We did eventually pry ourselves away from New Orleans, although we're writing and eventually recording a song that involves a line, something like...
"Aint nothin' pretty about this city, that's what some folks say
But come on down, feel the beat of this town, and you'll never wanna move away"
But we weren't going to leave without a new rig. For months - since day 1 to be precise - the rig on Meadow, the disaster Hannah had to sit on, the dreaded gear jumble with the daily hour long tack time ... had plagued the trip. Meadow is a bouncy little pony, which means Hannah has to post (basically stand on the stirrups) the whole day through. And God bless its good timing when we had the broken English saddle, but that huge Australian saddle didn't fit horse or rider; it tried to swallow them both. So FCF was not going to leave New Orleans on a 700 mile return trip with anything but the best.
There's a whole horse-gear post if you want the specifics... but this meant a new saddle. And the new one fits horse and rider extremely well. It also meant a rig change for Harvey because the tens of pounds of gear needed to come off of Meadow too. So we got a bicycle trailer, a two-wheeled cart that attaches to the back axle that can carry all of our gear and then some. It has the added benefit of slowing Harvey down closer to horseback-riding pace (which was another source of 'unevenness' on the 5 month trip southwest).
So here we are, in our final New Orleans days; our rigs finally sizing up to make our lives better instead of worse...
 |
| Here's Harvey rocking a huge grapefruit he's planning of eating for breakfast. He just woke up and Hannah made the mistake of turning the camera on him. He's obviously shameless, so it's her loss. |
 |
And there's the pretty little lady we all love.
That hat is a revolving door of feathers we find on the side of the road.
|
 |
It wants to curl, but it's not long enough yet (by the way; NOT a selfy here)
|
As the last day drew to a close, we sat down to dinner and had a few brews and sang some great old songs with the E's and their/our friends. And, of course, the equine got to join the festivities.
 |
| A shot of various cowgirls atop the trusty steeds: MeadHw, Sunny and Matador |
 |
| Hannah honing her balance with a glass atop a horse. A skill distinctive to NOLA, in our personal experience. |
 |
| Hey, it's our first New Orleans host, S, sitting behind our final host, TE |
We packed late into the night (amazing how a very small amount of stuff can get so very spread out). Packing is never fun, so what's guaranteed to lighten your mood at 11:30pm on your last night as you prepare for the last time to leave a beautiful, magical place? Putting hats on dogs...
 |
| "HAH!" Olive thought Hank's hat was funny too... until she had to wear it. |
D and S, we miss you guys a lot already. Maybe we'll see you in Cape Cod some day; or maybe Romania... but likely right back in the Crescent City where we left off!
 |
| Look at all that concrete/asphalt protection! |
Before we knew it, the morning sun was shining hot on our SPF-50-covered necks, and we had been horse trailed 60 miles outside New Orleans; a last, nice little boost from our New Orleans family-away-from-home, the E's. We miss you.
 |
| Pony and bike in the trailer, besties |
 |
| 1, 2, 3, 4... Hooves in boots, check |
 |
Fancy new boots. Renegades for the rears, Easyboot Gloves for the front. Every hoof is unique, and we must all work together to find the best option for every one.
|
 |
| Hey! Wait a minute, that was not the purpose of the cart. |
 |
She's really a princess now; doesn't even have to run
(Really, she only rides on downhills and only when it's very very hot) |
 |
This is Hannah's view all day every day! A sobering truth for any rider tempted to romanticize
the reality of the equine/velocipede combo |
- FCF
No comments:
Post a Comment