The previous day’s clear skies meant the night was very cold, testing the limit of my sleeping bag rating as well as my bladder. Through an unzipped section of tent I could see sunlight hitting the treetops and despite the cold air, I emerged for a chance to get in the warm sun. The Butterfly still slept, cocooned in the maroon of her Marmot bag and several layers of clothing.
I spent a little time writing the blog, until the sun heated the tent causing the Butterfly to emerge and begin the process of stretching and discussing breakfast. A moment or few later, the sound of bellowing cattle came in the distance, followed by the sight of black cattle running abreast down the road in our direction. The noise and the spectacle increased as we watched hundreds of cattle stream down the road, some pausing to stare at us before joining the herd again and the clouds of dust.
After a while I spotted the reason they were running, a lone cowboy riding through the trees above glimpsed briefly, but the sound of a cracking whip snapping through the morning air ringing clearly. It was indeed a cattle drive and not just a well organized group of cows heading for Disney World.
A while later we heard the whistles and cries of more cowboys as they came up the road, driving the herd before them. It was fascinating to see a cattle drive, especially so close to the tent and the spectacle was fun to watch. Rowdy cows and calves turned from the herd and reversed back our direction in ones and twos, followed by galloping cowboys yelling and shouting. Intermittently for the next hour, we'd have a running cow and cowboy heading back towards our tent, finally turning to some degree or other. It made breakfast quite interesting.
The beautiful blue skies began to turn grey again and though we had planned to hike in the Snowies a bit, the threatening skies made the prospect less interesting. Instead we decided to ride to Saratoga to find wifi and update the blog. Exiting the forest road onto 130, two KTM 1190's loaded with gear arrived and turned onto the forest road with a wave.
It began raining as we got going east, with winds increasing substantially before hitting the quaint little town of Saratoga. The hot springs called our names as we rode past, saying sweetly "you guys stink and need a serious bath!" True indeed, as camping doesn't often offer the luxury of showers. Seven weeks of camping, a few showers and 32,000 Wet Wipes later, any form of running water seems like heaven.
We grabbed coffee and a sandwich as payment for our wifi usage and tried to get some things posted before the day slipped away. In the lengthening shadows we walked the small town, watching deer wander through the neighborhoods nearby while we looked for light and interesting places.
By the time we headed out from town for campsite, the sun was about gone and we rode the last few miles of forest road very slowly in the dark, hoping to avoid deer and especially moose. At the last turn a huge black cow, a straggler from the earlier roundup, came running down the road straight at us and turned into the brush. A mile or two later we were in camp, hit the tent and fell asleep quickly to the sound of the water rolling over the rocks nearby.