A Month on the Move: From Arkansas to Iowa

 We spent three nights parked in the backyard of my in-laws, in Charleston, Arkansas, and the horses loved all the shady grass . They live in a beautiful neighborhood, with beautiful homes on acreages.  There aren't any other horses around, though, and my worry was what would happen if they got out of my temporary hot fence.  Though there haven't been any escapes since Razzle passed (she was the gangster who always busted out), I was afraid they would run through town in search of other horse buddies.

  Over the course of the weekend, I turned my electronic savvy husband loose on the task of getting some kind of camera setup so I could check on the horses when we were in town.  I'm also blind as a bat without my contacts, and the windows are often so foggy, even with glasses I can't see them from my bed at night without going outside physically to check on them.  Also, Breeze has been known to knock over a water tub or two in her playtime, and it's really important I can check on their water bucket status in the heat. 

He found one that works on our wi-fi (Starlink), with no monthly fee, and it's even got a solar charger! Plus, in addition to night vision, it has a spot light and intercom you can control from your phone.

Where has this been all my life? My phone usage is about to go up, I think, Ponycam in my pocket!  We got this at Walmart, they price matched their website which had it for $20 cheaper, and I love it! Eufy Security Solar Camera

Now I could relax, and we spent the weekend playing card games, running around town, and joined Rob's family at their church in Lavaca Sunday morning.  The older cousins were away at camp, so most of the playtime the girls had with their 6 year old cousin, Ivy, included Barbies and dress up.  Jasmine was a great sport, just happy to be involved.  

During the hottest parts of the day, I put a fan out for the horses, and Breeze in particular loved it.

She and the other horses had a few run ins with fire ants, and lucky for the ponies, I had Dex and Coat Defense on hand. Rylie spent some time cold hosing Breeze's leg that got the worst of it.

Monday morning we finished packing up, and headed North over the Ozarks via HWY 29 up to Sidney, Iowa, which is just south of Omaha.  Emma was my road trip buddy for this leg, and I so enjoyed getting some one on one with my youngest.  We put the Ford speakers to the test, with an all rise playlist, Emma is all about the songs with a good beat and girl power.  We also decided candy research was in order, so Emma picked Skittles.  We tried the original (no surprises there), Smoothie (tastes like air fresheners), Wild Berry (pretty good), and Sour. Sour was the winner for a road trip snack, as you can only eat one at a time, and you don't find yourself going through the bag very quickly.  

We made pretty good time, despite our slower speed, making our stops count and having hustle.  The horses are traveling well, with deep bedding in the back, water offered at every fuel stop, and two scoops of alfalfa/timothy soaked pellets at every stop after a drink.  I've been feeding just enough grain in the morning to give them electrolytes. They haven't been sweaty or in distress, but for the extra long days they will all be getting a dose of Omeprazole in the mornings.  

When we made this reservation, I knew it wasn't going to be the peak time of year for the park, because there were NO other reservations, but I was surprised at how pleasant  Waubonsie State Park was when we arrived.  It was EMPTY, and we chose a shady spot at the back of the camp.  Nice big 10x18 paddocks, with sturdy fencing.  Water spigots, and mucking stations, what more could you ask for? The lack of hookups meant we had to run our generator, but it was worth it.  This was my office today.

Last night, the girls and I did a loop around camp exploring, it was so peaceful, we saw lots of bunnies, and the dogs joined us.  There is a leash rule in the camp, but since we were the only ones there, I let them run around after being in the truck the whole day.

Jasmine, my brown shadow, loved every bit of the fifteen minute ride, and Pebbles had a bounce in her step.

In the early morning, before the heat, the girls and I rode for a few miles, but the yellow flies were out once we got down into the woods further, so we turned it into a short one. Not that we're trying to ride our horses to death when they are doing so many trailer miles, which definitely takes it out of them. Still, I think they enjoyed a leg stretch this morning. A lot more hills thank I would have expected, though they weren't lengthy they were steep. Shoes were definitely not needed for where we rode, and with all the slick clay I wouldn't want to ride there in wet conditions. 

Afterwards, we loaded up and headed into Nebraska City, about fifteen minutes away, and got brunch at a really cute little mom and pop restaurant.  It was a really quaint town, I would have loved to explore more.

When the horse's stalls were no longer in the shade, I put out a temporary pen so they could graze and lounge under the trees during the mid eighties temps today.

I sat outside most of the day, in the shade at a picknick table and worked.  With Jasmine laying in the grass at my side.

Maggie on the other hand, likes to sleep around the truck, she doesn't want to miss any adventures.

I did a quick check on the trucks today, only the 250 burned a little oil, which isn't bad.  I topped her off, and off to dinner we went.  Less than two miles down the road, in the middle of nowhere, was this wonderful restaurant and wedding venue, Whiskey Springs

We actually stopped and ate there late on Monday evening after getting camp setup, and I accidentally left my credit card there, so we had to go back again anyway, oops! The food was fabulous.  Cowboy corn nuggets were the highlight for me, followed closely by their pulled pork mac n' cheese.

Corn, cream cheese, bacon, pepper, fried, and served with ranch and honey, YUM

The bartender brought me one of her creations, and it was ah-maze-ing.  Tequila, Margarita Mix, Melon Liquor, and Strawberry Puree, GOLD,

Tomorrow is one of the longest days, as we are driving 612 miles to Hell Canyon Horse Camp in Custer, SD.  Three nights there, so the horse's will get some rest after the long haul.  We will also do some exploring, like Mount Rushmore, which Rob hasn't done, and the kids were too little when I was there last during a cross country drive with my friend Caitlin back in 2016.  Bed, leaving at zero dark thirty tomorrow. Pray for fair winds and following seas my friends.