We are well into Arizona now and are going up in altitude. We are currently at 2,160 ft. and will eventually climb to 7,200 ft. as we ride through the mountains. The desert is changing. There is completely different kinds of plants and the rattlesnakes are definitely out. The weather is a little cooler here, although today it was 95 degrees and felt hotter to me. We rode today with a lady named Sandy. She has lived in the desert all of her life and is very knowledgeable about the area. She rode her horse, Biscuit, and taught us about some of the plants and things we saw in the desert.
We are making much better time now and are covering more ground. We are at day 68 of our 90 day conditioning program for the horses and we are up to almost 20 miles per day. We are riding 5 days a week. The horses are in good shape and are doing well. Jericho is doing much better in traffic now. He is turning into a jam up trail horse!
Mary had her surgery on her leg last night. She had two plates and some screws put in and her friend, Buck, says she is feeling better. We will all keep her in our prayers.
To Andy, thanks so much for commenting. I miss you and it makes me feel closer when you comment. It is hard out here, being so far away from you and the rest of the family. I love you and am very proud of you.