Monday, September 28, 2009

Return Visit

Mississippi Max Holds Up the World

Dangerous tells me Ol' Mississippi is one well educated, bright Southern boy. Well, if that's true, why does he come to Utah every year to ride a short horse that only turns right or left when he drags the toe of his cowboy boot in the dirt? Since Little Guy doesn't understand "Southern" and doesn't know any pressure cues, you can wear out a new pair of boots in a hurry. Check the toes of Max's boots carefully and you will see serious signs of wear.

Icons of the West

Actually, Max and Little Guy present dashing figures of the Old West. They were convincing enough to stop traffic on Highway 12. A pair of German tourists thought they had discovered the last living icons of the American West. Little did they know they were photographing a PhD from Mississippi riding a carousel pony recently escaped from a carnival. I suspect both Max and Little Guy will be famous when their pictures appear on You Tube. Let me know as soon as you see them!

The Right Way to Explore a Slot

I don't believe it's the company that brings Max back to Utah each year. It might be the different topography. Even a sheep dog knows that Mississippi is flat, green, wet, and humid. Where else can a Mississippi boy ride a horse into a slot canyon for lunch. Visit this spot with Fremont Bob, and he will tell you the story about Dangerous getting his horse stuck. Fremont reminds Dangerous every time we stop here to never ride his horse up a slot canyon without knowing if there is a place to turn around or a way out the other end. It's a lesson Dangerous learned the hard way years back. He was real lucky his horse could stand and spin on his back legs. Max and I decided to see the spot where Dangerous got stuck, but on foot.

Cowboy Skills

Max tells me that he returns each year to learn some new cowboy skills. He figures an old cowboy like Fremont will share his riding, roping, and shooting secrets with him. I think the only thing Max learned from Fremont Bob this trip was the art of cowboy reclining. Fremont spent a lot of time demonstrating the cowboy motto which goes something like this. "Never stand when you can sit, and never sit when you can lie down!" As you can see, Bob is an expert at what he preaches. The only thing he needs to complete the picture is another sandwich.

High Plateau Autumn Views

When you live at sea level, views like these are few and far between. We only wish the autumn colors on Boulder Rim had been a bit further along to impress our Southern guest. Come back a week later next year, Max! Max didn't complain about the horse, food, or views, so I suspect he will be back again. Love to hear from you!

1 comment:

Max said...

Thanks for the post, Rosie. It was a great week. I rode some new trails, met some new friends, revisited some old friends, enjoyed some great victuals, shoveled a lot of horse manure, talked a lot of bull manure, and generally had a fantastic time. I'll be doing a poem or two for you as soon as I can get my thoughts collected. Thanks for the invite and the hospitality.