On each MUSAP adventure I look for opportunities to try something a little different or see a place that is off the beaten path. I don’t remember how I found out about Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades, my trip planning is a series of computer clicks, but when I saw they offered trail rides I was immediately tempted. So I called Susie and asked she what she thought of the idea. Despite not having ridden a horse for about 50 years she was willing to give it a try. It turned into an even better idea when I found out there was a Groupon that we could use. In future planning I will be checking Groupon for my destinations.
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| Susie riding Tucker, me riding Wylie |
The Westside Riding School offers the trail rides. After parking (and getting the senior parking rate) we made our way up the hill to the riding school. It’s a very nice facility. The buildings all look well maintained and the grounds are clean.
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| I think the walk may be to prove you are fit enough to go on the trail ride |
We got there early so we had some time to walk around and see the original barn where Will Rogers kept his horses. Will Rogers enjoyed spending time at his ranch in the 1920’s and 30’s when he was a popular Hollywood star.The barn is still a beautiful building and we enjoyed photographing it from many angles.
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| Will Rogers Ranch ~ the original barn |
I walked up a hill behind the barn to see what I could find. There was a paddock with just one horse, but there were several deer there too. A photo op that I couldn’t resist. When we arrived at the paddock for our ride we saw deer in with the trail horses, and at the end of our visit we saw a herd of deer near the parking lot - I think I was the only person there who was excited to see the deer.
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| Add caption |
As it turned out Susie and I were the only 2 riders that day. We immediately liked our wrangle, Dayna, and were excited for our ride. Dayna got our horses, Wylie and Tucker, saddled and ready. After signing the required paperwork and putting on our required helmets we were ready to go.
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| Susie;s ready to ride |
The trail took us down past the lower barns and then we headed up the trail to Inspiration Point. It’s a walking trail too and we passed hikes along the way. It’s a 3 mile loop. We could look back down and see the barns and the riding school ring. The weather was ideal for our ride - sunny, but not too hot.
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| along the Inspiration Point Trail |
Looking south we could see the buildings of Los Angeles. This was a pretty clear day by LA standards. Looking west we could see the sun sparkling on the water of the Pacific Ocean.
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| Los Angeles |
Here’s the horse eye view of what we saw from Inspiration Point. There were 2 hikers at the Point and one of them was a little nervous when she saw thee horses arrive. After we were there for a few minutes she relaxed and was confident enough to come over and pat my horse, Wylie.
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| Wylie's view of LA |
We even got to see some the homes of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg from the trail. Tom Hanks' home was listed for sale last summer for $5.225 million! Tom Hanks house
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| Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg's Pacific Palisades homes |
The trail ride is scheduled to last for an hour. Susie and thought that was a good idea because we expected to be stiff and sore after spending an hour in the saddle. Not sure why - perhaps Dayna didn’t have a lot to do that day - but our ride lasted 2 wonderful hours. We took our time and enjoyed the experience. Wylie looked a little tired when we got back to his paddock, but Susie and I were feeling fine. We tipped Dayna well for her efforts.
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| MUSAP and Wylie after the ride |
After our ride we went back to the park to check out Will Roger’s house and the rest of the grounds. The Visitor Center was undergoing renovation and the house was closed when we got there. We spent some time admiring and photographing the exterior before heading back to Santa Monica.
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| the yard by the ranch house |
2/5/14
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