Martinson's Arizona Adventure


February 1 - Day1. We left Minnesota at 7:54 am. We stopped three times for fuel; twice in Iowa and once in Kansas. Our total fuel bill for day 1 was $178 and we had $8.25 in tolls in Kansas. Our overnight was at E Bar Z Stables in Salina, KS ($90 for runs and trailer electric). It was a great stop with a "barn" bathroom and shower (we were still winterized). The mares had outdoor runs with automatic waters and shelters. Including Minnesota, we also passed through Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas for a total of 640 miles and about 11 hours of driving. Chad drove all but 2 hours. The girls used their hotspots for school and I used mine for work e-mails. Unfortunately, the mares did not drink while in the trailer and we were concerned about Gin when we arrived at our overnight. she unloaded and basically laid down. She acted like a person who was lost at sea for 30 days and had finally found land! We gave her Banamine as a precaution; however, we think she was simply exhausted. Pippa and Breezy were pretty nervous and took a while to settle in. We went to dinner (with the trailer in downtown Salina) and then let the mares run around the indoor arena. 

Two funny stories:
  1. When the turbo in the Ram kicked in, Matalyn yelled out "Jet Mode". We now have to say "Jet Mode" whenever it kicks in.
  2. We brought water jugs from home for the horses while on the road. There was a larger cap and a much smaller airhole. Instead of using the larger cap opening, Montana opened the airhole and was filling the bucket with a very small stream of water. I was wondering what was taking so long!    

February 2 - Day 2. We left Salina a little after 8 am and filled up 3 times in Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico; our total fuel bill $177. We were mostly on 2-lane roads (not interstates), but the speed limit was usually 65 to 75 mph. We went through several small towns and saw some gigantic feedlots (maybe 10,000+ cattle) and a construction worker peeing along the side of the road (for all to see). We stayed over at Rochin Horse Ranch in Stanley, NM. The mares had outdoor runs and the facility was very nice ($100 for runs and trailer hook up).  We traveled about 600 miles in total and were on the road for about 11 hours. The mares did not drink again; however, when we unloaded them they finally drank. They seemed in better shape after this leg of the trip.

A not-so-fun story: We have a neighbor clean our house monthly. She called that morning saying we had no water in our house. Seriously - we've been home for the past 11 months and the day after we leave town we have no water? Our main concern was making sure our animals had water. Fortunately, the couple doing chores are awesome and our "well guy" lives a few houses down. It turns out our well pump was going out and took out the pressure tank and another switch. Between our well guy and the neighbors doing chores, they had it all fixed and water to the animals within 24 hours. We are very thankful for wonderful and capable neighbors and friends!

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