A Snowy Celebration

For several years, Motor Man and I have celebrated our (February 2) anniversary with a sleigh ride.  Looking back in my journal, it appears that our first ride was in 2009, at a farm in Connecticut. Since then, we’ve gone for sleigh rides in Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland and West Virginia.

The West Virginia rides with Autumn Breeze Stables at  Snowshoe Ski Resort seem to be a favorite of ours, and last week we went for our third sleigh riding adventure there. We are always SO amazed at the trees when we arrive at Snowshoe in the winter. It’s like a Christmas card. Obviously, we rarely see this sight in southeast Virginia. And the best part is, the roads are usually completely clear of snow and ice.

Our sleigh ride was Wednesday afternoon, and although the temperature was a ‘balmy’ 20 degrees, that wind was wicked. It was SO cold, we had on several layers of clothing, gloves, ‘gaiters’ over our faces,  I had ear muffs, Motor Man had on a toboggan,  and we had the hoods up on our coats.

Yes, that’s us under there.

As in the past, Flash pulled our sleigh, and Skip was our driver. It was so beautiful, we could almost forget how cold frozen we were.

We stayed overnight in Elkins, WV, and when we awoke on Thursday,  my phone’s weather app showed that the outdoor temp was THREE degrees.

And how perfect is this for our anniversary?  This was our room number. What are the odds?

Later that morning, we returned to Snowshoe where I had a magical adventure:  a trail ride in the snow.  Skip’s wife, Peggy, was our guide, and a young couple on their honeymoon completed the group. Thankfully, the weather had improved greatly over the day before, as in warmer temperatures and no wind.

This is April, a 22-year old Paint, and she was my sweet ride. Notice I didn’t even need gloves. Peggy took pictures of the riders with our phones and with hers and was kind enough to share hers with us. This may be my favorite.

Peggy mentioned during our ride that she liked taking pics of her and her horse’s shadow. And I agreed that it was a fun idea.

I took this video during our ride and just love the snow falling off one of the branches as I was about to ride under it. It reminds me of fairy dust, and I was tickled that I captured it.

It really was just like riding in a winter wonderland. The snow must have been a foot deep in some spots. All the horses were so well-behaved, it was a fun, relaxing ride.

Motor Man was waiting to take pics when we returned, and I gave him a little wave.

It was a perfect anniversary celebration.

~These Days Of Mine~