Mystery Solved.

The last few weeks, I've been quite puzzled. Confused actually, and on a mission to solve the mystery of the horses. Let me explain. I have been seeing these huge horse trailers very regularly. They are the size of semi trailers and have low windows across each side, they look like livestock trailers only you can't see in them. Example:



So they are like the above picture because you can't see inside, but they are much bigger, with cattle truck-like windows--small and oval, only blackened out like the above picture. Actually, the windows look more like an airplane...low and in a line. So yeah. Combine these three pictures and there you go.





These horses, or cattle I suppose, are living in luxury. I would see these trucks during the day and often at night. When it's dark, it's hard to miss because they light up like a Christmas tree...or those Coke semis in the commercials. But here's my problem. You may know I grew up on a farm, and thus have a pretty decent knowledge of all things livestock. My astute attention to all things mysterious immediately brought to my attention three big issues:

#1. Where are all the animals? In my investigation of the base, I had yet to run into the place where people could board their animals. On Leavenworth there were a lot of people who had horses and boarded them on base. It was right up the road from Josh's office, and not hard to find. They had barns and corrals and horse riding trails, not to mention the poop on the roads where horses were allowed.

Which led me to issue
#2. No smells. Now if there's one thing you can recognize without fail after growing up on farm it's livestock smells. You don't mistake sewage, or a skunk, or road kill, for farm animals. My nose was missing some key information. Where in the world?! If these trailers were going by my house very regularly and turning in across the street...how come I never smelled anything?

Now, the reason I couldn't solve this mystery was because of issue
#3. Misinformation. Josh and I were driving an exploratory route of the base the other night and we happened to be following a trailer for a couple of blocks. I thought to myself, I am going to solve this horse mystery right here and now! The semi/trailer turned off into an area that I still don't know what it is...looks like part of a subdivision to me, but I haven't been up there yet, and parked on the side of the road. WHAT?! So I asked Josh, "What are those horse trailers doing parked there". And he said, "That must be where they live." Ok, that makes sense...what? I immediately assumed he meant the drivers. Turns out, Josh really wasn't listening to me and had no idea what I had asked him. He actually doesn't remember it at all. Go figure.

So, now I'm really on the lookout for the stables. They have to be somewhere, one of the drivers lives right up the road (as Josh led me to believe- inadvertently, but still), I was going to find the horses.

Finally yesterday, in my frustration, I pointed out the window at one driving by and asked Josh, "Where in the world are all the horses on this base!??! I can't figure it out!!" "Uhhh Erin, those are called Troop Movers. Soldiers are in there."

Oops. Well, excuse me, they looked like horse trailers. Not to mention that whole companies of soldiers walk past our house everyday, and they have camo-buses all over! Gotta love the bluebirds. Wow. ha ha ha. So, I guess I don't feel so bad about not making that connection, I guess you have to learn something new everyday.