Follow those ribbons!! 

And that was the end of the first loop. 

For the second loop, I padded my legs, added a sheepskin seat cover to my saddle and felt much better. La, la, la... well, nearly.

After dawdling the first loop we didn't leave from our hour-lunch-hold until 2:45 - and still had to ride another 20 miles, wait another 30 minute hold at VC #3, and finish by 7 pm. So I ended up not taking any pictures on the second loop because we were busy making up time (and I was practising not hurting by concentrating very hard). 

This is called "negative splits" - just like they told us to do in Endurance News. Yes. That's it, we planned it that way...

Actually, what happened was Socks' ongoing back-problem reared its ugly head at the 40 mile VC, and he was sore enough that it was time to pull. So Elly and Dorothy trotted out of the check, leaving Socks to whinny pathetically after his best friend (who left without a backward glance). Luckily, the vet at the VC was the same one who had treated his back in the past, so she was able to get him some instant relief with acupuncture right there at the check. By the time we were trailered back to camp, he was looking much cheerier, and by the evening his back was much better, which was a big relief.

Thanks for carrying me, Socks! A big thanks to Dorothy for putting up with me all day, and for Dennis for lending me his pony to break.

All in all, the ride was a fun one. The camp was excellent, RM did a great job of planning the ride, marking trail (you'd have to be really unobservant to get lost), and making sure we had enough water on the trail. The volunteers were great too. Next time, I just have to practise trotting smoothie dirt road more, though.