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May 28, 2011
After a good night’s sleep, Mom and I woke up early when the sunrise lit up the canvas of the teepee like a giant lampshade. We both rolled over and managed to sleep in till 7am. At 7:30 we emerged, dressed and mostly awake and headed to the terrace by the farmhouse for coffee and breakfast.
The table setting was beautiful. Cloth napkins and pretty napkin rings, lemon wedges in the water, and a full coffee service. Breakfast was prepared by Pepper and her helpers. First course was flavored yogurt with fresh fruit and cinnamon croutons. Second, we were served Swedish pancakes with berry syrup and bacon. It was delicious.
Following breakfast, we cleaned up at the wash station by the teepee. The station was right next to a small horse pen that housed two Icelandic ponies. One in particular had a very mischievous personality and would try to steal the toothpaste off the table by the sink. I learned quickly that horses do not come pre-programmed to know the word “no.”
The highlight of the weekend was the wine tour on horseback. Nine other riders were going out too, plus five chaperones. Although
I was the only one who admitted to being an amateur rider, there were several in the group who were inexperienced. All the staff riders made sure everyone was safe and taken care of, and all the horses were calm and used to carting wine-goers around the neighborhood.
The tour was a little over five hours long. With such a large group, we visited only three wineries. A couple who had gone on the tour before said smaller groups are able to visit four or five wineries. Three was fine by me, however. We stopped at the Silverlake Winery, Cultura Cellars, and Two Mountains Winery. Cultura is operated by Pepper’s son, and also served as our lunch destination. My favorite was Silverlake, I liked most of the wines I tasted there.
The ride itself was so much fun. We weaved through vineyards and orchards, all with amazing views of the green valley. It took me a while to get the hang of horse riding though. Most of the time all the horses were on auto pilot, but my horse, Tumbleweed, tested my authority frequently. Every time I gave him too much slack on his reigns, his head went
Cowboy boots!
Everyone needed to have riding boots. Uncomfortable, ill-fitting, but so in style. toward the ground to snack or trot ahead. As the afternoon progressed, I became more comfortable working with him. Unfortunately, Tumbleweed spooked on our ride home. A piece of white plastic was laying stationary on the ground, but a horse in front of us reacted to it, and so Tumbleweed took the cue and veered wildly into a tree grove. Happily, I reacted quickly and got him back under control. But for the rest of the ride he was skittish at anything white on the ground.
Mom’s horse was a grey girl named Cowboy. She (Cowboy) had fun on the ride too, taking a moment to get riled up and buck a couple times. Mom has years of experience with horses, and she handled Cowboy’s stunt like a champ. Everyone had a great time on the ride, but upon dismounting back at the paddock, almost everyone was walking bow-legged.
That evening we went out to dinner at the Second Street Grill in Yakima again. Their menu was great. We enjoyed a glass of wine and went to bed before the sun went down. It was a long day and the electric blanket and warm bed were all too
welcoming.
(scroll down for more photos)
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