Final Thoughts on the Trip that Was and the One that Was Not

There was the trip we planned and the trip we had. Sometimes, not getting what you want is a gift.

ROC, Riding ExperiencesSusan Mora-SchraderOctober 15, 2024Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, The South, Southern PoetryComment

Georgia Reflections

Georgia offers sobering context on Helene floods, spiders, and needed rest.

ROC, Riding Experiences, Riding TrailsSusan Mora-SchraderOctober 11, 2024Georgia, Ocmulgee River, Hurricane Helene, Hard Labor Creek State Park Comment

Gators, Cotton Mouths, and Crackers, Oh My!

Riding in Florida's Goethe State Forest exposes us to Cracker culture and potentially some nasty critters.

ROC, Riding Experiences, Riding TrailsSusan Mora-SchraderOctober 8, 2024Florida, Ocala, Bronson, Goethe Forest, Swamps, Palmetto, Cracker Culture Comment

Gamelands and ‘Southern’ Hospitality

Gamelands as churches and 'Southern' hospitality amidst destruction.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderOctober 4, 2024The South, North Carolina, Bed and Barn, South Carolina, Aiken, Gamelands, Nature Preserves, Longleaf Pines, Hitchcock WoodsComment

The Ocean and Seeing Things Through the Eyes of the Innocent

The gift of experience the ocean anew

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderOctober 1, 2024The South, North Carolina, Bed and Barn, Sugar Ridge Franch, Hatteras, Beach Rides, Oceans Comments

Stories from Just a Little Ways South

Meh about Manassas but so relieved to find that others care more about the details than I.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 29, 2024The South, Riding Trails, Manassas, Civil War, Longleaf Pines, North Carolina, Virginia, Double Lea Farm, Bed and Barn Comment

Disaster Susan -- The Typhoid Mary of Travel

You are officially a farmer when all you can talk about is the weather and how things were better when you were a kid.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 27, 2024Hurricane Helene, The South, Riding Trails, Beach Rides Comments

Morocco -- Marrakech

It takes more than a 6.8 quake to knock Marrakech out of its groove

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 14, 2023Morocco, donkeys, Marrakech, earthquake Comments

Morocco -- Out of the Desert

Finding gratitude through physical challenge

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 11, 2023Morocco, Endurance Riding, donkeys, call to prayer, Atlas Mountains, thoroughbred racing Comments

Morocco -- The Reckoning

Life is work — finding the balance in endurance riding

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 10, 2023Morocco, Endurance Riding, donkeys, call to prayer, Atlas Mountains, thoroughbred racing Comment

Morocco -- The Crux

Why do we do these things to ourselves? The word DEAD should not appear on an itinerary unless you are nuts.

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 9, 2023Morocco, Endurance Riding, donkeys, call to prayer, Atlas Mountains Comments

Morocco -- Rena and Mama Blue

When a small woman and a big truck become your world.

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 8, 2023Morocco, Endurance Riding, donkeys, call to prayer, Atlas Mountains Comment

Morocco -- Sirocco Symphony

The sounds of a journey into the low Atlas

Riding Experiences, International Travel, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 7, 2023Morocco, Endurance Riding, donkeys, call to prayer, Atlas Mountains Comments

Morocco -- A Dusty Treasure

A wind in the past promised. A Moroccan horse delivers.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderSeptember 5, 2023Road Trips, Trail Rides, Connecticut Comments

Connecticut -- Compromise, It's What's for Lunch

Connecticut walks a fine line between New York and New England.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 31, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, ConnecticutComment

New Hampshire -- Ride Free or Die

Finding riders that also believe rules are for stupid people.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 28, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, New Hampshire, Live Free or Die Comment

Maine -- Count of Days Lost in the Cadence of Their Stride

Acadia calms us with the cadence of their stride.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 26, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, Maine, Acadia National Park, Carriage trails, GaitsComment

Days 5 and 6 -- A Wanderer Settles

My wandering soul finds a place that immediately feels like home.

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 23, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, Vermont, Settlers, The Bunkhouse, Green Mountains Comments

Day 3 and 4 -- Foodie Heaven, Hampton in the Hills, Heart of History

New York gives us much to consider — divine pizza, snobbism, and the nature of revolutions

Riding Trails, Riding Experiences, ROCSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 22, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, New York, Catskills, Saratoga Springs, Pizza, American Revolution Comment

Day 2 -- Goosekiller in the Catskills

Lessons of a sage gooseherd applied in the Catskills

Riding Trails, Riding ExperiencesSusan Mora-SchraderAugust 20, 2022Road Trips, Trail Rides, New York, Catskills, Geese, Hungary Comment