August

August 3 – 9, 2003: Posse Week

SILVER CITY DAILY PRESS
DAILY PRESS
!!!*EXTRA*EXTRA* !!!
Fearless Frank Spotted Rangers Return

Rumors had been going around for weeks that Fearless Frank was back in the Gila country, from Horse Springs to the Black Range sightings had been coming in to this reporter. At first they seemed so strange that they couldn’t have been true, reports that he was now riding with an all female gang. These reports were confirmed last night when our illustrious Capt. Bates showed up in town late last night. He too had heard the reports and after gathering some information on his ride down he told this reporter that all the rumors were accurate. Fearless Frank is indeed in the high country with a gang of women. He let it be known Wildcats is the term, which would be more accurate to describe them.

It seems three known miscreants from the state of brotherly love have fled out west and joined up with Fearless. They leave behind a reputation none of the female persuasion should be proud to carry. From pick pocketing, and flim flam to out right robbery and murder they have traveled all the pathways on the wrong side of the law and gracious living. These three dirty doves are simply known as Psycho Sylvia, Mischievous Michelle, and Troublesome Tina. Of course along side Fearless is his gal Hoot-n-Anna whom has been there some months now.

Capt. Bates sent the word over the wire for able bodied, fast gunmen hunters to join him and once again several ill-advised men answered the call to join up as Rangers. They include Mad Mike Davey from New York. A man of good reputation who for the last thirty years has been dealing with the dark side of that fine city.

A father and son team consisting of young Matt and Kirk Barton who were lured from upstate New York with a promise of adventure and a tempting reward. They are known as good honest men who happen to be handy with a weapon.

Alan Rosenfield came over the border from the Arizona territory to join up. There is some speculation as to the reason behind his haste leaving the east coast some years ago but in this case we will let by gones be just that.

As per usual Loco Lyndsey Hobson is present and accounted for with what seems to be a grudge. Of course we have written too many times of the attempts by the Rangers to bring fearless Frank down but this time all good citizens of the country are feeling that this may be the end of the scourge which as held our gentle country rapt for the past years. Our wishes and hopes for Godspeed and sure shots go with our valiant Rangers.

SILVER CITY
DAILY PRESS
!!!*EXTRA*EXTRA*!!!
GOOD NEWS FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY

News just reached this office from the headwaters of the Gila that the Rangers have been successful in sending Fearless Frank and his gang scurrying from the mountain tops. The rangers spent the first days searching the country for the outlaws. They quickly found their camp only to find it empty. The trails were clear of sign and the horizon clear of riders. It wasn’t until Wednesday night that the Rangers found the camp occupied. The outlaws had built substantial barricades around the cabin and the Rangers soon found the situation not in good favor. The loss of two men persuaded them to withdraw for a better opportunity later.

Thursday was spent keeping a check on the camp and doing more riding in hopes of catching the outlaws on the trail and away from the defenses of the camp. It was a quiet day.

Friday the outlaws were up in the wee hours of the day with the plan to get the outlaws as they slumbered comfortably in their bedrolls. In the starlight it was discovered that the outlaw horses were standing outside the corrals paying the posse horses a visit. It was assumed that the gang were close at hand and everyone went into action for the expected attack. Meanwhile at the outlaw camp Fearless and his gals woke to find empty corrals. The fence down and sign of horses leaving at a run. They naturally assumed the Rangers had stolen all the mounts. Tempers hot and attitudes bad they set out with vengeance on their minds. Fearless arrived first and made a one-man attack on the camp, he found himself an empty cabin and locked himself in. The rangers went on the offensive, three keeping fearless bottled up and the rest on the scout for the other outlaws. A half hour later they were spotted approaching camp and plans were made. Gunfire erupted and echoed along the canyon as the rangers welcomed the outlaws. Stiff return fire was the answer and the conversation lasted close to an hour. When the smoke cleared all the gang members were headed to another world. When Fearless realized the demise of his gang he made a break for it, Mean Mike Davey from N.Y. had been waiting under the cabin for an hour for Frank to make this decision. He stuck a gun to the surprised outlaw leaders head and ended it right there. The Rangers lost two of their own during the conflict, Sgt. Hobson and young Pvt. Barton where killed in the main cabin by amazing marksmanship aimed by Fearless from his cabin. Both went down heroically. But it is the price paid to wipe out an entire outlaws gang.

Promotions went to now Sgt. Davey for his exemplary service throughout the week. And also to now Corporal Barton the Sr. for his coolness under fire when out gunned facing two outlaws he brought them both down. Pvt. Rosenfield is mentioned for his good service and determination.

We all can breath easier now thanks to the service of these fine Rangers. We hope Fearless will take it as a lesson learned and stay away from the Gila from now on. But we all should continue to keep a restless eye open, as we know he is like a consumptive cough and will probably return.

August 10-16, 2003: No Guests

Saturday, August 9, 2003
Lyndsey took the crew back to Albq. Frank spent the day breaking down the tents and getting the rest of the stuff from the camps. I spent the day working on the generator so I can call Lyndsey with a parts list. We are down to about 500 gallons of water in the storage tanks. I spent all day taking apart that Japanese engineering, ranch rigged it back together minus an exhaust and muffler. The problem was the old one was clogged beyond cleaning and causing a restriction. It’s loud but pumping water. I had to stop for a while when a thunderhead came over and threw a lot of lightning around. I was working under a 40 foot steel well tower and felt a bit vulnerable.

Hi 78 light afternoon showers, lo 49.

Sunday, August 10, 2003
I drove to Snow Lake checking cattle and salt on Gilita ridge as I went. Spotted a small one-acre fire on the ridge that must have started yesterday. There were a few cattle in the camp ground that I’ll go get in the morning. There are at least 200 head around the lake area and over a hundred unbranded calves. We will do those the last week of the month when the next crew of guests is here to help. We’ll camp at Snow Tank and have a good time of it.
I dropped off some salt in a few places and then came home and worked on the pasture fence around the guest corral. The elk have just about destroyed it getting in for the horse salt.

Hi 76 sunny till late afternoon, no rain, lo 50.

Monday, August 11, 2003
I rode out to Elladean Tank to check the horses out there. The tank is really low and there’s a bunch of downed wire in the mud and water. The horses love to wade out and I worry one will get tangled up. I rode about five hours and an only saw 17 horse in three bunches, none near Elladeane.
When I got home I spent the rest of the day getting tax stuff organized, always puts me in a bad mood.
Frank got back from a weekend seeing his folks and went to Az. to get a load of lumber we will use to repair more of the boardwalk and to start the base for reroofing my house next month. Lyndsey got back from Albq. late in the day with generator parts and a 200 dollar muffler. I didn’t even take it out of the box. Hell I could get a muffler for my truck for less than that. We’ll just deal with a loud generator.

Hi 78 cloudy most of the day with light rain over night. Things are a lot greener than just a week ago but it’s still the least spectacular August I have ever seen.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Frank left with Anna to visit her folks in Idaho for a week. Lyndsey rode Gambler to Elladeane and back past Little Fenced Spring. When she got to Elladeane there were 13 horses there so she pushed them over the ridge to T Bar Valley where the grass is thick and the water flowing in the stream. I trailered Doc to Snow Lake, along the way I saw the fire on Gilita ridge had spread to about a hundred acres, just creeping along taking out the brush. I unloaded at the lake and real quick got the cattle out of the campground then rode the fence around it and found a huge hole the elk had busted down. As Doc and I were riding along the shore of the lake we came to a little inlet that was teaming with trout. They had the water churning and roiling, fish jumping everywhere. We sat and watched for a few minuets and saw some really nice fish. I guess there must have been some kinda bug hatch going on though I couldn’t see any bugs.
Then we rode through all the cattle around there just looking things over.
Hi 80 lo 47, no rain.

Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Maggie had gone to Silver City yesterday and came home with a ton of salt we unloaded to get the day going. Then we gathered trash that had been piling up for weeks with the fire restrictions. We had a light rain over night so it was a great time to burn the dump, we had a heck of a fire going for a while.
After lunch Lyndsey and I went to Snow Lake and fixed fence there then came back and fixed some more around the H.Q. that pretty much took up the day.
Rained mid morning and then 1/4 inch of hail during lunch,

Hi only 68 after a low of 46.

Friday, August 15, 2003
I am writing this from camp out on Loco Mt. I’ve been here since yesterday noon. It is about an hour drive from H.Q. due east in Loco Mtn. pasture. Camp is above the trailhead campground and corrals, near Big Loco tank. The area gets its name from an Apache chief named “Loco” who stomped around this area. In the 1880’s, I believe about ‘82; he was being pursued by a patrol of the 10th cavalry through here. About a half mile above me in the rocks of the saddle of the mountain he caught them in an ambush. Seven troopers were killed but Loco was mortally wounded dying the next morning. The troopers were buried there in the saddle on the mountain, the Apache brought Loco back and set him under an Alligator Juniper tree to overlook his last battle. {Story told to me by Quentin Hulse, old-time mountain man and friend who just died last year}.
Yesterday between rain showers Lyndsey and I loaded wire, posts, tools and camp gear to fix the wilderness boundary fence out there. I got my classic old camper going and cleaned out and headed out here. She drove the camper and I drove a truck with Doc and Gambler on board. We didn’t want to drag along a packhorse for the splice and wire work so I took an old rubber door mat and cut it to the shape of a large saddlebag. This I tied on and then tied several small spools of barbed wire. I hung the fence stretchers the same way you would carry a rifle on the right side, I also had on board my pliers, staples, stay wire and small saw. We headed out riding east along the fence. This pasture is shaped almost like Texas. So we started in Amarillo, rode along the Oklahoma border to Louisiana, then south past Houston and Galveston till we got to Brownsville. It was 7pm by then so we cut across country to camp. We repaired a heck of a lot of holes. Up and down off our horses dozens and dozens of times, often only going a hundred yards before another hole. But it was great to be out; the country is so green it’s amazing. Folks who were here just two weeks ago would not believe the difference. Looking out from camp here I have a 75 mile view into the Gila Wilderness, it is golf course green, dotted with Ponderosa pine, and Juniper, then ten miles out is the Middle fork river canyon and beyond the mountains stacked upon each other till they reach almost 11,000 feet. It is incredible. You have to see it to believe it.
The horses loved the day, walk a little, eat a little. Little smart ass Doc soon figured it out, whenever there was an elk crossing or low spot he’d head to it and stop. Even if I didn’t think it needed fixing he did. There were thunderheads all around but no rain fell on us.

Hi was only 62 with a low of 44. Mostly cloudy

When we got back to camp Lyndsey headed home not wanting to be away from her old dog. I bedded the horses and sat by the fire a couple hours listening to the coyotes and smelling the damp world, just as the sun went down the elk started flowing into Big Loco tank for a drink. By the time it was too dark to see there were over three hundred spread out in the meadow around the tank. I live in paradise but sometimes I still need to get out away from the house, get another view of it, to remind myself how damn lucky I am.
This morning I woke to light rain pattering on the camper roof, it was hard to get out of the sleeping bag, it was chilly. Looking out the window I saw the horses looking in, the guilt got me out of bed. After they were taken care of I made some coffee and had some oatmeal, then took a cup and let the horses loose to graze in the meadow. It was only 6am and Lyndsey wouldn’t be here till 9am, another great day to be a horse. It was wet and chilly, the horses breath was seen as they munched huge mouthfuls of lush grass, sometimes the clouds strung themselves through the trees which were just dark shapes in the wet grey world. It felt like fall.
Lyndsey arrived late as usual, but that was fine with me. I’d had a great morning. Just as we saddled up the sun burned through and blue sky was overhead. We loaded our stuff up and headed south to where we left off yesterday. It was more of the same, up and down, splice, tighten, cut stays, wire this, wire that. But it was good. Midday a huge thunder storm raged on Canyon creek Mountain 3 miles away across S.S. Basin. We were level with the top and the lightning was awesome. The rain poured, you could see the columns of white hail coming down. Glad I wasn’t over there! We got wind and lots of it twisting off that storm. It was cold and blustery. Late afternoon it looked like we were going to get it but the storm died out just a mile in front of us. Later in the day Lyndsey pointed to a fence post an there at the bottom was a baby elk curled up, just born which is very late. I swung down and petted it, checked and found it to be a bull. I have never seen one born this late and as we rode long there was not an elk anywhere around. I think Momma knew it was to late and left it. If we had been closer to camp I would have brought him along. I have wanted to raise a bull elk and teach it to ride, I could steer it with its horns. Well half the year anyway. It was another long day, got into camp at 7pm.

Hi 60 lo 42

Saturday, August 16, 2003
Another long day fixing fence, out at 8am back in at 7pm. Another day of thunderstorms but none got us, a few drizzles but not enough to put on the slickers. When we got into camp we loaded it all up and moved it to Snow tank where we will work out of that camp for the next several weeks. I’m looking forward to that, the camp sits in Snow Canyon next to Snow tank, a beautiful spring fed pond of deep water edged by cattails and ponderosa pine. Got back to H.Q. just before dark.

Hi 68 lo 40

August 17-23, 2003: No Guests

Sunday, August 17, 2003
Light early morning rain kept me in the office a few hours, then it was out to repair a couple things around the guest camp. A new wood door handle on the saddle house, repair the ramp into the saddle house, fix the light in the men’s shower house, replace a few boards in the boardwalk, defrost one refrigerator.

After lunch I pulled the top off the old Toyota Fourrunner making it into a pickup and cut plywood to fit the back of the cab closing it off from the elements. It’s my new fence buggy now. More rain late in the day. That was my Sunday.

Hi 63, lo 41

Monday, August 18, 2003
I took my new fence buggy out to Loco Pasture and started working the north and east fences. It worked out really well. It’s handy as a four-wheeler but more powerful and has a roof. I worked a lot of damage from the fire and covered not too many miles.

Rain was all around me but once again I didn’t ever have to slicker up.

Hi 66, lo 43

Tuesday, August 19, 2003
I was back out in Loco pasture working fence again. Rebuilt two gates and put salt all around Loco Mtn. there sure is some great feed in that country. I put all the salt a half-mile apart up high in the meadows. The grass is knee high, but there’s no water up there, one lousy leaky bottom tank that’s dry. So I hope the cattle will water at Snow Lake and Big Loco Tank and then chase the salt up where the good feed is. I had seen cattle tracks yesterday out there and more new ones today. As I came into a small bowl below the Twin tanks I found 14 cows and 14 calves enjoying life. They had been going thru one of the gates I rebuilt and watering at T Bar tank in 7HL pasture. I now had closed them off so I’ll ride out there tomorrow and push them to Big Loco Tank.

On the drive home I ran into heavy fog from an inch of hail when I got to Burnt Cabin, as I covered the three miles home it got wetter and foggier. There was water running down the road and in every draw. When I came down the drive into H.Q. I had to start laughing; the water ran over every tank and was washing out the driveway. It was running twenty feet wide and six inches deep. Yahoooo! Thousands of gallons of it went on down the valley. I had to stop, watch and wish I could only catch it all. The tanks Cassady and I cleaned in the pastures are full with the new dams cut through. It was actually too much water to settle the dams but hey I won’t complain. I just hope some of it got out into Loco and Canyon creek and filled up those tanks there.

Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Lyndsey and I went to Snow Canyon and set up camp there getting ready for next weeks branding. We put up two wall tents and four range teepees. We had to spend about an hour sitting out a heavy rain that ran water. That was pretty much the whole day. Not too exciting, just a lot of work.

Frank made it home from Idaho where he went to meet Anna’s parents. I expect wedding bells soon.

Hi 63 lo 44

Thursday, August 21, 2003
A good day with a great horse. Doc and I trailered out to Loco pasture and went hunting the cattle I had seen there Tuesday. We found a lot more than I had bargained for, 34 cows and 27 calves scattered along the south side of T Bar Ridge. It took almost an hour of hard work getting them gathered up, then another three hours moving them to water at Big Loco tank. They were really stupid but Doc was awesome. He was all over the place working his butt off. After we got them on water we loaded up and went to Snow Lake and rode the canyon country around there. Yesterday we had only seen about 40 of the 200 head that had been around there. I found cattle scattered all over the rough canyon and sandstone cliff country where they were hunting up good feed. I had thought it was going to be an easy gather next week for branding but now seems like it will be a lot of riding to get them all back.

Frank went to Fence Tank and loaded up a bunch of panels to build a branding pen at Snow canyon. Lyndsey spent the day cleaning the guest camp. Maggie was busy as usual in her studio. Heavy rain during the night.

Hi 68, lo 42

Friday, August 22, 2003
Today was just one of those August days that makes ya glad to be alive. Deep blue skies, a few thunderheads drifting around, a soft breeze and cool enough for a light vest. I saddled up Gambler early and headed out on a horse hunt. For the past two weeks 34 of our horses have been out livin’ the good life in 7HL pasture. 12,000 acres of fresh green grass covering the rolling hills, water flowing in every canyon and draw. Gambler was fresh and feeling good after four days off and set a brisk walk out. We found seven horses about 40 minutes out and pushed them into the north trap, coming all the way at a trot. They behaved like perfect little angels, lining out and giving me no problem at all. We headed back out after getting them in and found another bunch of seven an hour out up on Feathery Mesa. It was all the two and three year olds. I didn’t want to take them all the way back so I pushed them about a mile and down off the edge of the mesa and watched them run and buck out across T Bar Valley towards T Bar Tank. I went farther east and an hour later was within sight of Fence Tank at the east side of the pasture, and hadn’t seen a sign of the other horses. I was missing all the fillies and mares and all the geldings who thought they weren’t geldings. I was riding along the top of the valley so I could get a good view all around, I came to the crest above a little draw and there below was a Hollywood shot. Scattered along the draw and the creek running through it where twenty horses grazing knee deep in thick grass. They had their heads down and you could just see ears sticking out. Gambler stood majestically on the rim and whinnied out to them. All heads popped up and oh I wish I’d had a camera.

Gambler and I took a step off the rim and started down. The horses wheeled and broke down the draw at a run out into T Bar Valley. We loped along at good distance back as they were headed the right towards T Bar Tank. It was a wonderful two-mile run down the valley, the horses wheeling and kicking as they tore their way along. The stream in the valley winds back and forth and was full with big pools of water. The herd would bound and jump over the stream and splash through the big pools. Gambler and I were having as much fun as they were. He is a great jumper and loves doing it, every stream crossing he took like a pro. I use to ride steeplechase horses when I was young, loved it, loved the adrenaline rush. This was the next best thing, well better really. A smart horse under me, great country, perfect day and as much excitement as I need now that I’m a bit older. We got about a half mile from the tank and met up with the bunch of youngsters running towards us. It was a crazy scene as they all met up, the dominant horses getting all wound up, the kids just being goofy and raising hell. They grouped up and took off at a dead run down the narrow canyon that leads to the tank. The tank sits around a bend in the canyon and as we came around it there were over a hundred elk in and around the water. They took off spraying water as the horses came running in, it was really some thing to see.

They horses settled down and milled around while I let them water, then Cooleye and W.C. decided some swimming was called for and they took off across the tank to the other side. In moments half the other horses were in the water, either swimming or just rolling around in the edge water getting a good mud bath. We stayed there about ten minuets, they were enjoying themselves too much to hurry it. Finally as I watched the clouds build I decided it was time to go. They didn’t think so. It was hard getting them out of the water; Gambler was in to his belly trying to get them out, Franks little 2 year old Cuervo was the worst. Finally Gambler bit the hell out of his ass and he decided swim time was over. Getting them up the steep slope going west was a real pain in the ass. They wanted nothing to do with that 80% grade. The trail runs along a deep cut draw that’s rocky and rough. The herd split to both side of it and Gambler had his work cut out. One half would stop on the other side and over there we would go, then the ones we had just left would stop and over there we would go. It was that way all the way to the top, that awesome horse was huffing and puffing and really working hard, but he was into it. He’s the head honcho of all horses here and he knows it and they all respect him. When we got to the top there was no encouragement needed for them to go down the other side. Tails in the air they took off at a dead run all the way down. Gambler just stood at the top catching his breath and watching. By the time we got to the bottom the lead horses were at Elladean a mile ahead of us and the rest strung out behind. They stayed pretty well lined out the last three miles home. They knew where they were going and had tired themselves out. My old mustang was in the lead with the mares all behind him and the geldings next then the juveniles bringing up the rear. We got into the trap and I left them all on the tank once again enjoying the fresh water. I got home about 2pm and took an hours break then collected up my shoeing tools. Babe and Chancy needed their shoes pulled and feet trimmed since they are bred now and won’t work again for a while. By 5pm I was done and exhausted, Chancy is a real b###h to work on and she just plain wore me out. I was in bed by 8:30pm.

Hi 65 lo 42

Saturday, August 23, 2003
I spent the morning working on a few things around H.Q. Frank was at Snow Canyon Camp finishing up the branding pen, Lyndsey went to Albq. to do the shopping and pick up some of next weeks guests.

Most of the afternoon I spent working with Doc in the arena. Tomorrow I’m taking him to his first Working Ranch Horse competition so we practiced our sliding stops, rollbacks and spins; he’s got it all down. I expect to place pretty well.

Hi 70, lo 47 light rain in the afternoon and evening.

August 24-31, 2003: Summer Ranch Week

Sunday, August 24, 2003
We were up early and headed down the road to the competition, Doc was excited and so was I. We had gone about two miles when we saw three horses on the wrong side of the fence and one on the proper side. It was Jesus who was where he should be and Creek his best buddy, and the two old guys Moses and Hondo on the wrong side. We stopped and I saw right away Hondo and Moses were scraped up with wire along their sides, as I walked over to them Creek whinnied to me and took one staggering step. My heart sank as I got closer and saw he was shredded by wire all over his body. Lots of scrapes along both sides and deep cuts on his legs, the worst was a cut above the bulbs of his heel and all around his ankle, it was really bad. He was covered in dried and fresh blood that had sprayed from severed arteries.

I loaded him up in the trailer with Doc and headed back to the house. I called my vet and told him we were on our way in and would be there in 4 hours. We cleaned him up and put a pressure wrap on his ankle, put Doc away and headed to Silver City. Any other horse I would have dealt with it at home but since it was Creek I was willing to do what ever was needed. I could tell the tendons weren’t cut but he needed a lot of stitches and a tetanus shot. 37 stitches and four hundred dollars later we were headed home getting in about 7:30pm.

The guests for the week are Roseanne from N.J. here for who knows how many times, she brought along her husband John this time. Fred from Ca. is here also; they both have been here so many times we have lost count. Mark and Katchen from Tx. Are here for second visit, then we have George from N.J. and Brian from N.H. both first timers.

Monday, August 25, 2003
Everyone headed out into 7HL to round up Ol’ Banana Horns and his gals again as well as a dozen or so horses that had gotten out there through the hole that Creek and Moses had made when they had gone through the fence. It was a long ride out there as they were way out at Fence tank. Lyndsey, Katchen and Fred ran the horses back home since they were on the best jingling horses. They had a pretty quick back home. Everyone else had a long ride home pushing Banana Horns who was doing his typical thing of running the cattle around trying to keep them from leaving. The all got home tired and understanding why we don’t carry guns with us. Each would have volunteered to pull the trigger on him. Why that S.O.B. insists on being out in 7HL I don’t understand, we put him on the best graze around but he still leads them over fences and back out.

Hi 70, lo 49, light rain here and there but nothing to slicker up about.

Tuesday, August 26, 2003
We headed out in a couple groups gathering cattle that had worked there way back into the north side of Negrito pasture. By the time we got to little Fence Spring we had about 30 head, which we pushed down the long ridge to Snow Canyon. It was a pretty easy push. We did have one bull, Otis, who tried a couple Banana Horns, tricks but he soon gave up and went along peacefully. We got into camp about 3pm and called it a day. After the long day yesterday no one complained about quitting early.

Hi 69, lo 49 thunderheads around but only slickered up once for a brief shower.

Wednesday, August 27, 2003
A nice night here in camp, everyone was up early to a perfect sunrise. We started working the cattle close in the trap and watched thunderheads build early. There were about a hundred head in several bunches scattered around the trap. We gathered a bunch of dry cows and already branded pairs and put them out into Loco Pasture. Lyndsey and Brian found a three year old cow dead along the road, first assumption is that she was hit by a car, but there were no obvious contusions nor and glass or car fragments on the road. She had a pretty big heifer calf, which was standing around bawling. Pretty fast we had a dozen pairs or so to brand and brought them up to the branding pen. Just about the time we got there the rain really came down. We sheltered up for the twenty minutes it poured then put them in the pen. They were soaked through to the skin so we left them in the pen to dry off. We went back out in the trap and started gathering up all the cattle that didn’t need branding to get them into Loco and out of our way. It rained lightly the whole time. We worked out just about everything and headed back to camp about 2pm for lunch. It stopped raining just about the time we got in and by the time we were done the calves were dry and another storm was on the way so we quick got to work. A fire going and loops flying we had the calves branded in about 45 minutes, just as it started raining again. We decided to call it a short day figuring we would just end up with wet calves again if we brought any more in. As we finished unsaddling the sky cleared up, figures.

I had been looking at that crystal clear water in the tank all-day and headed on down taking a dip cowboy style. When I got back looking and feeling good half the camp in shifts followed my lead and enjoyed the water. It’s not all the time we can finish a day’s work with a swim. Just about supper time the sky clouded and rained lightly but not enough to stop a good game of horseshoes.

Hi 70, lo 52 kinda humid when branding, about 65%.

Thursday, August 28, 2003
We were up early and in the saddle just after 8am trying to beat the rain.

We rode in three groups around the rough canyon country west of Snow Lake trying to find where all our cattle had moved. Lyndsey and Roseanne worked School House Canyon, Frank had George, Katchen, and Fred riding with him, they rode the south side of the canyons. I was in the middle with Mark and Brian. It was rough going through there, steep, timbered and kinda rocky. At one point I told the guys I really hoped we didn’t find any cattle. Just as I said it we spotted a half dozen pairs ahead of us. Fortunately they took off at a run like a bunch of deer straight down the ridge into School House. We rode along way making big loops all the way up to Gilita ridge and back again. My group saw no more cattle but we did find plenty of fresh signs. Franks crew found about 20 head near Teacher tank and had a hell of a trip down with them. Everyone said they had learned some new cuss words from Frank which they used well themselves. All in all between Franks crew and Lindsey’s they got about 40 head out of that country and into Snow lake trap. We were back in camp about 2pm for a late lunch and just as we got in it started raining. Starting out light at first but then got harder and harder causing another short day. Well short being relative, we had been in the saddle six hours and covered a lot of miles. It continued to rain over night not stopping till near daybreak.

Hi 68 lo 51.

Friday, August 29, 2003
Another early morning getting out and gathering up the unbranded pairs. We were branding by 10am and even still thunderheads built as we did. By 1pm we were done and broke camp. I loaded up the orphan calf whose mother had been killed earlier in the week and the extra horses and hauled them home. Frank and Lyndsey rode back in two groups doing a recon on the ride home looking for cattle we had missed so we would know where to ride next week. On the way I saw 20 head right where we had ridden the day before. Lyndsey saw another 15 pair at Little Fence Spring, ones we had missed on Tuesday. Franks crew made a quick trip of it as a huge storm dogged them all afternoon throwing lightning around but the managed to stay ahead of it. Everyone was home by 4pm. The showers were busy as the steaks sizzled bringing the week to an end. It was a great crew, lots of folks with lots of humor, making for some pretty entertaining campfire banter. The rain and scattered cattle caused us to not get as much branding done as we had hoped but a good week was had.

Hi 69 lo 50

Saturday, August 30, 2003
Everyone headed out this morning; Maggie took the guests back to Albq. Lyndsey headed to get her truck worked on; Frank was off to his uncle’s funeral.

Fred headed back to Ca. With Saint the stallion in his trailer who is spending the winter with the California girls again this year. After the place cleared out I pushed all the mares out into 7HL where they will spend the fall then rode out into Loco Pasture checking the cattle we had put in there over the week to push them to salt. I rode and rode and never saw but a handful of cattle. All the way across the pasture I rode until I got to the gate going into Canyon Creek. There I found the gate open and cattle tracks going through. Hunting season started this weekend and under the cattle tracks there were those of a four-wheeler. I hate this time of year. I rode into S.S. Basin and there were all our missing cattle. Two hundred were spread out happy as could be. It was 4pm and way to late to do anything about them so I headed home getting in about 8pm. A hell of a long, frustrating day. It rained really hard most of the way and even with a slicker I was soaked to the bone. Maggie had made the Albq. trip in one day and was waiting for me with pizza she had picked up. That made things a bit better.

Hi 69, lo 49

Sunday, August 31, 2003
Frank took the day off; Lyndsey is in town till Tuesday waiting for parts for her truck. I went back out to Canyon Creek and started gathering cattle. I rode mostly along the Wilderness area and came up with 60 head I pushed back to Loco Pasture and put them through. It starting raining hard just as I got there and about 3pm called it a day.
I got home about 5pm and took an hour to watch a little news before evening chores, first television I had seen in almost a month.

Hi 68, lo 48 3/4 inch of rain over night.