dreamornot
As I rode Panache down the hill towards SugarLoad Mtn I wanted to thump him cause he had 4 rubbery legs and no center of gravity but he would have dumped me. So I tried to convince him we were out for a good time, just two of God's little creatures communing with Nature etc.
After awhile we came upon a group of people gesticulating with their arms, pointing binoculars towards some trees. "What'shaall see?" I asked. "A genuine Saks Fifth Ave plastic bag in that big pine". "It's an Accidental said one"; an "Exotic" said another". So they explained they were classifying and studying the distribution of airborn urban trash and whereas General Food bags were ubiquitous they had a real find here. "Kind'a like birding, I asked". OH that's been done to death; we borrowed their well developed model but THIS is *today's* excitment. "what's that little white rubber sock hanging in the bush up yonder?" asked a little tyke pulling his mother's coat. "shutUP, Jimmy, or we won't take you next time."
So I rode on, wondering if I was still in the hospital having a bad dream or this was really reality. Then we saw a line of brilliantly dressed people, walking with aluminum trekking poles, connected by a yellow rope attached to each person's belt. They had knapsacks on their backs. I got as close as Panache would go and asked what *they* were doing. "We're gonna scale White Rock today; leave our mark in the annals of hiking!!" I asked what was they carrying and they said GPS units, altimeters, thermal blankets, flares, 4 different cellphone carriers for maximum redundancy in roaming services, first-aid kits .... and cameras to memorabilze and document their outback challenge; maybe endorse some high tech equipment found to be sustaining. So I told them about the convenient trail to White Rock just ahead and they surprised me by saying that's the way they were going!
So I rode on, thinking I would wake up any minute when I saw a rotund, wild haired young man ahead. He had thick books hung on strings around his neck and seeing us began to furiously rummage around in one. "AH HA - an Andean LLama, beast of burden of the noble Peruvian Indians, ridden, pack annimals and wool bearing, even guarding!" Nossir, I called out, this is Equus caballus-- a horse". But he continued - " a camelid - related to the alpacas - Sheep of the Clouds". "Nossir, an Arabian Horse - Equus Nobleissimus!!!", I insisted. But beaming an enthusiastic, friendly smile at me he continued "Sir, it is rumored these animals spit on those...." Glancing at Panache's aristocratic profile, I swallowed the salivia with which I was preparing to fortify his opinions of llamas realizing the owner of an Arabian was bound by higher principles <sniff>.
So giving up, I rode on, adjusting my turban and jalabiyya robe calling out "Giddyup, Skowroneck, if we're gonna make Mecca by nightfall, you're gonna hafta shake a leg"
Have Fun!