Stop...listen...is that what I think it is?  Oh, yeah, it is...I hear the truck hooking on to my mule trailer. Yee-haw!  My humans are taking me on vacation again. Where are we going? I just never know where the road will lead with Bob at the wheel.

Well, Libby and I are loaded. On our trailer table there is hay and grain for us to munch on while we are moving.  We are rolling along smoothly and I notice another truck and trailer dropping in behind us. I know who that is...it’s my horse friends Sonny and Fancy. Sonny and Fancy have pretty cool humans, Danny and Donna Dunn from Murray, Ky. I like to ride with Fancy, she reminds me of a time in my young life when I was running by my Mom’s side.

We must be wherever we are going. What kind of place is this? The side of the road? Well, I don’t like this trail! No, false alarm. Danny is on the side of the road changing a tire. Sonny later told me there was a really loud “bang” under his hooves.

OK, going again. Woo, close call. My mule ear’s are popping, we must be in the mountains. Good grief we must be a long way from home. Yes, after six hours of riding I think we must be there. Where ever “there” is!

The sign says Stampede Run. Stampede Run is owned by Richard and Darlene Hensley from Whitley City, Ky. The horse camp is located in scenic McCreary County in southern Kentucky. Stampede Run is one of or maybe even the best private horse camps that I have ever had the pleasure to visit. Rick and Darlene are wonderful camp owners, making you feel like family. Stampede Run offers trails linking to the Sheltowee Trace National Trail and the Barren Fork Horse Trails.  They have 24 campsites with water and electric hookups, 26 stalls and shower houses. Stampede Run is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest on Beulah Heights Road off US 27 in Whitley City.  There is a wash bay for Libby and myself to have a shower, eat some of that green lush grass and then retire to our roomy stalls for a night of rest before tomorrow’s big ride. 

Tack is out and on. Darlene is here to be today’s trail boss. I am thinking that Bob and Brenda have taken me and Libby to the tropics. The Mountain Laurel is blooming in the forest. The ground is covered in rich green fern. The weather is humid and the birds are singing. I am pretty sure that I have died and gone to mule heaven. This place is beautiful! The terrain features dozens of waterfalls and arches, along with cliff lines and streams that are truly breath taking. The trails offer lots of rock houses, the historical Sheltowee Trace, and riding were 400 coal miners used to live and work. Did I happen to mention already that this place is BEAUTIFUL?

I packed Brenda around all morning, and at about 1 p.m., I needed a break. Darlene stopped us for lunch at a huge boulder formation that had a rock overhang. As it turned out, it’s a good thing that we stayed there. A dark cloud came over, along with high winds, thunder, lightning and a gully washer rain.

After the rain stopped we headed off again. The creeks were rushing from the rain.  I had to go through speeding water. Oh, I don’t know so much about this. I stalled about knee deep to reassess this situation. With a few sweet words and a bit of encouragement from Brenda I started on again. First I was knee deep, then the water got chest deep then, whoo-woo, I was swimming.

The rest of the ride was uneventful until Sonny lost a shoe. Danny walked for a while leading my limping friend. So, I guess you know who had to save the day. Of course, it was ME! Super Molly Shakespear to the rescue. Brenda didn’t know if I rode double or not, but sure enough, after five to 10 times of Donna laughing and trying to get her foot in the stirrup, she got on my rump behind Brenda. I had to strut around in my little Tennessee Walker gait to show off, then I packed them off.

Back to the BAD storm. The storm was so bad that trees fell over the trails. Bob and Danny had to lead all of us over one of the fallen trees. It was fun for us mules to jump chest high trees that were down over the trails. We could have jumped over with our humans on us but they were too chicken (or maybe too old) to stay on us. 

Rick, Darlene and friends have done a good job of opening and maintaining some spectacular trails. They will be busy for some time cleaning up after this storm.

When at last we got back to Stampede Run Campground, we were met and greeted by Sheriff Gus Skinner. Sheriff Skinner is a close friend of Rick and Darlene. He was aware that we were out on the trails riding. Sheriff Skinner just wanted to make sure that we returned to camp safely. Now that is what I call true southern hospitality. Sheriff Skinner was for real a cowboy sheriff...tall, handle bar mustache, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat, which he tips as he stands to greet the ladies. Just like everything else at Stampede Run, his manners were pretty impressive.

I noticed Sheriff Skinner checking me out.  After all I am a pretty mule and I know it. I heard the Sheriff telling my human, Bob, “You know Bob, that’s a really nice little mule.  I am going to give you two choices...you either give me that mule or I am going to take your wife to jail!”

“Well, ha!,” Bob said. “I sure am going to miss Brenda!” My human Bob and the rest of the guys thought that was pretty funny. Bob didn’t think it was quite as funny when he had to sleep in the mule house with me. He could have stayed in the dog house, it was empty. The dog slept with Brenda.

We are going to do some more trail riding before heading back to western Kentucky. I have got to tell all my mule buddies one thing before we go home: on a scale of 1 to 10, I give Stampede Run Campground a BIG 10 for hospitality, trails and accommodations.  Please do yourself a favor and include Stampede Run in your vacations plans, you won’t be sorry.  My humans, Libby, and I will for sure return to Stamped Run, if not sooner we will be there in the fall for the changing of leaf colors. We hope to see you there and maybe ride with you. For more information on Stampede Run call (606) 376-9666 or visit www.stampederun.com

If any of you campground owners want us to visit your campground and give you the “Molly Shakespear Rating,” get in touch with us at lovemymule@gmail.com  I would love to bring my humans and visit with you.

Happy Trails,

Molly Shakespear