Riding the Ridge

The early morning sun cast a golden glow over the rugged hills of the ranch as Badger and Yote rode their horses along the ridge, surveying their land. The air was crisp, and the only sound was the soft clop of hooves on the dirt trail and the occasional lowing of cattle in the distance. Their expansive mountain ranch spread out below them, a sea of rolling hills, deep valleys, and rocky outcrops. From their high vantage point, they could see for miles, all the way to the horizon.

Yote, sitting tall on his horse, gazed out at the land. “It never gets old, does it, Badger? All this space, all this quiet.”

Badger, his hat tipped low to shield his eyes from the sun, nodded. “Nope. Every day feels like the first time we saw it.”

They rode in companionable silence for a while, the rhythm of their horses carrying them through the morning. Eventually, Yote broke the quiet with a grin. “Speaking of things that never get old... I’ve got a riddle for you.”

Badger chuckled, adjusting his reins. “Go ahead, Yote. What’ve you got this time?”

Yote grinned wider, always ready with a challenge. “Using only addition, you’ve got to add eight 8s to get 1,000. Think you can do it?”

Badger scratched his chin, looking out over the horizon. “Eight 8s to get 1,000, huh? Sounds tricky, but I’ll take a shot.”

They continued riding, the puzzle hanging in the air between them like a challenge waiting to be cracked. Badger’s mind churned through the possibilities as they followed the winding trail deeper into the mountains.

“First step’s gotta be getting as close as possible without going over,” Badger said aloud, thinking through it.

Yote laughed. “You’re on the right track, partner. Keep going.”

🧠 This riddle demonstrates the importance of breaking down problems step by step. Sometimes, even a complex puzzle can be simplified by focusing on the first key step, just like Badger and Yote planning their daily tasks on the ranch. It’s all about getting as close to the answer as possible and working out the details from there—a lesson that applies whether you're wrangling cattle or wrangling numbers.