Part 4: Yellowstone on Horseback

Once again we did a trail ride through Yellowstone National Park.  This year’s trail was really pretty.  We rode by a lot of winding steams.  The thing that was the same as last year was the PAIN.  People, I’m telling you, riding a horse for four hours will kill your knees and give you quite the sore backside.  With that said, Matt and I thought we had a good plan.  Lily Grace adores this trail ride and couldn’t wait to do it again.  Matt and I just knew we couldn’t do another four hours of that torture but two hours to Lily Grace was like punishment.  So, Matt and I thought we would pay for the four hours but told the guide we could only do three.  How bad could that be?  We would use up some of that time eating lunch on the mountainside and Gracie would get her feel of horseback riding with her favorite horse, Comanche. 

Well, the good news is, Matt and I made it.  The reality is….it still hurt!!!  Matt and I both were beyond thrilled to see that car. 

Of course Lily Grace loved every last minute of it and could have kept going which brings me to that ice pack that I was given at the ER.

Well, before we left home, Matt told LG that she should put on some socks to cover her ankles but of course that wouldn’t have been cute in her eyes so ankle socks it was.  We no more get in the car after our ride when she kicks in with the complaints that her ankles are really hurting and swelling and that she has been bitten by something.  People this kid does not do well with bug bites.  She swells up!  I look back at her in the backseat and sure enough she’s red and swelling.  We get her back to the house and put on some Benadryl cream and head on down to the river.  The itching and hurting is getting worse and it’s getting late anyway so we come off the river and go get her in the bath.  After her bath, we fed her, rubbed her with some Cortisone cream, propped her up on the chaise lounge and put the ice pack on her ankles.  Thankfully the next morning she was all better.  I will tell you, that’s not the end of that ice pack though. 

While the riding may be rough, the views are amazing!

She loves feeding the horses after lunch.  Here she is feeding John Deer some carrots.

This year, Lily Grace rode Comanche, Matt rode Skip and I rode Chico.

Miss Cassie was one of our guides.

Here you have it!  The now popular chaise lounge and ER ice pack that we all got to know well.  HA!