I really got way behind in my writing the last few months so I will try to catch it all up here.

5/23/05 Monday

Big Loop Ride

This will be our first Big Loop, a ride going roughly around the ranch boundry. Our trail dusters for this week are Kathy from Mass. This is her fourth or fifth time here, she’s always one for an adventure having ridden the lower country and also a pack trip with us as well as working cattle. Everyone else on the trip are first timers. Blue from Kentucky, Jeff from Penn. Bob and Chloe from Sussex, England. Michelle, Darcy and Diane from Ohio.

Monday was planned to be a shakedown day but with the wolves putting us behind in our work these trail riders got to do a little cow work. We gathered the south trap getting up the cattle we had worked last week and left there to recuperate. We took them out the southwest gate from the trap and pushed them down into the South Fork canyon and then up to Burnt Cabin. We had never done this before but it went very smoothly. It was a good four-hour or so day to get everyone set with their outfit. When we were done everyone seemed happy with what they had underneath them and we are ready for the trail in the morning.

Summer got here last week. Our spring was sure some kinda short. We went from highs in the 60’s to suddenly highs in the low 80’s. Late June temperatures, maybe it will bring early rains getting so hot so fast. Temperatures in Az. are already over a hundred, when the desert gets so hot it makes it rain here. Over night we were in the mid forties.

5/24/05 Tuesday

Lyndsey and the riders headed out on a long trail to Fence tank. They went out the Ridge trail to Snow Lake, then through Heavens Gate and rode the long draw up into Loco Flats. From there they went through Hidden Valley and on over T Bar Ridge and then down to camp. They were some tired riders when they got there eight hours later. They saw some great country and a bit of wildlife in the form of Elk, coyote and deer.

They also had a world of wind to go along with them. It blew steady all day.

Nate and I stayed at H.Q. helping Leasha get everything for the week loaded up then we loaded our horses and followed her out to camp. It was 2pm by the time we got there. I hadn’t been into Pitchfork pasture in weeks and was anxious to see the yearlings out there. So Nate and I rode around a bit with the plan to gather anything close and bring them down to the salt we set out next to the camp. We are going to gather the yearlings tomorrow and move them into Canyon Creek pasture. Mostly we were out on a recon so we can make a plan as to how best gather in the morning.

Nate went up T Bar Ridge and I rode the canyons around Hay and Steve tanks. I love these canyons. A hundred yards wide, three hundred feet deep, lined with cool rock formations and a nice sandy trail to travel.

A mile or so up Steve canyon I spotted buzzards. I hate seeing them. You can tell the difference when they are just riding thermals smelling for dinner and when they are riding waiting their turn. I could see these were waiting their turn. I was on Gambler and we rode around all the little draws and side canyons searching. The vultures were up at two hundred feet; they could look down into several canyons and lots more draws from there. With the hard wind blowing I couldn’t pick up any smell at all but I figured they would be in the line of scent and looking the right direction so that helped narrow it down. Finally I saw a coyote run out of a little draw I would never have gone in. There I found a dead steer, a week old and pretty much all gone.

That didn’t set me in a great mood. I went on up the canyon and starting picking up cattle. At the head of that canyon I had gathered about twenty head. I pushed that bunch over a little mesa and down into Hay canyon where I found a few more under the cottonwood trees there. Hay canyon gets pretty wide at the south end and water was running all the way down. At a spot that forms a big bowl I found fifty more head all up to the knees in muddy water enjoying some bog grass. I have never seen water standing like this in that area. The bog covered about five acres.

It was hard to get the cattle out of there. One, they didn’t want to get out and two, Gambler didn’t want to go in. When he was a three year old he got stuck in a bog and it ruined him for it. Of course going in a bog is never a smart thing to do if you can avoid it. Working my way around the edges of it, one side to another at a trot and yelling for ten minutes finally got them all out an moving south to T Bar canyon. I was lucky to have a couple good cows mixed in with the yearlings. Cause I swear yearlings are just not capable of walking along lined out. They are going here and there all the time. The old cows took the lead down the trail and the yearling followed like a bunch of drunks. Gambler had to be all over the place and at two places at the same time all the way to the salt. That guy earned his grain tonight.

I gathered 67 head altogether and figure that is most of the cattle in that pasture.

Nate rode and found not a single head.

I got in just after the Long Riders, they were tired and tuckered.

Every one of them had run out of water about an hour before they got to camp. It was a hot windy day and they were dry to the bone.

Bob had walked all the way from Snow Lake. That’s some serious climbing and some rough dang terrain. He did it by choice!

His horse Cimarron enjoyed the day walking along just carrying a saddle.

It was a quiet camp early tonight.

5/25/05 Wednesday

A nice warm night for camping last night lo was only about 43.

My plan was to get everyone helping gather cattle for the first part of the day and then we would get back to trail riding.

Nate had to run back to the ranch with Kathy to get her a new horse, Chloe rode along with Leasha helping her with camp chores and getting a break from riding.

Of course the cattle were nowhere around. We rode the side canyons and all met at Doubtful tank where we only came up with 27 head, fifty short of what I had gathered yesterday.

Blue and Lyndsey took over the herd while the rest of us rode on ahead. We went into Pine canyon where we took an hour break. Michelle and Darcy took a quick dip in Pine Tank while the rest of us grazed our horses and enjoyed the music of hundreds of songbirds down there in the canyon.

We got to camp about 5pm; I guess our break was a little longer than we had planned as Lyndsey and Blue made it back to camp before we did.

Maggie drove the water truck out from H.Q. and had a beer with the folks before heading all the way back home. It’s almost a two-hour drive each way. Some of the folks found it hard to believe after all the riding they had been in the same two pastures all week.

We had to change out some horses so I hauled them home to bring more out in the morning.

Our camp the last two nights has been out in the open country. No trees, just grass and rolling land. I do this for a reason. Most folks who come are from back east where you camp in the shade of trees next to a babbling brook. The sort of place we all love to camp. When I first came out here I got in that open country and thought there wasn’t a damn thing out there. It took a while but I realized that there was a whole world of things going on out there. You need to take the time to appreciate it. Getting folks out there makes them realize what it must have been like to travel this country or any open country like the Dakotas or Kansas. Back then you camped in the open either because there was nothing else or for safety. In outlaw or Indian country you wouldn’t camp in a nice little grove of trees, you camped in the open where you had a view of everything around; no one could sneak up on you.

I just hope that everyone took the chance to enjoy the country.

It was pretty warm today, not like the last few. There were some big thunderheads floating around.

Hi 81 lo 40 not near so much wind as yesterday.

5/27/05 Thursday

I got to camp as early as I could. I was up at 4:30am gathering horses and picking out ones I needed to take to camp. I chose Villa for myself. I haven’t ridden him yet but have watched him and thought he looked like my kind of horse.

Nate helped Leasha load camp then along with Bob and Chloe they trailered to Snow Lake and rode south along the Middle Fork from there planning to meet us sometime during the day.

The rest of us headed across Aeroplane mesa to a trail I hadn’t gone down in years. It drops off into the Middle Fork Canyon right above Quentin’s old ranch. From the top we could see the cottonwood trees along the river…way down there. It was steep and the first part of it was covered with apple size rocks but for the most part it was in pretty good shape.

It was a much better trail than the other we have taken the last couple years but even still we had to get off and walk a couple hundred yards due to slick rock. Once we got to the bottom it was paradise. The trees were leafed out, the grass was green and the river was running like I hadn’t seen it in years.

We rode just a couple miles up river then stopped for a long break so everyone could take a swim and wash off four days of trail dust.

The tall pines gave plenty of places to tie horses in the shade and the riverbank was lined with thick willows giving everyone a private bathing spot. It was cold! You didn’t have to be in long to be refreshed. I just wet down, scrubbed down with some sand, rinsed off and was done.

After that we rode up to Iron Creek where we met Nate, Bob and Chloe at about 3pm. Then we all rode out the way they had come in. I have never counted but I guess you cross the river about twenty times.

I just love riding that canyon. I only get to do it once a year or so but I think I could do it once a week and never get tired of it.

I think everyone would agree it was the best ride of the week. There are just not words to describe how pretty it is in there.

We got to camp at Snow Lake at about 6pm ready for a good dinner of Leashas fried chicken.

The day once again looked like a summer day, big thunderheads and I even felt one drop of rain.

Hi was 77 low was 42.

5/27/05 Friday

We headed out of camp with the plan to get a couple bulls out of the trap and take a scenic route home. We got to the north end of the trap and saw about fifty head of cattle spread out where the three canyons come together. Spread out around the wolf den.

We spent an hour or so getting them gathered up and put into the trap. We will move them next week sometime. I had seen enough cattle sign in both Snow Canyon and Quaking Aspen canyon to decide that we needed to ride them out and see if there were more cows around. Nate went up Snow Canyon with Chloe, Michelle, Darcy, Blue and Jeff. I went up Quaking Aspen canyon with Diane, Kathy and Bob.

My group found five pairs pretty soon and we pushed them all the way up the canyon about three miles till it ends then climbed out on a ridge and entered the Negrito Triangle. About this time the sky turned grey and thunder started booming. Then the first of the rain started. What a blessing! Rain in late May!

It got hard enough for us to slicker up. Those of us who had them. Bob deciding not to heed our advice Sunday of never leaving home with out rain gear only had on a thin cotton shirt, not even a T under it. We set our horses to a trot as the temperature fell and then so did the hail. We trotted about three miles trying to keep Bob warm from the exercise. We got to the ranch at about 3pm just as it really started to come down. Nates crew was still out and got the heaviest downpour as they crossed the H.Q. in a driving rain at about 4pm.

There was a rush for the hot showers as the rest of us enjoyed the rainfall. It continued for several hours amounting to almost an inch.

We had a great time and a great crew for our first Big Loop. I sure will do this ride again.

5/28/05 Saturday

Cassadys birthday! He’s nine today.

Maggie drove the van to Albq. with the crew. Her sister is flying in today for Maggie's birthday on Monday. I headed out with the F550 and trailer to get a load of building material. We are building a cabin out at Canyon Creek over the next two weeks.

I had planned to buy it all in Albq. but ran into the man who owns the local hardware and he told me he’d match the big city prices and he did. I got 40 sheets of metal roofing, tarpaper, and a hundred concrete blocks loaded then drove it home.

We had plans to meet in albq. for Maggie’s birthday dinner so tho it was well after 2pm by the time I got home I unhooked the trailer and headed to Albq. not wanting to miss the dinner. Kathy joined us along with sister Mary for a great Sushi meal. Yep some cowboys eat sushi.

We talked to Lyndsey at the ranch, Babe was colicking and she also told of another inch of rain and over two inches of hail.

Late in the night she called to say Babe was doing fine.

It was hot in Albq. About 90!