By Patty Wilber
As you drive out Hwy 550 from Bernalillo, NM, to the west, there is a sign that says “Ojito Wilderness”. It is in a bad-land-ish area and has always piqued my interest.
So, last Friday, we went.
Mary Ann and Tulip–Ok so the world is tipping a little.
We had no real clue (being mapless and all) where the good spot was, so while we thought there was an equestrian parking area in about six miles, it turns out that was a different entrance. We drove until we reached a washout (nine miles in) we felt we could not comfortably cross (a road grader fixed it while we were riding) and we parked on the side of the road.
Gail on Blaze and Amber on Ben.
Then we went a wandering!
Linda on Lilly.
We found hoodoos, thanks to Amber, who actually did know her way around a bit!
Me and Penny! (I was going to take Lacey, but she wanted to play “catch me if you can” in the big pen. Penny said, “pick me! i am your best horse. u no i am!!” So I did, and we had a very fine ride!)
We had to eat lunch, because a day trip on horseback is incomplete without food. I am a very boring lunch packer: Chunk of cheese, apple, bagel, nut mix, water. My colleagues had slightly more exciting fare, but what really lit me up was a lunch story.
For Mary Ann’s birthday one year, her friend Rachel packed berries in one container and heavy whipping cream in another. There was a lot of trotting and when they stopped for lunch, they had whipped cream and berries! (That was planned, of course!)
Probably not in fancy dishware, but that was not part of the story.
I might have brought back-up bread in case the cream turned to butter… and, I confess, I did wonder how the berries were not berry juiced.
But what’s the Internet for if you don’t use it? I Googled “whipping cream on horseback” and found a lovely blog about butter-making, that’s right, on horseback.
Whipped cream is an intermediate step in butter-making, you know. The article was set up like a science fair project (appealing to my science-nerd side. There are graphs and everything!)
And just to give it away, it works.
So, next ride….
I think I’d wrap the jars in bubble-wrap (other things would do but bubble wrap would give more protection from bumping into each other and allow them to be close together in the centerline–and muffle the sloshing noise, too.
But it sure sounds like a fun way to make your own butter for that next lunch-on-the-trail (or on a potato baked in fire for supper.)
Would it work in plastic I wonder? I have some padded saddle bags so that might work also!
You tickle my funny bone! Sounds like a great ride all around. 8)
Thanks Doranna! Maybe you can put a jar in your fanny pack during a dog trial…
YUM! Sounds like my kind of lunch!
Put a jar in your back pack when you run!!
I knew a park ranger that did his laundry in a bucket in the back of his truck as he drove from a park residence to his job site–a fairly long, bumpy ride–