Stu was up before dawn. He knew the risks and what was at stake today. He started the coffee and went to the stables. He did a close inspection on Charlie. He started at the head and finished with the feet. When he was confident that Charlie was healthy, he saddled him up. He then did the same with Hector.
Ellen woke up at first light and smelled the coffee. Ellen really liked that Stu was focused on today's mission, but that he still thought about things like coffee. Ellen walked into the kitchen and found two mugs on the counter. Stu was thoughtful. Mark never did things like that for her. Ellen smiled; her dad had done things like this for her mom.
Ellen went to the front window just in time to see Stu tie the horses up to the post in front of the house. They were saddled and loaded with equipment. Ellen brought Stu a cup of coffee, and they drank them on the front porch.
When they were done, Ellen grabbed the food bag, and Stu helped her secure it. Their trek had begun. They rode out and around the lake. It was a beautiful morning. It was about ten degrees cooler than the previous few days, and a light breeze moved the air. Finding the road wasn't difficult, it stood out against the untouched terrain.
They were a couple of miles down the road, and off of the property when Stu stopped. Hector snorted and then backed up and snorted again. He wasn't happy. Stu dismounted and grabbed the rifle from its scabbard. He walked up to the creek and knelt down.
"Animal tracks." Said Stu informing Ellen of the situation.
Stu walked down the creek for about another hundred feet before stopping and kneeling again. He stayed down for a few moments before getting up and returning to Ellen.
"What's is it Stu?"
"Probably a black bear. It left claw marks above the pads. If it were a cat, there wouldn't be claws, cats retract theirs."
"Is it dangerous?" Said Ellen worried, and relieved that Stu had the presence of mind to bring the rifle.
"Only if it has cubs or we corner it. It's moving along the creek, and I didn't see any other tracks. I think it's foraging."
"Are you sure it won't hurt us?" Asked Ellen.
"No, can't be sure of anything in the wild. But it's just a bear, doing what bears do. probably won't be an issue. Ellen was glad that Hector was in the lead. Hector was a seasoned trail horse.
They continued for another mile and a half when they saw it, the burned-out skeleton of a vehicle. The vehicle was right in the middle of the road, effectively blocking their ability to reach the highway with the stake-bed truck. Stu told Ellen to hold back about fifty yards away and carefully approached. Starting about twenty feet away, Stu circled the vehicle and was looking for clues that could help him put a timeline on when the vehicle was left there.
There hadn't been any rain since Stu and Ellen had been at the camp, and the tracks hadn't been rained on. Stu dismounted and left his own comparison tracks in the dirt to examine. All three sets of tracks looked clear and similar. Stu couldn't put an exact timeline on the tracks, but figured they were recent. Stu put his track down next to each of the sets of tracks and measured the difference. One looked like an athletic shoe; it was slightly bigger than Stu's size eleven. The other track looked like a boot sole and was slightly smaller. He couldn't be sure, but his guess was that the tracks were left by two men in the last week, maybe more recently.
Stu and Ellen continued on their trek, but more slowly. Stu was following the tracks when he could. After about half an hour, they came to the highway. The two sets of tracks had walked out to the highway and disappeared. The highway was deserted. There wasn't a vehicle moving in either direction. Stu rode Hector about a half mile in each direction until he found a mile marker. That would be helpful when he spoke to the Highway Patrol or the Sheriff's Department.
When they were satisfied that they had learned everything they could, Stu and Ellen worked their way back down the fire road past the wreck to a spot where they could eat their lunch. They found a high spot with a large oak tree for shade and a good view of the valley.
Lunch was peaceful, and Stu and Ellen enjoyed the quiet solitude of their surroundings. It was so quiet and peaceful that neither Stu nor Ellen wanted to leave. After a half hour break, Stu broke the silence.
"I think we should go back to the ranch. I want to talk to the authorities about the wreck and see if they can get a tow truck in there to remove it."
Ellen didn't want to leave their picnic site, but after a few minutes, she accepted that Stu's plan was the smart way to go. They didn't have to leave the ranch but ensuring that they had a way out just made sense.
The trip back to the house was uneventful and very pleasant. Before departing their picnic spot, Ellen pulled Charlie up to Hector and gave Stu a kiss from horseback. It was a first for her. Had the circumstances been different, she would have stripped Stu down and ridden him on the blanket. The thought of riding Stu in the great outdoors combined with the saddle rubbing her clit drove Ellen nuts.
"We need to go a little faster if the horses can take it."
"Why, what's wrong?" Asked Stu, with genuine concern in his voice.
