A Horseback Riding Adventure!

My copper-colored steed Leon was a worthy mount (even if he occasionally tripped over rocks on the trail)

For some time now, I have longed to go horseback riding. Not just a trot around a track. I mean, real riding, on the trail, in the woods, through the mountains, over hill and dale...you get the picture.

That dream was realized this weekend when my friend Christina and I hit the road and drove to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Hume, Virginia, and went on a 1.5-hour trail ride at the Marriott Ranch.

It was a glorious autumn day. The trees were in full color -- deep reds, fiery oranges, and rustic yellows -- against that bright blue sky that only a day in late fall can afford. The weather was perfect in the low 60s. Weather like that just feels like a gift.

The ride was just what I needed. The slow, soothing rhythm of the horse as he so graciously carried me on the trails - across streams, up and down hills, and through meadows. Manna to a soul overwrought by the cruel concrete and steel of city life. Being in the city has worn on me lately. All the noise, air pollution, and the angry, rude people. I needed some simplicity and some quiet.  I am a country girl by birth and will remain so at heart always.

My and Leon's shadow on the trail

Christina flashes a smile on the trail!

Heading toward an open field with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance

Heading back to the ranch

The end!