#14 Trails...

Those early days, when business was so slow, I often rode alone into the hills. I blazed trails in places never seen by timid riders and later I shared those trails with friends.

One afternoon, I was riding in a narrow canyon when I saw an old mine shaft set horizontally into the hill. From its mouth, a large herd of Javelina (a native pig-like animal) rushed out, disturbed by my approach. Opportunists, the shaft had become a sheltering cave for them.

Another mine shaft was almost my undoing.

Pushing though thick brush, I discovered I was on the edge of a shaft which plunged to unknown depths. Well hidden by brush, I wondered how many animals had met an untimely end here. I wondered if I looked, would there be signs of unwary people as well.

My desert rovings made some cowgirl changes as well. In my Eastern riding days, horses were always tall and it was common to be given a “leg up” to get on one. Mounting blocks were available at every stable. Now, out in the desert it wasn't so much fun... the handy rock could hide a snake... a side-stepping horse could have you land in cactus.

Out in the desert, mounting help is seldom available. It is done from the ground and a five-foot woman has trouble with a seven-foot horse. I began looking for horses to suit my size... short.

My favorite horse was a little red colored mare. Crimson and I patrolled the hills with vigor and her stout heart belied her small stature. She would go anywhere.

Traveling along a narrow wash, we discovered a side wash paralleling. I turned the little mare and we headed down this new trail. A steep bank rose along one side, dense brush the other. Layer after layer of rock, sand, gravel and compressed debris formed the bank which had over the millennium turned rock solid.

Burrows were built into the bank, homes for rodents and small animals. I spied a large snake making its way along the ledges of the wall, intent on dinner.

Along the other side of the wash were small trees and brush. With each step the wash narrowed. Vines appeared growing on and over much of this smaller vegetation, forming a green blanket.

Rounding a bend, we found a wonderland.

Butterflies by the millions filled the air. Small yellow and blue butterflies rose in a cloud as we passed. The vines, along with the sheltered wash, had given them the perfect place to breed.

The mare never batted an eye at the butterflies which flitted around her. Some landed on her ears and were gently shaken off.

Others landed on me, stopping for a moment on my hat and shoulders before moving on. Together, the mare and I, went through this cloud of blue and yellow, touched by this special moment.

My travels in the desert introduced me to this incredible land. Mounted on a trusted equine, I traveled high into the mountains and deep into carved canyons. I saw extraordinary birds, reptiles and animals and I saw a new world. Slowly my old world fell away as this new world became mine.

Slowly the urban girl was retreating and the cowgirl was being born.