a game of catch up.

So first let me catch you all up on our daily schedule. we basically have been getting up every morning at about 9. Starting a ride around 11. Breaking for lunch around 2 or 3. Napping for 2 or 3 hours and then riding till 7 or 8. Then dinner is at 11 usually. One place we were allowed dinner at 9 for 2 nights and that was fantastic. Our horses were assigned to us by Jane, the brit who owns the first estancia that organized the whole trip. so we thought there was a systematic way to assign these horses, but it seems pretty random.

I also don't know if I explained who all is travelling with me. ITs a bit difficult to explain to the people here becasue George isn't married to or related to any of us. So George is my mother's friend from dental school and he is a big horse guy. I've known him all my life. Patti rides with us in colorado. George and patti and my mother have ridden together quite a bit. so for the most part we've been getting 2 rooms with 2 beds. so I've been sharing a room with George since my mother and patti are married and it would be weird for them to share a room with george. So I have this black travel bag that has all of my toiletries. I've been hanging it up in every bathroom we've been to. Finally at the third place George says "is that your black bag in there?" I said of course. He said, "I just thought 'how nice for these hotels to have a bag fully stocked like that!" I said, you have to be kidding? you had to know that was my bag. but he wasn't, he really thought it was just a nice bag waiting for us in each room filled with stuff for him to use! and it happened to be the same black bag and same stuff. haha.

anyway, back to the horses. So these horses aren't super trained. You don't want super trained trail horses that are being riden by a bunch of people. However, you do wnat horses that will respond to your cues at least a little bit. so my horse didn't walk as fast ast he otheres. she'd just plod a long behind. For the most part, george's horse was the same way. Mom and patti were alwasy up at front rarin to go. so George and I got tired of walking, trotting, walking, trotting. I hate to trott. SO george and i would hold the horses back and canteur to catch up. It started to be a much better system. And sometimes the guide would get the hint and we'd start singing for a while.

Our favorite ride was actually at cerro De los Pinos, the second place, becasue we got to use their horses and runa s much as we wanted. they were better trained and more responsive to us as riders. Itw as great! It was real dusty and we had bandanas over our noses to keep some of the dust out. So we started to play like we were banditas and banditos! we tried to sneak up on a patti and the guide, but for some reason they wouldn't give us all their money. WE think the main problem was that we had left our guns at home so we were using our fingers...

So today is our last day on the ride. We are taking the morning off and relaxing. i"m actually on a goose hunt for our saddle bags which were misplaced yesterday. Oh I meant to tell you that the estancia was in the parade yesterday. So all the horses ride up to the hotel to pick us up and they are dressed int heir best tack. all the riders were dressed all goucho like as well. they had a sign to name their estancia. They had on goucho belts and goucho nives sticking out the back. it was just like go texan day at the rodeo! except goucho style.

However, all in all, we are not that impressed with thte goucho's abilities with horses. I mean at that rodeo thing we went to, there were more men on horses then their were cows and they couldn't get them from one end of the ring to the other withought them getting away 2 times. So anyway, I do'nt know if they are better horsemen than the texans I've seen.

We fly back to Buenes Aires today. I leave BA on the 21st and arrive on the 22nd.