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8/13/09, Clare, MI - Sadly, we left the McDonald Farm this morning and made our way northward. All morning long people were stopping to chat and take pictures. The way everyone was coming up to us, I thought we had been teleported into the south.
Most of the day we spent crossing the Isabella Indian Reservation; however, I never did see a Native American. I’m told they exist, but I think they were hiding today. We had an exceptional welcome in the town of Rosebush. First, we stopped at the grain elevator and picked up some oats. Then, we swung by the post office to meet the postman. Some other folks waylaid us and chatted for a while.
Lunch was a few miles north of town. While we were there, a reporter and videographer from Channel 9 & 10 (CBS) stopped by to interview us. I took the camera woman on a short wagon ride and got her some action shots. I even broke the lads into a lope for a short bit.
On the way to Clare, we also did an interview with the local newspaper.
I stopped at the bank in Clare and noticed that Bill was slightly favoring his left front hoof. As I was leaving the town to the north, I saw it was starting to worsen, so I pulled over and unhitched them to take a look at it. I pulled the shoe and checked him for a gravel, but couldn’t find anything. His temperature was normal, so my guess is a stone bruise.
We found a home for the night about a 1/4 mile up the road. The lads have plenty of grass, so I think I’ll ask my host if we can stay over an extra day. They’ve traveled the last four days straight, so they’re due for a day off anyway. As he’s walking around the grass tonight, he’s not favoring the leg. If it’s the same tomorrow, I’ll pare down the inside of the hoof a bit and see if I can open a bruise.
It was definitely a fun and interesting day. But, also one that left me a little concerned for Bill’s foot.
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