No Place for a Flatland Horse Hauler
Yesterday, Ed and I took the truck and trailer up into the mountains to pick up the two outfitter horses my friends Shelley and MaryJane decided to buy after they heard they were for sale.I took these photos from about the halfway point of a long series of switchbacks. You can barely see a section of white-lined highway below that yellowed grass. That little ribbon of white, to the center-right of the photo, is the Clearwater River down below. We started up from the highway that follows the river's course.
There's not much for guardrails along this puppy, and to make things even more interesting, we encountered thick banks of fog both coming and going.Needless to say, we wouldn't have wanted to wait much longer in the year before undertaking this drive. Cuz going up was one thing, but coming back down, with the weight of two horses, would not have made snow and ice a good thing.
One of those days to be grateful for good tires and good brakes, and a steady Ed-hand at the wheel.
Labels: mountain horses
posted by Juli Thorson @ 2:37 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
GAH!!! You were thinking of me, weren't you :) Saying "Mikey would DIE if she had to do this" lol, cause that's the truth.
Ed, I dare say, has a pair of big ones, cause that is some SCARY hauling right there. He's got to have a steady hand and dang good brakes.
Me, I'd unhook the trailer at first snowfall, lol. No going anywhere. Y'all need some 8 ft high guardrails on those passes! Trees do not count.
Ha ha, Mikey, I WAS thinking about you!
You'd have been on the floor, covered up under a blanket. The hairpins on this road--the Greer Grade--are way-darn sobering. I got nervous just getting out of the truck to take the pictures.
I recently took a horse to a friend who lives at the top of that grade and my mom (co-pilot) was really sweating it. Not the kind of road I would like to be hauling up and down on a regular basis.
Wow...sounds like a VERY scarey trip, even for those use to traveling in your area...so, what will happen for the other horses that are yet to be sold? Will it be too late for purchasers to retrieve these horses to new homes? Don't know how many are left to be purchased, but sounds like any later in the year, or even the next few weeks, will be EXTREMELY difficult for relocation. Hope I'm wrong!!
AHHH!! I grew up in that area! We hauled our horses off the mountain for vet care, H.S. Rodeo, and many other events! Makes me want to go home! Once you get used to the roads its a drive in the park!! I am pretty sure that I am familar with Harlans family...wow, it all brought tears to my eyes!!
Post a Comment
<< Home