There once was a horse named Nantucket

Rode me into a tree, I couldn't duck it.
My sunglasses were cracked
Nearly had a heart attack
...

And there really is no last line to that limerick that isn't dirty. Anyway, yay! Pretty ponies! My back and bum and legs are still a little sore from what amounted to a good 8 hours or so on horseback, over the course of two days this weekend, but it was a load of fun. The whole weekend, in fact, not just the camping/riding.

Friday afternoon we drove up to Estes Park and had dinner in a great Italian restaurant next to a stream, listening to a really good female guitarist play sad songs. Awesome rendition of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," and speaking of cases (I wish!), I had a really nice Honey Wheat beer from the Estes Park Brewery. Though tempted by the fun to be had at the nearby Ride-A-Kart, we settled for some homemade ice cream -- I had lemon sorbet -- and went back to our very 1950s hotel for a dip in the pool.

Saturday, we met our guide and camp manager for our overnight horseback riding adventure, and set off into the mountains! While I didn't have to remember any long-ago English riding lessons to stay on Nantucket, some of the ups and downs of the hills, on rocky slopes, were quite the adventure. I like to think I aquitted myself well. Ok, well enough. Only shrieked once or twice, during the aforementioned "rode me into a tree" adventure, but I stayed on, and Nantucket and I had a meeting of the minds.

Did I say "minds"? I meant "heads". We had a meeting of our heads.

Dinner Saturday night was steak and potatoes and beans and glass after glass of lemonade, before we got back on our rides and headed over the ridge again to our camp, and a delicious cooler of cervezas provided by the thoughtful Brett. ("Oh, you mean BEVERAGES!") Sat drinking with him and Lauren, our wranger, as the sun set and the sky filled with stars. And I do mean FILLED. The Milky Way was spread across the sky above us. You almost didn't have to raise your gaze to see the heavens. Really, truly beautiful. And humbling.

Looking up at a sky of millions of lights, there's no doubt in my mind that somewhere, someone was looking back. Hard to be egotistical under a Colorado night sky.

Sunday, after a fitful sleep on a deflated air mattress, we packed up camp, gave out bags to Brett to take back to the ranch, and rode down to breakfast. Mmmmmm, breakfast. Scrambled eggs and pancakes to die for -- all neatly tallied for Weight Watchers points, but oh-so-worth it. Another short ride back down to the stables, and we bid our ponies goodbye, and headed home to Denver (and CoX's double XP weekend). I flew back to NY late last night and got in at oh-six-hundred (oh-my-god it's early), and after a brief nap, manged a productive day at work. I know, it's a shocker.

Anyway, a good time. If you're ever up in the Estes Park vicinity, I certainly recommend Sombrero Ranches. With rides ranging from an hour to overnight, there's something for everyone (and now I sound like a cliche). Even, if horseback riding's not your thing, beach houses in Mexico. Go! Enjoy! I know I did.