us! And Barb had gone into work, explaining that she'd regret it if she didn't get a bit of time off to join us on our ride. We were so happy to have the company.

Barb & Beauty. Barb said some really nice things about horses - how once their in your soul you just can't get them out. Horses for a lot of people we meet are their happy, peaceful place. When you're working with your horse, its just you and them, everything else goes away.

Fort Howe, New Brunswick

Lux and Ora were VERY excited (especially after 3 days off) and being with new horses, so Jewel and I were a bit distracted keeping them on track. The new horses were no problem, but Lux and Ora each exchanged a kick. Lux of course, as always, had to be in the lead. We made our way through town, getting funny looks and honks and waves (as usual). Ora didn't like being separated from Lux, and was calling out to him and cantering down the road to catch up. If only she knew she still had 20km to go...We saw some amazing views on Fort Howe, then continued down to the bridge. The longest biggest bridge yet! More exhilarating than scary. The rapids from the reversing falls below us.

Thats when we said goodbye to our fellow riders. It was so great to have them with us, and we hope they enjoyed it too.

As we continued to ride we met tons and tons of people, everyone wishing us well on our journey. I even ran into the bank to deposit $725.00 we had raised in Nova Scotia for Dog Guides! Wow!

The landscape changed so much as we rode. Thinking back I can't believe it was all one day! 26km might not seem like much when your driving, but when your at a walking pace, you take in a lot, noticing how the houses change, the trees, the people, even the smells. It felt like a long day because so much happens in it, and while sitting and taking it all in, the days feel longer. Although we sometimes listen to music or read, mostly there are no distractions but your own thoughts or people saying hey, so I find I notice a lot more.

As always, we were happy to pull into our temporary home. We weren't exactly sure where we were staying, but were told there was a farm behind a white church. Just as we had spotted it, and were turning back, a young woman came out waving to us. It was Hillandale Stables! The one we'd heard about through multiple people but couldn't get in contact with. We walked up the sunny road to their gorgeous classic barn, apple trees in the yard, wrap around porch, fairy tale looking house and farm.

We were greeted by Mark, who was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I think he had a smile on his face our whole visit, he was so friendly. We got the horses settled, but while walking an excited Lux through the barn into the paddock and squeezed between the door and ripped Randy! (Randy is the name of one of my side bags) and food started falling out. I was in somewhat of a sour mood from exhaustion and hunger, and so this bugged me more than it should have. But they offered to help me fix it right up! They invited us in for a warm shower, and Ticket even made us veggie burgers and veggie dogs and nachos and salad! They were such a kind family, they even made sure Survivor was on right at 9pm for Jewel and I.

Debbie and Faith stopped by and gave us directions to their families home up in Wirral, and we were all set for the night! I had the best sleep yet in my tent knowing that the horses were safe in a pasture.

I was even excited to get up the next morning because Ticket and Mark were making us a big breakfast before we left. This family was so special, they made us feel so at home, maybe it was also because they had kids near our age. Ticket really reminded us of Mom and was so so generous to us. We definitely wont forget their magical home and bubbling positivity.