When I hear about Mammoth, my first thought is ski resort...and it is BIG for that, but the summertime is gorgeous and the hotels are cheap! There are lots of mountain bikers as some of the ski slopes are transformed for summer fun. It has a cozy feel and the town has a free little trolley that will take you all around. We really had a blast. We went hiking to some beautiful sites and just hung around the town, but the highlight of our trip was DEFINETLY the horse back ride.
Wow...
That's really all I have to say about that...
It all started because Brian has never been horseback riding. A friend I had when I was young had horses and a little ranch so I was familiar with them and then in high school one of my besties had horses that we would take and ride around the neighorhood and out onto some trails. Anyway, I thought it would be a blast to ride around with Brian on the beach in Monterey. It seemed totally romantic. Well, when we saw the sign for horseback trail rides around beautiful Mammoth, we had to give it a try. Again...wow.
We picked a trail that went around a few lakes and the description sounded perfect. "Beautiful scenic ride through wooded forest, wildflower covered hills, and spectacular views of Lake Mary and Lake George." From the sounds of it, two hours was not enough time to take all that in! It was quite the experience. I knew we were in for it when we were asked if we wanted a helmet and to sign a waiver in case anything were to happen to us on our ride. So, we bravely got on our horses and started out in our group...Brian on a giant named Dar and me bringing up the rear with Blackie. The guy getting me situated told me that Blackie could get lazy so I'd have to give him a few hard kicks to keep up. Great. There were 8 of us brave souls on this ride with two guides. One at the front and one four horses back..Brian and I were at the very end of the line. Not the place for a beginner and someone who hasn't been on a horse in forever! Right off the bat I got a little uncomfortable. I was hoping it would be a little more elementary school field trip style where there's a leader in the front and a leader in the back. But nope, it was just me and Blackie at the end. Not the place I would have positioned Mr. Lazy pants. About 5 minutes into the ride my horse and I could barely see the group ahead despite all the kicking and clicking. The guide finally came back to me and handed me a stick to smack my horse with everytime we fell back. What a nightmare. Two hours suddenly looked like it was going to last an eternity. I'd smack Blackie with the stick and he'd gallop about two strides and then I'd have to smack him again. As for the scenic tour--yes, there were parts that were beautiful, but the majority of the time, my personal scenic tour involved a huge horse's rear and a few bathroom breaks along the way. Sounded just like the brochure to me!
A little before halfway I started to get really anxious to the point where I really wasn't having fun anymore. I was just ready to be done. We were not just cruising along flat ground, our horses were hiking up rocky steep hills to these outlooks of the lakes and in my mind I realized we'd have to go back down them. Getting up there was scary enough! As Blackie went down the rocky steps I'd have to lean waaaaay back in my saddle to stay on because he'd put his two front legs down and then wait a second before getting his other feet down. Ugh, the stomach ache is coming back to me now.
We finally got safely back to the corral and I've never been more happy to be on my own two feet instead of Blackie's four. Definitely not the romantic horseback ride I envisioned Brian and I going on, but it sure makes a great story for the rest of you!
Anyway, our trip was too short and we will surely be back to Mammoth again in the future...next time though, we'll be skipping the horses.
Here we are at Mammoth Mountain
An great view of the Minerets; a group of mountains in between Mammoth and Yosemite.
We hiked down to rainbow falls one morning to see the beautiful place.
The ridiculous stairmaster to get down to the falls.
Brian looking teeny tiny next to the monstrous falls.
This is Devil's Postpile..a national monument that was made from volcanos and ice a few hundred years back...I didn't really get the whole story, but the kid walking next to us said the rocks looks like giant french fries...I concur. ;)
The sign that started it all...
The real "scenic view" they forget to tell you about.
Alright, excuse the horrific posture, but really, my face says it all. And if you look closely, you can see the stick I taunted Mr. Blackie with the whole ride.
A truly spectacular view of one of the many lakes around, I think this was Lake George
On our way out, we ventured over to Bodie, a real live ghost town.
2 comments:
Hey, Mammoth really is a cool place, huh?! We do need to do a family vaca there for sure. I'm disappointed you missed the motor boats. Janet and I decided to brave it and take the two boys by ourselves in our very own row boat. Umm...lets just say it was both their naptimes and the fisherman gave us a standing ovation when we finally left the lake. (okay, not really, but I'm sure they were pretty happy cause those boys cries can really echo on a little lake surrounded by trees). Hey, by the way, you look GREAT! :) Janet and I thought we really wanted to go horseback riding but it looks like you just saved us a good forty dollars! I got enough of horse rump without the dust just from your pictures so I think I'd be okay passing that experience up, thank you very much. Have a good one and be happy you survived another fall! Come see us and we'll play!
Hey, I looooooovvveeee your new blog decor or whatever ya ma call it! :)
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