October 24-30, 2004: Fall Gather

Monday, October 25, 2004

Another crew of ten for our last guest week of the year. Walter and Brian are still here for their second week with us. Wayne from Florida is here for his 5 th or 6 th visit. Charlie is here from Delaware for his third visit. Carol from California is here for what is probably her 6 th or 7 th time, the second this year. Don from Florida is here for who knows how many times. Karen from Florida is here for her second visit. The only first timers we have this week are Bill from New York and Harold and Marietta from South Carolina.

We picked through the south trap today trying to get in as many unbranded pairs as we could find with out bringing the whole bunch in. It took several hours of riding around and worked out pretty well. By mid afternoon we had about fifteen pairs in and ready for branding. The crew fell right into it, most had done it many times before with us and things went smoothly. In just a couple hours we were done and put the pairs on the water lot to be out of our way for the next couple days.

It was windy with a bit of a chill hi was 43, lo 22.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

We were out in good time and gathered the south trap getting in about 180 cows, which we had planned on working through the chute. We were deworming, cutting horns that were growing the wrong way and replacing any missing tags. The morning looked a little grey and doubtful. The whole thing is we can't use the pour on wormer if it's going to rain within six hours. As I mentioned we were put off several days last week waiting on the weather. When we got the cattle in about noon it looked good, high thin clouds and a light breeze.

After a lunch break we got the cattle into the corrals. This was no easy feat, as the cows know nothing good happens in the corrals and just last week most of them lost their calves when they were in there. It took over an hour to get the cattle up into the pens but finally mid afternoon we started the chute work. A great crew fell into a good system, some running cattle down to the chute in bunches of 6-10. Others at the squeeze getting the cattle in and pipes set behind them. Others at the chute deworming, tagging and marking cattle with paint to show they had been done. We worked for several hours getting them in and out in good fashion. About 4pm I heard thunder and looked up to see clouds building to the south. I decided to chance it and keep going. Just before 5pm I felt a raindrop and we called an end to work having gotten 130 head done. Just as we were headed out it really started raining and continued for the next 45 minutes, as we finished doing chores it stopped. It was just long enough and hard enough to make the whole days work a waste of time and waste of money spent on the wormer. I was pretty discouraged.

Hi 45 lo 25

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

It rained off and on overnight, changing to snow for a bit just before dawn leaving a dusting on the ground. The corrals were deep in mud and the horses soaked through. There was nothing constructive to do in such conditions. We had left a few head of cattle in the corrals overnight so we pushed them out on foot; it was a slip sliding mess just walking around. If we had tried to work cattle today it would have ruined the corrals for the rest of the winter. Nate hauled a couple loads of bulls we had sorted off yesterday down to Snow Lake where they will spend the winter, several folks rode with him for a little sightseeing. I drove out to Canyon Creek with a few others to look for any strays we may have left out there, we saw two pairs which I will try to get in a couple weeks from now. Maggie had to go to town so a few other folks went with her to see the big town and find something for a costume for our Halloween party.

It sure was pretty around with a touch of snow but still discouraging that we lost another day to weather.

Hi 40 lo 29 sunny afternoon.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

A sunny day got us back to work. We gathered all the steer pairs out of the North trap and brought them in. These are the cattle I sold privately, the same ones we sorted and weighed last week. By noon they were all in the corrals and we started working the calves. We ran them all through the chute where they got rebranded with the new owners mark, retagged with blue tags, vaccinated with two shots. It was a lot of work but everyone had a job and it went as fast as it could. One crew of guys brought bunches of six to eight down the alley while others got them in the chute alley. Nate worked the chute while others tagged, vaccinated, branded, and kept a tally. We worked seventy some calves and were done about 6pm, tired but feeling good.

Moderate wind part of the day but all in all it was just right for the work we had to do. Hi was 45 lo 20

Friday, October 29, 2004

We gathered the house lot where we had all our heifers, which we are keeping to replace the old cows we will sell and to increase the herd a bit. By mid morning they were all in and the work started. The same system as yesterday but only 25 to work so it went pretty fast. Mid afternoon we were done so we gathered up some more small pairs we had sorted out over the last couple days and set to roping and branding those. There were only ten to do so it went fast. Brian has become a pretty dang good roper catching all the calves there were to do, it made us smile.

The work was done by 5pm and we headed home to get ready for our party. It was a good time, we had a couple ghouls [Walter and Charlie], an Indian [me], a spotted owl [Karen], a wolf [Brian], these here just for my pleasure. There was also Goldie Locks, Don sure looked good as a blonde. Little Red Riding Hood [Lyndsey], a rock star [Wayne}, an old man [Harold], a headless woman [Marietta], a convict [Nate], a Swiss Miss [Leasha], a gorilla [Bill], Maggie was a perfect Rosie the Riveter. Carol was the cutest old west gal you could have dreamed of. It was a lot of fun! A hole was about wore through the cookhouse floor from all the dancing.

It was a great crew to end the year with, a lot of work done, everyone worked hard then played hard. A special thanks to Walter and Brian for all their extra work and kind attention to our first timers.

Hi was 47 lo was 18.

Now that the guest season is in the books I'd just like to thank everyone for coming, all the hard work, all the fun and laughs. You all made it the best year in N Bar history!

We had a total of 202 guests in 19 weeks, we were full for the season by mid July, we have never been totally booked before. We will just have to see if we made any money or just spent it all. I guess the economy isn't as bad as Dan Rather would like you to think.

It was the best cattle year ever as well. The rain fell, the grass grew. The cattle got fat and the prices were high. Over the last three years our calf weights have gone up from an average of 379 pounds per calf to way over 500 pounds. This due in part to the weather but mostly to a change in bulls and an aggressive culling and selling of older cows and ones that weren't our type of cow. I will now put our herd up against any herd of cattle around.

I thank all of you who came, God and my lucky stars.

Tho they never read this dribble I type here I have to give a lot of credit to my crew, especially my wife Maggie for taking care of all the office stuff and me, and Lyndsey for always being the best there is.