Happy Trails to You

Happy Trails
(There are 14 titles of songs sung by Roy Rogers or Gene Autry embedded in the verbiage of this mostly true narrative. If you want the list make a comment.)
Several decades ago, a farm boy from Teton Valley invited the rancher’s daughter from the valley over to join him for a horse ride in the hills of old Wyoming up to Table Rock. At first she was skeptical that Teton Valley could offer her anything of lasting interest, but time changes everything. By twilight on the trail, after an adventuresome day which included her catching a broken branch ( no tumbling tumbleweed) resulting in a dandy bruise from knee to naval, she was entertaining thoughts such as, “I might leave my old Wyoming home and find another home on the range”. There was more than one more ride after that.
Many years and children later, still living in Teton Valley in August of 2009, they were back in the saddle again. She on her Morgan-Quarter horse and that same saddle her ranch dad had given her and he on his Strawberry Roan with silver spurs, spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle. Once again they were on that long, long trail a winding up to Table Rock.

The day was perfect, warm but with a breath of fragrant mountain air to cool it. The wildflowers were at their peak. The Indian Paintbrush bowing in the breeze to pay homage to the royal purple Lupine with the Elephant Heads standing as witnesses. The pink watermelon snow was even sweeter than years ago as was the view of the Grand Teton and her ladies in waiting on each side.
Ridin’ down that sunset trail in 2009 they realized again that time changes everything. They couldn’t have known on their first ride that the best was yet to come.

Happy trails to you