Mine #1 and Pleasant Valley

Today was our last full day and we were not really looking forward to our trip ending. There were tons of trails for Ali to test on his Klein and Rebecca and I were enjoying our daily horseback rides.

The Ranch Program Director had suggested to Ali that he head quite a ways south just past Pleasant Valley for a really nice ride at a trailhead marked Ceran Saint Verain. So he headed out just after breakfast (we always seemed to be the first to arrive for breakfast when they started serving at 7:30). Rebecca and I were off for our last ride on the Mine #1 trail. Rebecca got Bonnie again, which made her quite happy, and since I had liked Squirt so much (not everyone did), I got her for our ride. Stephanie and Amber were our guides for this trip, which ended up being my favorite. It is longer than the other beginner rides, goes above the tree line for some incredible views, and has a very fun, technical downhill section that it shares with Mine #2. The mine itself is pretty boring – a hole in the ground that we approach from above and can barely see – but the scenery is beautiful. The guides say that this ride is the hardest of the beginner rides and it shows – we had to stop several times to let some less experienced riders catch up. But, we played a great game on the way down – Amber grabbed a stick and place it in a tree. The next ride, in this case Rebecca, had to grab the stick and place it in another tree. And, so on, we went down the line until it either reached Stephanie in the back or was dropped. Well, it made it all the way back to Stephanie, which according to Amber was a record for the summer!

In the meantime, Ali was riding what he said was his favorite ride – a very technical but beautiful trail. It was very rocky and even he admitted to having to get off the bike a push in some places it was so steep and rocky. But, there were a couple of locals from Boulder out there too and even they had to get off and push. He came back with a smile and was even happier to see that it was burgers on the grill for lunch.

Rebecca again went with the Kids Camp – this time for putt-putt golf in Estes Park. Ali and I, unfortunately, had to start packing up. Ali wanted to make sure we had ample time to return our rental car, check in and pay for his bike, so we were leaving at 8 am the next morning.

Up next – Finally, a Stellar's Jay.