Bonny Lake State Park and Burlington

On 6 October, Bob rode the 17 miles to Bonny Lake State Park. The weather was very windy, which made it hard going, as the dust goes in your eyes. Apart from that the journey was uneventful.......Kevin, whose land he camped on last night, stopped to say hello on the way today.

The Campground is very nice, with all mod cons, showers, toilets etc, and the horses were corralled. Darby at the ground had got in hay for Cody and Tigers, for which they were very appreciative. Many thanks. There was only one camper van on the site, and Bob was listening to their radio for the weather. The couple, Norman and Betty Kramer, live 10 miles east of Burlington, and they offered Bob a meal and bed for the night on 8 October, which he gratefully accepted.

He had a shower and a gert lush freeze dried dinner that night, and an early night.

As he had a 25 mile ride to Burlington, Bob was up at 5.45 on 7 October. He got away on time, and was met on the road by a reporter, who interviewed him and promised to send me a copy of the paper. He arrived at the fairground without mishap, and the horses were corralled. Jerry Mangrass, the feed store owner, turned up with 4 bales of hay and grain for the horses, as they are having a stopover here for three nights. The Fairground is on the edge of town, and Bob reckons it's very nice. He's sleeping on a little bed in a building, and has his own shower and RADIO there. He was listening to a Country and Western Station when I called , which comes from Burlington.

Jerry and his wife Cindy gave Bob a lift to the Restaurant, and joined him for dinner, which Jerry paid for. Thank you so much, Jerry and Cindy, for your hospitality. They later dropped him back at the Fairground, as he was meeting another reporter for an interview at 8.00pm.

For the next two days Bob is resting over at the Fairground. David, the Caretaker, came over to check everything was ok, and that evening Norman Kramer picked him up to go to their place. He had a very pleasant evening, with a good dinner, with Norman, Betty, and a friend. Thank you both for feeding and giving Bob a bed for the night.

When I spoke to Bob on 9 October, he was bored !!!!!! He'd written up his journal, and I think he was fed up chilling out, and needed some action. Freeze dried meals that day, and a load of chocolate to give him a buzz.

The weather now sounds as though it is very similar to the U.K. Very chilly first thing in the morning, and the same as the evenings draw in .He's now needing to wear several layers of clothes at night. I think the days are a lot warmer than ours though. He has been slightly disappointed in the sleeping bag, which wasn't cheap, but is not as warm as it claimed it would be.

When I spoke to him last night, he'd ridden just over 22 miles past Burlington, and was stopping at the ranch of Tyson Pharo. As we spoke, Tyson was being the genial host and cooking spare ribs on the barbecue. A friend of his was coming over, who is a farrier, so no doubt he will check the horses over for Bob.

The weather is not looking good for tomorrow, storms are forecast, and the temperature is dropping dramatically. Bob was saying that were he is in Colorado is apparently a bit of a cold spot, but the temperatures will pick up again further along the journey.

Keep 'em riding, Cowboy.