Time for reflection on the Jingle Bell Ride

By Dan MacDonald

The Jingle Bell Ride was the last organized ride of the year and the day was cold with snow in the forecast. We gathered in the parking lot at the Douglas Taylor Park trail head with our heads sunk into our shoulders taking a few minutes to shake those first chills. Some words were said for the sake of safety and we all saddled up. It was quite the sight with bright caps and gloves, smiling faces and the sounds of many bells doing well what bells are supposed to do. This holiday picture was completed when the first tiny specks of snow started to fall. Horses and riders all got along which is always a major bonus on these rides and it didn't take long before the rhythm of the hoof beats and the laughter and chatter faded a little and I started to think back on a very good year.

I thought back to the Christmas party and the many parties before. Walking in from the cold outside to a space heated by a wood stove working overtime. The tropical temperature caused very rosy cheeks. You could put a white beard on any of us and our faces would make the perfect Santa Clause. Good food and always the conflicting advice, You'll have to try Jim's wine vs whatever you do, don't drink Jim's wine!

Rides - and we had some great ones. The Itcha ride was an adventure ride that had it all. I just finished reading a draft article that Sheila wrote describing the ride. She captured it very well so I'll leave it up to you to read that article in Saddle Up magazine. (We'll let you know when to expect it)

TTFPRR (Treasures of the Tulameen Flower Power Rig Ride). Jim tried to time the ride to coincide with flowers blooming in the Alpine and he timed it perfectly. We moved our rigs to a new location every few days and each new base camp allowed us to ride into spectacular alpines with each new vista as impressive as the other. Emerald ponds, jagged peaks, water falls, blue sky, very hot weather and after the long hot ride, there was always someone willing to open a fridge and crack you a cold one.

Other rides and there were many, Yarrow, Fraser Valley and us. We're always invited to each others and from what I've heard all the rides were very successful and the only major conflict - choosing which ride cause a person couldn't do them all.

2 hours went by very fast and time for reflection over as we approached our starting point. The flakes of snow were large and the trail was covered in white. At the parking lot chef Thiessen was waiting with gourmet hotdogs which not surprisingly the dogs didn't last long. After the feast everyone quickly put their mounts in respective trailers and off home we went with out incident - almost - but that's another story.