Week 22: Wild Horse Picnic

The last few weeks of Spring are a beautiful time in the mountains of Peril County. The days get longer; the breeze gets warmer and everything just feels a little more alive. Folks love to get out their 4-wheel ATV’s and side-by-side’s and tour the mountains, experiencing all the natural beauty this place offers. Miles of trails to hidden gems like Pluck’s Waterfall & Grassy Point would see their fair share of travelers as they seek out the best places to fish, camp or just picnic. 

It was early on Saturday morning that Grayson Hughes decided to take his family out into the country for the day. He’d worked late the night before, and his wife Jeanie had been asleep when he got home. She was a hairdresser at the Quick Clips out at the strip mall, and Friday’s are one of her busiest days, Grayson knew. So, he didn’t feel like waking her when he got in. 

Grayson was a Radiology Assistant down at Black Grass Medical and had second shift duties for the past week. The bump in pay was nice, and the caseload was typically light, so he didn’t mind doing it one week a month. But, it kept him from seeing Jeanie and the kids, which meant he wasn’t about to make it a full-time change. 

He was careful to not wake anyone as he headed down to the kitchen to start breakfast and pack up some provisions for their trip into the mountains. Soon, the smell of bacon and toast rousted Terry, their oldest son. “Wha’s fer breakfast?” he said through sleep-filled eyes. Terry was a small boy for 10 years old. He wore pirate PJ’s and mismatched socks. His yellow-blonde hair sat matted to his head at crazy angles from sleeping so hard against his pillow. 

“Bacon and eggs with toast and juice. Might even fry up some bologna if you want some. Sound good? You sleep ok?” Grayson asked while he continued to cook. He beamed as he looked down at his oldest, remarking at how much Terry resembled Jeanie. 

About that time, Laura, their middle child, slinked into the kitchen. She was seven, with shoulder-length brown hair that matched her father’s, and bright green eyes. She yawned largely, holding her tiny fist in front of her mouth. “I’m hungry.” 

Grayson poured eggs into a skillet and gave them a quick stir. “Breakfast is almost ready. Go check on your brother and see if he’s up.” She shuffled back down the hallway and came back a few minutes later holding the hand of little Jacob, her four-year-old brother. He was still more than half asleep, wiping the previous night from his eyes.

A plate of All-American breakfast soon sat in front of each child, along with a glass of juice. Orange for Laura and Terry. Apple for Jacob. “Where Mommy?” the smallest Hughes sibling asked, taking a bite out of his buttered and jellied toast. 

“Prolly still in the bed,” Grayson said. “You guys wanna go ridin’ in the side-by-side today? Thought we might go have a picnic out by the waterfall and then go up and see if we can find the wild herd of horses. That sound fun?” 

Laura’s eyes lit up at the thought of seeing wild horses. She’d asked for a pony every birthday and Christmas since she was big enough to talk. The boys seemed pretty excited too, Grayson thought. 

“Is mommy coming?” Terry asked.

Their dad shrugged his shoulders. “I sure hope so, pal. Let’s eat breakfast and pack up and then we’ll wake ‘er up and see if she’s in the mood for some four-wheelin’!” 

After cleaning up the kitchen, Grayson pulled out a rolling cooler and filled it halfway with ice from the freezer before stocking it with sports drinks, juice pouches, pop and water. He then tossed in sandwich meat, cheese and a loaf of bread, checking to make sure it was tightly bound at the end. He then reached up into the pantry and pulled out a couple large bags of chips. Satisfied that he had prepared enough snacks, he grabbed a backpack and tossed in bug spray, sunblock and a small first-aid kit. Grayson had been on too many rides where items like these would have been handy and now had a kit with him for every trip now. 

About this time, Jeanie came downstairs and made her way to the kitchen. She was wearing an oversized tee-shirt with Guns n’ Roses on the front and a faded pair of sweatpants. She immediately walked to the coffee machine and poured herself a mug, barely looking at her husband. “What’er you doin?” she asked, pouring some creamer into her mug.

“Thought we’d go ridin’ today. Got us a cooler packed and the kids are gettin’ their stuff together. That sound good to you?” 

Jeanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before taking a gulp of coffee. “Well, we need to clean the house. I need to go to the grocery store. I was hopin’ to run to London today and pick up a bathin’ suit for me and Laura for Memorial Day.” She sounded tired and put out, Grayson thought. 

“Well, you don’t hafta go, sweetie. I don’t care to take the kids and you can have a Mommy Day. You can do whatever you need to do and I’ll keep ‘em busy. How’s that sound?” He was trying to be helpful and offer solutions.

She took another swig of coffee. “I’d like to spend some time with my family too,” she said, exasperated. 

Grayson sat the backpack down on the counter and wrapped his arm around his wife. “So, would you like us to go run errands with you? Or, we could do something as a family tomorrow?” 

“Supposed to rain tomorrow,” she said. 

He nodded. “I know. That’s why I wanted to go ridin’ today.”

“Y’all just go ridin’ and I’ll get some stuff done. I hate grocery shoppin’ in the rain. Maybe we can all clean tomorrow.” She leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah, I just washed my hair last night, too. I don’t want to go and get all dusty from the back roads.”

Half an hour later, Grayson had three kids, a cooler, a travel kit, and himself packed into their side-by-side, ready to go out into the countryside. He knew Terry loved off-roading, especially when the terrain was rough. But his younger son hadn’t been on too many rides yet, so he kept this trip to well-maintained trails when possible. They took the trail out of their holler toward Goose Rock and then headed down toward the county line. The smell of dank foliage filled the air as the creek ran through several downed trees. The canopy of leaves kept the sun's rays from beating down on their vehicle, but Grayson had taken care to apply a thick layer of sunscreen to every child and himself. Terry and Laura squealed at every bump they hit, but little Jacob was less sure of the actual amount of fun he was having. 

The trail curved high into the mountain, running along a cliff face Grayson had heard from several people was once the sight of a Native American campground. Folks had found several arrowheads, along with pieces of pottery, as it was told. But in the several times he had searched the site, all Grayson ever found was broken beer bottles and cigarette butts. The big kids were having so much fun on the bouncy road, he decided not to stop and take a look today. 

Twenty minutes travel time took them to a fork in the road with a primitive sign that directed them to Pluck’s Waterfall up the mountain and Black Grass to the left. Grayson took them onward and upward. Another fifteen minutes found them sitting at the base of a beautiful waterfall. The roaring of the water scared Jacob at first, but it wasn’t so loud that it startled him for long. The kids slipped off their shoes and dipped their toes into the pool at the base of the falls, squealing at the coldness of it. Grayson pulled out his phone and grabbed some pics and video of his kids enjoying nature. “Flying water!” he called over to his kids, pointing to the waterfall.

“Huh?” Laura said, confused. 

“What’s flying water, dad?” Terry asked. 

Grayson motioned for his kids to come closer. Jacob had found a perfect stick to poke into the mud, so he busied himself with that. “I heard tell that the Native’s that was ‘round these parts years ago called this place Flying Water. I thought that was pretty cool.” They looked over to see Jacob peeing into the pool of water, smiling broadly.

Back in the side-by-side, the four of them traveled to the top of a strip mining site known locally as Jeb Baker’s. Mr. Baker owned a large parcel of land that utilized mountaintop removal mining in the 70s and 80s. The damage to the land was extensive, but it left behind huge vistas. Over the years, people had abandoned dozens of horses on the property to roam freely. These animals were still fairly domesticated, and are fond of the humans who frequent their pastures to feed them treats. Laura had been talking about seeing the horses all day.

“How many do you think there are, Daddy?” she asked as they, approached the hilltop. 

“Thirty or so, I’d guess.” They crested the ridge to see at least three dozen horses grazing in the distance. Grayson wasn’t a horseman by any stretch of the imagination, but he was pretty sure he spotted a few Appaloosa’s, several quarter horses, some Bay’s, and a few he couldn’t be sure about. 

Laura stared in awe of the sight. “Daddy, they’re beautiful.”

Even young Jacob understood how unusual and important this moment was. He leaned forward and put his hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “I see the horsies, Daddy!” 

Grayson drove the UTV closer to the horses, careful not to spook them. They were used to seeing folks on their ridge, so these beautiful animals just watched as Laura and Terry unbuckled their harnesses and started walking closer.

“I wanna touch one,” Laura said.

“Approach it slowly from the front. Talk softly to him. And show him your palm.” Grayson had been around horses enough to know not to stress the animal in close quarters.

Laura walked up to a gray with her arm outstretched. The horse walked up to her and let the young girl scratch it on the forehead. Grayson could see the excitement radiate off of his daughter. She petted the animal for several minutes before it walked off, back toward the herd. 

“Dad, did you see? Did you see me pet the horse?” she said excitedly. 

Grayson grinned ear to ear. “I did, baby. I did.”

They drove onto the next ridge and enjoyed a nice picnic, overlooking the horses. Jacob played cowboy and galloped around the side-by-side, whooping and hollering. After eating their sandwiches, they collected their garbage and started for home. 

“Did everyone have a good time?” Grayson asked his crew.

“It was awesome!” Terry said. His brother and sister agreed. 

Grayson let the cool breeze wash over his face as he sped back home. He took the kids through Grassy Point and back up Preacher’s Creek to get home so they would get an entirely different view of their community. The sun was just setting when they arrived back at the house. Jeanie’s SUV sat in the driveway. 

“Babe? We’re home.” Grayson said as he sat the cooler down in front of the sink. He found his wife, asleep on the couch. “Babe, you wanna go get some dinner? Or just sleep?”

“Order us a pizza. I don’t want to get out again,” she said through a snore.

Grayson called to the back of the house, where his kids’ rooms were. “Who wants pizza?” 

A chorus of “Me!”’s was the reply. 

He punched an order into his phone and confirmed his address. In forty minutes or less, pizza would be there. He went back to the living room and sat across from wife. “We missed you today, babe. I got some great pics of the kids at the waterfall and with the horses. You have a good day?”

“Not bad. Didn’t get as much done as I wanted. Got my bathing suit in London. That was about it. I’m gonna sleep ’til the pizza gets here. Can you give Jacob a bath?”

“Sure, babe.” He walked over and gave his wife a kiss on the head. As he leaned down, he saw a message on her phone.

Today was fun. We should do it again. -Ted

And in that instant, Grayson knew.