Back to the future
I reckon I'll be heading back to Phoenix tomorrow to boondock at one of the Arizona trust lands just a few miles west of the Ben Avery gun range so I can attend the Arizona Outdoor Expo this weekend.
The weather looks beautiful, with the 10-day forecast calling for daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s, nighttime lows in the 50s, and humidity in the "sweat-free" teens.
I spent some time this morning working on two videos that I want to make. One is me walking in the dry washes where I'm boondocked, and the other is me walking up the little hill near my boondocking spot.
I had always envisioned creating two separate videos, keeping them as short as possible, each approximately two minutes long. But working on them this morning, I got to thinking that maybe I could combine them into one movie, about three minutes long.
Three minutes is a long time to suffer through one of my movies, both for me to make it and for those who are compelled to watch it. So, I haven't figured out what I should do yet, but it will probably come down to what will require the least knowledge, talent, and effort on my part.
Theboondork
The sunset creeps across the desert, wearing bunny slippers. Silently and without warning, it envelops the desert in darkness and a chill air that sends the unprepared rushing for a jacket.
The girls and the horses receive all the rewards for winning at barrel racing, and it's a lot of hard work, especially for the horses. After all, the horse has to run full out for all of …. 17 seconds. And if the horse has performed well, later in the day, it will again have to run for…. 17 seconds. However, after putting forth that much effort, they will get to rest for an entire week before doing it again.
I think if I had to get a job, it would be pretty hard to beat being able to work for 34 seconds a week. These barrel racers and their horses make even me look like a "highly motivated ball of fire."
Some barrel racers run around the course like their hair is on fire, screaming at the horse and making full use of their riding crop, probably the same riding crop they use on their husband. At the same time, others appear to be on the verge of falling asleep.
The horse is looking back at the barrel as if to say, "Who did that? I didn't do that!"
It's a very fine line between getting around the barrels as quickly as possible and not knocking any over. There is a balance between these two objectives that must be met, and I'm unsure whether it's the horse or the rider that is in control of that.
An interesting factoid about barrel racing. If the barrel is starting to tip over, the rider is allowed to reach over and hold the barrel to try and keep it from falling over. It's rare to be able to do that, but I've seen it happen twice.