Oh Look, Cattle . . .

So today started off early, about 5 am, got up and slowly got everything packed up. I was moving slow since I had put my tent on a big rock and got about 2 hrs sleep. I had to get up early since I was headed from Juniper to Holbrook and that is a 25 miles, so up I got and packed up and tacked up to get on the rode by 7. Since Mystic is still healing her saddle sores, I decided to walk the first 12 miles, ya, I know, crazy.
It was a beautiful walk, on the back road between the 2 not towns. Juniper and Holbrook as well as Pleasantview are communities, not towns. Which means, no cafes, stores or anything and that means . . . no Coke!!!!!!!
In the first 4 miles a very nice older gentleman stopped to talk to me, laughing when I told him what I was up to, but rather impressed also. I mentioned my lack of caffeinated carbonated beverage to him and 30 minutes later he came back, with his daughter and a warm cola. It was fantastic!!!! When I started this trip I nominated all that let me take a shower for sainthood, then added those that let me wash clothes. Well now, I have added the providers of colas. Bless you sir, where ever you are.
After I left the bringer of Soda, I headed through the first of many ( and I mean many) cattle guards. I hate those! You have to open the pass through gate, and some of them are extremely difficult to open. After much cursing and a bit of jumping up and down, we were through. The country was beautiful, rolling hills, and my favorite, sage brush, and then, as I rounded a corner, cattle. We have seen many cows on this trip, steers, dairy cows etc, but this was the first time we were actually moving through them. I have to admit I was a bit nervous, but both the girls were amazing, as usual. Delightful actually finds cattle interesting, she always wants to go and touch them, hmmm maybe a cow horse in the making.
They were soo good that it almost made up for Mystic running my knee into a fence post, almost.
I walked about 12 miles before I got on Mystic, then it was off at the trot. Its the first time we were on dirt roads, so I took advantage of it and trotted several miles. It made it so we arrived in Holbrook around 3 pm. Here I stopped at the first ranch I got to, Ken and Kristy Eliason, and asked if I good water my horses and if they knew a place where I could put them and Ken said they had a corral and I could pitch my tent in their rock free front yard. Kristy, came out, invited me in and attained sainthood by providing a dicey cold Coke, bless her, and a shower, double blessing and clean clothes, if she wasn't LDS (Morman) I would nominate her for Pope. As I sit here, they are preparing a delectable meal, of steak and potatoes, so I will cut this entry short.
Tomorrow it will be up early again, we have another 25 miles to Malad. Yay!