The Three Grannies Great Adventure Part 2

The Bandit Springs Endurance Ride was now behind us and Monday morning, July 14, we loaded up and were on our way to Big Lake near the top of Santiam Pass in the Cascades. Big Lake sits at the base of Mt. Washington and is near the old ride camp site for the Santiam Cascade rides "back in the day". The "old" camp area is very grown up and the "air strip" from early fire days of the 60's and 70's has been restored to it's natural state.

After we set up camp and had a snack we went for a walk on one of the trails towards the lake. The trail of course got steep and I said "Why are we walking? We brought horses for this? I ain't walking up no stinkin hill." Nobody else wanted to walk either but we all have ADD apparently and got distracted by different wild flowers and "Oh look at the view" and before we knew it we had gone up the hill, cross country through these white club looking flowers. HAHA! 

Big Lake has a really nice campground for tents and travel trailers. If you go down the dirt roads you find places to camp with a horse. Dry camps, bring your own water and haul out your horsey poo. There was a sailboat on the lake and it was a very peaceful and beautiful spot.

Molly was happy to cool off. 

We strolled back along the trail, planned a little ride and saddled up. We made a nice loop using ATV trails and hooked into the Pacific Crest Trail, down the Old Santiam Wagon Road then on to Big Lake.

We rode on the Old Santiam Wagon Road

Pacific Crest Trail

Then it was back to our campsite for dinner and refreshments :)