July 4, 2006
And then it all came together beautifully: The sun came out, the walkway broadened and ...

more ponies!

This sheet to the left is posted near the gates, and explains a bit more about why the ponies are present. 

I saw a brown solo one standing right in the path from a distance (see next picture) and began to wonder if he might get aggressive. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about, even when he walked directly at me ... and started grazing.

Beautiful coloring, beautifully tempered animals. This one brown one had a split hoof that needed looking at, but he didn't seem in pain or anything, just like a woman with a hangnail. 

I stuck around and took way more photos than was necessary, because this really was the highlight of my trip.
Greeted on the path. For a bit I wondered if this was the same pony I'd seen earlier -- he's not in the first set of pictures, but there was one caramel colored one like this and a series of darker ones which did make it in the pictures -- and I imagined he'd found a shortcut and actually galloped ahead of me. But no -- it turned out this was just a second set, and I got what I feel like are perfect calendar-ready shots.
So much grazing, so little time.
Ponies on a hill. Snakes on a plane. I know which one I'd prefer.
Still more ponies! And, below, a typical fence with acorn indicating that this is the path.