Part 3: ABQ to Herrin, IL and Fox Hunting

20181013-20

The Trip

After the evening balloon fest, we briefly thought about attending the next morning's "mass assent" of the balloons but that would have required being on-site by 0600 and that was just not in the cards.  Instead, we slept in and watched the assent from our location in the Walmart parking lot.  From Albuquerque, NM we headed toward Timpas, CO to stay with a friend.  The weather forecast was for snow and high winds, so we hustled through the high country and Raton Pass to beat the weather.

The Photos

The photos below are what we saw.

From our parking spot in the Walmart parking lot we could see the first set of balloons launching just after sunrise.

The balloons launched rather rapidly and soon the sky was crowded.

The prevailing breeze pushed the balloons toward Santa Fe.

We hustled north from ABQ to Timpas, CO and spent several nights with our friends Billy and Dara.  From Timpas, we headed into La Junta to address an electrical problem that I caused during the installation of additional solar panels on Thor.  Out of 200 square feet of roof area, I managed to randomly put a screw through the one wire that took out Thor's tail lights.  With some insightful diagnostics, the problem was identified and isolated in short order (if you will excuse the pun).  While the problem was being addressed, I took some photos of the various Unimogs in the Terry Lee Enterprises shop for repair or enhancements.

This 1300L-based expedition camper is new to the shop.  Thor is visible at the left of the photo above.

This expedition camper has changed owners since we last rolled with it in 2016.

A number of the trucks were undergoing enhancements.

This 1550L has been heavily modified.

This truck was used as a snow plow.

Properly equipped, the newer U500 Unimogs can serve as an effective implement platform.  This one has a brush cutter.

The U500 is a large truck.

This ex-military 1300L has the bed removed in anticipation of mounting a camper.  In the rear left of the photo above, a 1017A with GVX expedition box was recently sold to a new owner.

Once our electrical repairs were completed, we headed east into Kansas.  Near the middle of the state we stopped for lunch in a small town and spotted this cherry restoration of a mid-fifties Chevy Bel Aire.

The car was owned by an elderly lady that was eating in the nearby Mexican restaurant.

Our ultimate destination was Herrin, IL and the farm of our friends Mark and Gail.  Mark invited me to go fox hunting with him and his hunt club.  The club hunts with hounds and it is a difficult endevour.

Mark lent me one of his mounts named "Morgan" (like Captain Morgan).  Morgan is on the right.

Mark and Gail have a large kennel and a special area for the puppies.

Alura, one of the club members, gives the hounds some lovin'.

The hounds were loaded into the trailer as were the horses.  Once loaded, the front of the trailer was a seething cauldron of canines.

The hunt site for the day was at a local state park.  The hounds were unloaded and they gathered around the huntmaster.

Other trailers and horses arrived and the group prepared to depart.

I was the odd man out because I rode a western saddle rather than English.  That was fine as I had always ridden western.

The day was cool and the wind was blowing strong making coats a necessity.  Morgan was a strong-willed mount, but generally well behaved.

Mark called the hounds together with his horn and the group prepared to depart.

Once the hunt was afoot, Kathleen followed us in a truck.  The hunt area was a strip mine that was reclaimed.

The hounds worked hard, but despite their efforts, no foxes or coyotes were located.

The group moved on to another area of the park to continue the hunt.

The hounds enjoyed themselves and head into the wind at a full run.



The sun was getting low in the sky so the group headed back to the parking area.



Back at the loading area, the horses were prepared for loading into the trailer.  They were watching the balance of the group.



As previously stated, the hunting area was a reclaimed strip mine.  One of the unseen hazards in the area is old barb wire.  Alura's mount cut his fetlock on the wire and as she was attending to the wound, the horse kneed her in the face, breaking her nose.  A field dressing was applied to the horse's leg and bandages addressed the bleeding.  Alura's nose, however, was another matter entirely.  She bled profusely, but it stopped by itself.  We loaded the mounts and returned to the farm.

Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2018, all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.