Today was a surprise for Kim. She knew we were going horseback riding, but nothing else. I had originally wanted to do a cattle drive this year. During the winter, I stumbled upon a ranch on the Big Island that would allow you to drive cattle on their farm. When we arrived at the Dahana Ranch, we were paired with a family of four. The six of us were going to do the cattle drive. Our guide went over how to “ride” a horse. All of the other horseback rides we have been on were nose-to-tail, with the other two on this trip giving us some room to do our own thing. We really enjoyed this one because he did not want us to be in a line. It was great to make the horse do what we wanted.
Our first drive was on some rodeo stock that was easy to move. It took a little coordination between the riders to cover the herd and keep them moving in the direction we wanted them to go. Our guide tried to keep us focused and showed us where be if we were in the wrong spot. It was fairly easy to get them moved.
Our next herd was more difficult. We had cattle that were raised for food. According to our guide, they were lazy and fat. You really had to keep them moving. That was apparent the first few cows we came into contact with. You could get them to move, but they would stop immediately, especially the mothers with calves. I found that when I aimed my horses head directly on the cow’s hind quarter, the cows would get moving. It took a lot of work and in the beginning; I did not think we would make it. We finally got them moving. By the time they were rolling along without stopping, our drive was over.
It was awesome to have control of our own horse. I tried to take a path that was different than the rest. I would go away from the group and climb hills. The horse wanted to stay with the group, but I had to be persistent and he would go where I told him.
On the way back to the cabin, we stopped at Tako Taco in Waimea. We stopped there two days ago after our other horse ride. We got burritos that were huge. It was the only restaurant that we went back twice because we liked the food! They had a tomatillo pineapple salsa was great. There regular salsa was also good.
You might think the adventure on the trip was already done. Not so! Before lunch, I told Kim we needed to get gas before we went on the saddle Road. As we turned on, Kim reminded me and I looked at the gage and thought that we would make it. About half way, I started to think we would not make it! I turned off the air-conditioner to save a little gas. Once we were over the hump and starting to come down, I put it in neutral. I thought I would have to put it back into drive to get up the little hills we would encounter. Nope, we coasted for almost twenty miles. I we didn’t have to stop for the light right by the gas station, we could have coasted into the gas station! It was close. If it were a few more miles to the gas station, we would have been stuck.
If there is one thing that Jon likes more than shaved ice, it is beer. We stopped at the Mehana Brewery for some sampling. It was good beer. This is the only brewery that brews and bottles in Hawaii. The girl behind the taps knew her stuff, except that she initially said the Kolsh tasted like PBR. We bought a six to take with us.
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