Soapweed
Well-known member
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (or at least a small creek)
"If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have come"
words spoken by Will Moreland, age seven
It was a beautiful January Sunday morning in the northern Sandhills of Nebraska. The sun was shining, there was no wind, and the temperature was well above freezing, which is a rarity for this time of year. Normally, going to church is an important part of our Sunday activities, but on this fine day I decided to play hooky and take my young son on a horseback ride through the north hills of our ranch. There was a horse sale coming up the following Wednesday, and I had a wild little molly mule that needed a new home. If she went along on our trip with a pack saddle on her back, it might help her salability. At least I would be able to say in all honesty that she had been packed.
My seven-year-old son Will was excited about the prospect of going for a ride on his good little pony Joker. Having quite a few saddle horses on hand at the time, my recollection of which one I rode that day is rather hazy. We got saddled up after having to tie up a hind leg on the wonder mule, Cherry, to get the pack saddle on. We put our lunch and some extra coats in the pack, but it was a real light load. We headed north, with our destination being Elm Creek, about five miles from our house. It has its beginning in a big gully not far from the north boundary of our ranch, on land that belonged to Ray Gardiner at the time. Several small springs emerge from a steep sandy side hill and come together to form Elm Creek. Right away, quite a bit of water flows down a small canyon. Trees line the waterway, and it is a scenic piece of countryside.
We rode down the creek for half a mile before coming to a nice grassy spot that looked like it would be a good place to tie our horses and mule to trees, and have our picnic. It was on the other side of the stream, so I urged my horse into the water and the mule followed along. Will started Joker across. Joker got right out in the middle and started pawing and splashing. Before I had a chance to tell Will to kick the pony and keep him going, Joker lay down in the water to roll. Of course my young partner fell off into the babbling brook and got soaked. As he emerged from the creek, his first words were, "If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have come."
Though the day was nice and sunny, it was still January, known for short days and not an over abundance of heat. Will was wet enough that he was getting chilly. We ate our dinner fast, then mounted up to ride a little further north to the home of Ray and Virginia Gardiner. We tied our horses and mule to their yard fence, and walked up the sidewalk to knock at their door. They were surprised to see us, as they hadn't heard anyone drive up.
Ray and Virginia were kind gracious people, and invited us into their home. We explained that we were out for a Sunday ride and told of the water incident. Virginia had a wonderful idea. She came out with a blanket for Will to wrap himself in, and then took his wet apparel to her electric clothes dryer. We had a pleasant visit for half an hour, and then Will enjoyed dressing in nice warm dry clothes. Our six-mile ride home was uneventful, except for finding an arrowhead in a sandy blowout by a windmill. Will thought that made up for getting wet, and he was glad he had come after all.
"If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have come"
words spoken by Will Moreland, age seven
It was a beautiful January Sunday morning in the northern Sandhills of Nebraska. The sun was shining, there was no wind, and the temperature was well above freezing, which is a rarity for this time of year. Normally, going to church is an important part of our Sunday activities, but on this fine day I decided to play hooky and take my young son on a horseback ride through the north hills of our ranch. There was a horse sale coming up the following Wednesday, and I had a wild little molly mule that needed a new home. If she went along on our trip with a pack saddle on her back, it might help her salability. At least I would be able to say in all honesty that she had been packed.
My seven-year-old son Will was excited about the prospect of going for a ride on his good little pony Joker. Having quite a few saddle horses on hand at the time, my recollection of which one I rode that day is rather hazy. We got saddled up after having to tie up a hind leg on the wonder mule, Cherry, to get the pack saddle on. We put our lunch and some extra coats in the pack, but it was a real light load. We headed north, with our destination being Elm Creek, about five miles from our house. It has its beginning in a big gully not far from the north boundary of our ranch, on land that belonged to Ray Gardiner at the time. Several small springs emerge from a steep sandy side hill and come together to form Elm Creek. Right away, quite a bit of water flows down a small canyon. Trees line the waterway, and it is a scenic piece of countryside.
We rode down the creek for half a mile before coming to a nice grassy spot that looked like it would be a good place to tie our horses and mule to trees, and have our picnic. It was on the other side of the stream, so I urged my horse into the water and the mule followed along. Will started Joker across. Joker got right out in the middle and started pawing and splashing. Before I had a chance to tell Will to kick the pony and keep him going, Joker lay down in the water to roll. Of course my young partner fell off into the babbling brook and got soaked. As he emerged from the creek, his first words were, "If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have come."
Though the day was nice and sunny, it was still January, known for short days and not an over abundance of heat. Will was wet enough that he was getting chilly. We ate our dinner fast, then mounted up to ride a little further north to the home of Ray and Virginia Gardiner. We tied our horses and mule to their yard fence, and walked up the sidewalk to knock at their door. They were surprised to see us, as they hadn't heard anyone drive up.
Ray and Virginia were kind gracious people, and invited us into their home. We explained that we were out for a Sunday ride and told of the water incident. Virginia had a wonderful idea. She came out with a blanket for Will to wrap himself in, and then took his wet apparel to her electric clothes dryer. We had a pleasant visit for half an hour, and then Will enjoyed dressing in nice warm dry clothes. Our six-mile ride home was uneventful, except for finding an arrowhead in a sandy blowout by a windmill. Will thought that made up for getting wet, and he was glad he had come after all.
