Cowgirl

August 18th

Remember when we accidentally went rock climbing in the Appalachians? I took it a step further and went rock climbing on a horse. After moving the neighbours cows, one of the cowboys took a couple of us on a ride up the mountain to see the petroglyphs. The native americans had left drawings on the rocks up there so we went up the steepest slopes I’ve ever seen, it was almost vertical and there were loads of rocks. I am really proud of myself I did that, even though I am afraid of heights, and it was really cool! Every hill we’ll be riding after this will be a piece of cake. I imagine this is what archaeology was like before they had cars and stuff: exploring ancient sites on horseback. Moving the cows was really cool as well, we had quite a big herd and I had to bring back stray cows a couple of times. I felt like a proper cowboy! It was fun to actually have a purpose on a ride.

Yesterday we had our first training session with Speck, he hasn’t really been ridden in years so we basically started from scratch. MaeCile showed us her training methods, she did join-up, lunging and a lot of desensitizing with different objects. It was really cool to see her working with a horse and to see how much the horse improved over such a short period of time. The principles she uses are really similar to what we do back home but I also learned some cool new stuff. We worked with him again this morning (I was up at 5.30 during my vacation…) trying to get him used to throwing the reins over his head. At first he was really spooked by it but after working with him for an hour he did great. It is so cool to see how much a horse can learn without forcing it into anything. At one point during the session we wanted Speck to get used to different movements so Ava, Rosie and I did jumping jacks in the round-pen, funniest workout ever!

I know I say it every day but today might have been the best day so far. We needed to wrangle nine horses from a field into an enclosure, and when I say field I don’t mean the kind of field we have back home. This field had a creeck, hills and was covered in sage bushes. We had a plan to get the horses in but of course the plan went out the window as soon as we started. The horses bolted so Ava, Rosie, Lucy and I followed them and somehow managed to get them into the enclosure within five minutes. I don’t even know what happened, it all went so fast. We were gallopping through the field, dodging bushes and rabbit holes while trying to keep an eye on the horses. It was the best ride ever, I was smiling and laughing so much it almost hurt, I must have looked like a crazy person. When we rode back, one of the girls didn’t want to ride so she took the car. I trailed her horse back on a leadrope, I even loped while leading that horse, it was a perfect day as a cowgirl ;)

Rodeo

August 15th

I feel like a proper cowgirl now. This morning one of the neighbours called and asked if we wanted to help move their cows tomorrow. We decided to go for a trial run this morning so we saddled our horses and went out to find our cows. I was riding Tina today, she loved working with the cows and knew exactly what to do. It was an amazing experience to wrangle the stray cows back to the group. After getting the cows in the corrals I had to wrangle the horses out, without letting the cows escape. It was so much fun and my day got even better when Laura taught us how to rope. We were using a barrel to rope but when it was my turn, Bob the mule came up, so Laura joked that I should try and catch him. He was still quite far away but I gave it a shot anyways. I never expected to actually catch him but somehow I did. Even he looked surprised! It was probably beginners luck but it was still really cool, especially for a first try.

Yesterday afternoon we returned from our trip to Yellowstone. We saw beautiful things in the park but it certainly was an adventure. We left Friday morning to do some shopping in Cody and pick up the rental cars, after which we drove along the scenic highway into the park. It was only a two hour drive but because we had only rented the cars at five, all the campsites in the park were full by the time we got there. We tried to find a campsite outside of the park but after driving for hours we decided to just sleep in the car. I don’t think I actually slept as it was so cramped. We put down the seats so Rosie, Cheyenne and I could sleep in the trunk but we still had to move in unison in order to turn around. The next morning we headed back into the park to find a campsite. Thankfully we did, so we wouldn’t have to spend another night in the car. By this point we had lost the second car (we went with a group of 10) and you can hardly get signal anywhere in the park so we decided to just explore Yellowstone on our own.

I think Yellowstone is my favourite national park. It had everything: beaches, canyons, forests, plains and of course the hot springs and geysers! The only downside was that everything smelled like sulphur. We were lucky: a couple of the geysers erupted just when we were there. Of course we also went to Old Faithful, the most famous geyser, but that one was not very impressive. Yellowstone also has a big bear population but unfortunately we didn’t get to see one (or maybe that’s for the best because it also has a lot of animal attacks) but we did see lots of bison (really close to our car!), bold eagles and a coyote! Even our campsite was beautiful, the best I’ve seen so far. It was next to a stream and surrounded by trees. I never thought I’d say this but I think I’m starting to appreciate camping.

After exploring more of the park on Sunday we went back to Cody for the rodeo in the evening. It was a championship so the best riders from all over the USA were in Cody. Only ever having seen a rodeo on tv I was really impressed. I must admit I felt like I was starring in ‘The Longest Ride’. The night started out with a short show, followed by the national anthem and honouring of the veterans. After that we saw bronc riding, roping, barrel racing and bull riding. The riders were amazing, I can’t imagine having to stay on a bull for 8 seconds (those 8 seconds last a lot longer than you’d think). There was even an actual rodeo clown. It was such a cool thing to experience in real live. The atmosphere was amazing, everyone was excited and was cheering for the riders. I am really glad I got to go as it was one of the things I really wanted to do.

Wyoming

August 9th

A short update from Wyoming. We don’t have wifi here ‘cause apparently the previous groups have used up all the data. We do however get unlimited access between midnight and 5 in the morning so I think I might have to get up early to post this!

I almost didn’t even get here because my flight to Salt Lake City from San Francisco was delayed, but the airport was small and kind of casual (as far as you can call an airport casual) so I made it into the tiny plane to Wyoming. Emily, one of the Wranglers, picked me and four others up and brought us to the ranch where we got to know the rest of the group. Everyone else is either from the USA or the UK, one boy and nine other girls. They all seem really nice though. We sleep in log cabins but mostly hang out in the house where MaeCile prepares amazing meals for us (I might gain some weight after all..). Yesterday we got an orientation to the ranch, we talked about what we’re gonna do out here, we met our horses and did some riding. I rode Hazel, a beautiful paint horse. She is a really sensitive horse but an amazing ride and very sweet. The way they ride here is a bit different from home but I hope I’ll catch on quickly! We went for a couple of short hacks up and down steep, rocky paths which was really cool! Emily said she was impressed by how well Hazel and I did so I’m very happy to hear that! 

We’ve got a great itinerary for this week. Tomorrow we will ride the horses out to ‘Cow Camp´ where we will be spending the night. Friday we plan on going to Yellowstone National Park for an overnight trip and on Sunday there is a rodeo in Cody. It all sounds really cool! And besides that, there are the chores around here like feeding the calves, chickens and horses, farmwork and riding to keep us busy. 

I’ll try to post some updates soon so stay tuned ;)

Death Valley & San Francisco

August 7th,

It’s been a busy couple of days! I am at San Francisco airport, waiting for my plane to Cody, Wyoming for the second part of my trip. Time flies, I’ve already been travelling for 3,5 weeks and the first part of the trip is over. I said goodbye to the rest of my group this morning. Even though I was kind of done with camping and packing up my stuff everyday I am going to miss it. I have spend three weeks with these people (in close quarters as well) and it’s weird to be on my own again. But it’s just for a little bit though as I will meet lots of new people on the ranch. I am very excited for this part of my journey, for one I am really looking forward to being on a horse again! But I am also really curious about the rest of the group, I have now idea how many people there’ll be. 

So what have I been up to the last couple of days? After we left Las Vegas we travelled to Death Valley, the hottest place on earth with a heat record of 57 degrees Celcius. When we were there it was ‘only’ 49-50 degrees but it was definetely hot. We walked across the salt plains for a bit but you couldn’t go far as even the wind was burning hot. I know I feel this way about every place we went to but I don’t think I’ve ever been sweating this much in my life. Back on the bus the aircon couldn’t handle the heat either so we did whatever we could to try and cool down, including listening to Christmas songs. I do think it helped a little bit. When we reached the visitors centre we laid down on the cool floor tiles. 

Thankfully we didn’t have to camp in Death Valley (I did see a campsite along the way!) but instead we stayed in Bishop. Bishop has ‘hot springs’ which were basically puddles with warm water. It was really nice though and by the time we had set up camp and eaten it was dark so we could see the stars while bathing in the hotsprings. At one point it started raining and because of the dry air the electrical cables above us started crackling, it looked really cool, like small fireworks!

We drove to Yosemite national park the next day. The drives on the last part of the trip were a lot shorter than before, which I appreciated. We reached Yosemite quite early so we drove around for a bit and visited a couple of scenic viewpoints. We walked to the giant seqouia grove to see these enormous trees. There was even a tree that had been cut down which you could walk through, it was actually big enough to serve as a tunnel (although you did have to crouch down a bit). It was a really impressive sight. 

Our campsite was located just outside the National Park and we were all excited to set up camp for the final time as we would spend two nights there. There were two other g-adventures groups there so our group wanted to have a party. I didn’t really want to join in on drinking games and stuff so I just hang out and chatted with a couple of the other girls. Unfortunately for the rest of the group, the campsite had really strict quiet hours and they were all really loud. The owner of the campsite came up a couple of times to warn them, after which they moved to the river. The owner still thought they were too loud though and unfortunately we were asked to leave the camp the next morning. I was annoyed that we had to pack up camp again and go to another campsite, but I had expected as much. I woke up in the middle of the night when everyone came back to the camp (we had already gone to bed) and they were all screaming. I almost yelled for them to shut up and let us sleep. Eventually I did fall asleep though. 

We spent another day in Yosemite, visiting the highest point in the park called Glacier point. We had an amazing view of the valley. After that we went back down into the valley and had some free time. Ushar and I decided to just have a chill day and after we checked out the visitor centre we just sat in a meadow for a bit, reading, talking and enjoying the view. It was beautiful out there, it kind of reminded me of the Alps. In the meantime, the guides had found us a new campsite. Unfortunately it was in Sacramento so it was a long drive and we arrived at the campsite around 23.30. We were all so tired we didn’t want to set up the tent so we just slept under the stars. It was quite cold so I finally got to use my sleeping bag! I was so tired, Wencke had to try and wake me up five times the next morning. 




After packing everything up and cleaning all the dishes and other supllies we had with us on the trip we packed the trailer for the last time. It was a short ride to our hotel in San Francisco but unfortunately most of the rooms weren’t ready yet so we all just hung out in one of the rooms. In the afternoon, we went to pier 39 to take a bout tour around the bay so we could see Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge up close. It was really cold and windy and I got sprayed by seawater on the boat so I was freezing, a completely different feeling from what we had experienced the past few weeks! When we got back from the tour the sun had come out again so we warmed up a bit and went for dinner. The diner had arcade games as well so we played around for a bit after which the rest of the group went out for drinks. Ushar and I walked around the city for a bit. We wanted to take the cable car but we couldn’t find the station. Ushar was convinced it was around there somewhere and eventually we did find it. We walked around the shopping area for a bit                                                                          and than headed back to the hotel.

The next morning it was already time to say goodbye. Even though I was done with camping and excited to head to Wyoming for the next part of my trip, it was still sad to say goodbye to everyone. We had an awesome trip, with loads of fun and laughs, amazing views, exhausting hikes, lots of sweat, visited awesome museums and I got to meet great people from all around the world. So let's see what the next part of the trip brings!

On a side note, we figured out part of the Skinwalker mystery! Apparantly Lewiss went to the toilet in the middle of the night and he shone his flashlight on the rock wall. When he did that, someone else (Jackson) flashed their light so he moved his beam and than the other light went off as well, so he shone his light again, as did Jackson and so forth. That doesn’t explain the guide or the protective wall of rocks around us but it does ease Jackson’s mind a bit.

Vegas

So here’s the story that goes with the pictures, sorry it took me a while. After leaving Monument Valley, we drove to the Grand Canyon. On the way there we visited Horse Shoe bend, a bend in the Colorado river which offers an amazing view of the canyon and the river. We set up camp close to the Grand Canyon national park and went out for pizza. Jackson and Erica told us about the game they play in which you have to try and get the best ‘Elkie’ or selfie with an Elk (some sort of big deer). Literally five minutes after they explained it, an elk crossed the parking lot of the pizza place. We all ran outside and took a group selfie. The elk was just crossing the road, completely at ease and expecting all the cars to stop for it. It’s an amazing animal, so big and imposing with its antlers. 

After dinner we headed to the Canyon. Erica and Jackson made us wear paper bags over our heads which we were only allowed to take off once we got to the viewpoint. When I took off the bag the view was amazing, it is so impressive, it’s even bigger than I imagined. We watched the sunset from that viewpoint. The next day we drove back to the Grand Canyon and had some free time. We went on a hike, about a mile down into the canyon and than back up again. Going down was fine, even though some parts were really steep, but going up was terrible. It was really hot, steep and exhausting. I climbed back up with Kirsty, we just went at our own pace and took lots of breaks. It wasn’t just us, everyone we passed on the way up was complaining, especially all the kids. There were a lot of other Dutch tourists out there as well. It was weird to hear Dutch after three weeks of speaking English. After the hike we walked around the rim of the canyon for a bit. I actually liked that better since there were so many different viewpoints and the view on the hike didn’t really change. 

So fun fact, apparantly I am allergic to chilli peppers. I was on the cook team that night and when I was cutting up peppers my face starting tingling and swelling. Erica had some medicine though and thankfully the swelling went down. I guess I can eat them, just not cut them. 

After the Grand Canyon we went of to Vegas! Everyone was really excited ‘cause they wanted to go out and party. I was more excited for the hotel and the aircon to be honest. We drove around the Strip so the guides could show us where to go. The hotel was close to the strip so after getting settled in I went to walk around the Strip and some of the hotels with a friend from the Netherlands who is travelling in the USA as well. It was nice to see the hotels but Vegas is not really my city. The next day I checked out the hotels some more. I loved the Venetian, it was painted in a way that made it look like you were outside, walking in an Italian city. There was even a canal and a gondola in the hotel (and outside as well!). All the hotels were just really over the top, kind of cool but a bit too much for my liking. It was also really hot that day. I walked to the Vegas sign, which was further than I thought and I was exhausted. I took lots of stops to rest and drink. When I finally got back to the hotel I was exhausted so I just chilled in the hotel for the evening, watched some tv and went to bed early. 

The Venetian                                                                                            Grand canyon!