We had a fantastic day at the ranch yesterday. I got there a bit late but it was a beautiful drive. It gets hilly and rocky and covered with trees - just amazing.
Not long after I got there, we started saddling up our mules. It took awhile to get everything together, but it was worth it. I rode Hilary who's about 20 years old. I tried to get to know her first, holding out my hand for her to smell, but she wasn't having any of it. I was a bit worried she didn't like me and I didn't want to try and ride an animal that wasn't into it. I had tried that before on a horse ride and when the horse finally got fed up, it took off running back to the barn and nearly took my head off on the doorway. We had to curry and brush the mules before saddling them, so I tried to bond that way. When Dan, the ranch owner came over, I asked if Hilary was up for the ride because she wouldn't even sniff my hand. He said someone had broken her jaw before they got her and she was head-shy, she didn't like anyone touching her head. He suggested I scratch her bum instead, so I did. It was funny because the more I scratched, the lower her ears got. She was diggin' it and we ended up riding pretty well together.
Even though Dan said mules don't like to run, there were several times Hilary just took off for no discernable reason. I enjoyed it though, it was exciting.
During the ride, Loretta had some problems with her mule Daisy. Loretta was a novice and the mule knew it. Daisy got a little feisty and took Loretta on a little adventure. She held on like a trooper, but Daisy wouldn't calm down and they ended up tethered to Dan on his mule. Probably for the best, since L was spooked after that.
The view on the ride was gorgeous. We were out about an hour and when we got back, they were starting dinner. We just sat around and talked and had a great time. I think that's what I'm going to miss about being on location. Almost everybody's in a new place and they all want to experience new things. When you're at home, it's so easy to just go home at the end of the day and get caught up in the minutiae of everyday life.
One thing I'll never forget and that I really needed, was a comment made by Cal, who's a friend of the owners (who are fabulous people). As I was getting ready to leave, she told me she thought I was a great person, very funny, and she was glad to have met me. I was so happy to hear that I nearly cried. I told her I was going to steal one of her lines (when she tasted the boss's margartias, she said she was going to declare a "Renaissance in drinking" - I think that's brilliant.)
So all-in-all, a great day and I'm glad I went.
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