This cowgirl definitely doesn't have the blues!

All my childhood cowgirl fantasies were realized this week in Durango. I used to want to be Roy Rogers (never Dale - what a wimp!) or Hopalong Cassidy... riding horses uphill at a breakneck pace, or chasing the bad guys across the desert. Luckily for the grown-up me, we spent two days with our friends Ben and Birgitta, their son Sam, their five horses, three dogs and two cats, on a fabulous spread in Bayfield, just outside Durango, Colorado. Heaven on earth for fantasy cowgirls! I got to ride bareback (a first) and then charge up and down hills (after a minor meltdown) just like in the movies.

Dick had a small mishap when his horse, Spirit, decided to run under a tree - but we decided that the scar looks very distinguished - kind of like a dueling scar, don't you think? (See photo). Luckily, he's a very good and calm rider, so no bolting or serious excitement.

Ben is a childhood friend of Dick's - they spent many happy hours gossiping about everyone they've known since grade school... and Birgitta taught me so much while we hung out happily with the herd. We went to Sam's track meet (they almost set a school record!), visited the hot springs in charming Pagosa Springs - and the guys solved all the world's problems, from the stock market to potential new sources of energy.

Then we drove on two-lane "blue highways" through the Rockies to Boulder - breathtaking in terms of scenery and in terms of oncoming cars. Safely at the Stuckeys - Happy Trails to You!