Sunday 9/18/05

I ended up having to go to Albq. this weekend to help pickup the big crew we have this week. It wasn’t bad, got a bit of office work done that had been piling up and went out with some of last week’s crew for a good dinner.

After going without a shower all week for so many weeks let me tell ya I about wore the one at the hotel out.

We have ten folks this week, only two veterans among them. Lisa and Andrea, sisters from N.J. The rest of the crew are Gary from Tx. Ike from Co. Larry from S.C. Dan from Nv. And then four fellas from N.Y. Mike, Ron, Ken, and Gary. Mike and Ron are brothers.

Monday 9/19/05

We loaded up and headed to camp after breakfast. The usual Monday morning, lots to load, tires to change, horses to find and load, yada, yada, yada.

After a mid afternoon start Lyndsey took one crew up Pine Canyon to check the gate there. Nate went up to Incognito gate and checked that one. These are the two gates that are most likely to be left open during hunting season. The last thing we need now is a spill. We are about 7 weeks behind in our work. Not having the summer rains start till so late set us back, then the spill of cattle we had in July when a gate was left open set us back two weeks. Then the ferocity of the summer rains when they did start slowed us down.

Once the riders pulled out I went back to H.Q. to take care of some business hour phone calls. I was back in camp about 10pm.

The reports were that gates were all closed and the riders did all right. These New York fellas sure are green! I keep having flashes of Billy Crystal. One of them is a ringer of John Lovett. The accents are classic, as is the sense of humor. They keep us laughing and the week has just started.

Tuesday 9/20/05

We rode out to Loco for some stray hunting. On the way in yesterday we saw 7 head at big Loco tank so Nate headed there with some of the crew to find them.

Lyndsey and I with the others went to Loco Flats. It takes two hours to get from camp to Wolf camp gate. Once we got there we took a short break and I rode up the ridge a little ways and spent some time glassing the meadows. Not a cow in sight and I could see the water was gone at Ghost tank so I figure any strays went over the Mtn. to Big Loco tank.

Rather than waste a lot of horse energy Lyndsey went back to the basin to drift cattle down to Juniper tank so they would be handier in the morning for branding. I just wanted to assure my self that the meadows were empty so I rode down to Loco Mtn. stopping to glass from several vantage points never seeing a cow. But I saw plenty of tracks going over the Mtn. the freshest were four days old. That made me feel better. Any strays will eventually show up at Big Loco tank.

When I got to the top of the Mtn. I called Nate. He was just a couple miles below me and said they had seen no cattle and that Larry was feeling ill. We made a plan he’s get to Harleyville. Leave the horses in the corral and ride back to camp and get a truck and trailer. I would meet hi screw there. When Nate got to Harleyville he met an old cowboy and his wife who were just driving around. They gave Nate and Larry a ride to camp and I met up with Gary and Ike, the rest of Nates crew a bit later. They were enjoying some shade near the corrals. Nate returned with news Larry was feeling better and gave us all a ride home.

Lyndsey and her crew got in a bit before dark having moved 150 head down to Juniper tank.

The day was a bit breezy but mild. Over night was much warmer than the last few.

Wednesday 9/21/05

We went out to Juniper tank and started gathering north into the basin. The cattle were pretty well scattered but with three groups working we got a good sized bunch gathered and pushed them down to the corrals at camp. We got in about noon, took a break then started getting this crew lined out in the branding pens. Our system is working out pretty well. Lyndsey, Nate and I sort pairs out of the big corral and push them into the mid sized one. Then we push them into the small branding pen where with one horse we cut the mommas off from the calves. Then we call in the crew. As the day went along the crew started to figure it all out. Dan was the man when it came to power for the big calves, he’s a stout guy and agile and he’s here celebrating his 40 th birthday.

Texas Gary was the oldest of the crew and he sure wasn’t scared to get in there and be first to grab something. They both have been around livestock before and it sure shows. Now the New York crew, we have been on them everyday that they have to slow down and have patience. Hard to get the New Yorker out of them but as the day went on they started to figure out a bit of how a calf moves and what to expect.

All afternoon ropes twirled and dust swirled. Smoke and bawling filled the air mingled with swearing and laughing. The colors of a nice sunset faded as the last calves were finished and turned back with their mommas. It was a good day, lots of work done. The injury of the day was Nate. He was working a gate and had to make a last second jump out of the way of a mad cow coming through. His fingers got stuck in the wire of the gate when the cow slammed full speed into the gate. It pulled his shoulder socket to the limit leaving him a bit more than just sore.

We worked close to thirty calves most were well over 500 pounds. I went home after dark to see Maggie off on a trip to Ca. She’s leaving early in the Am to fly out from Albq. It’s time for her annual Trunk Shows and meeting her fans. She’s in L.A. this week and Denver next week then Dallas in November.

Blue had to leave today. He works for F.E.M.A. and of course was called into work. We were sorry to see him go. He was a great help to us the couple weeks he was here. Finishing all kinds of small stuff on the cabin, which I would have never gotten to, and did it in his usual perfect way. Not to mention the horse sitting and feeding he was doing, the trips to H.Q. for different things and message running. We know he will be back in a few months. We have his horse and dog here.

Hi was 65 sunny lo about 45

Thursday

I had imaginative plans to be back out at camp before they left but of course there were things to do and people to call, which delayed me a couple hours.

Everyone was out gathering around the Little Loco tank area when I got there. I talked to them on the radio and found all was going well so I took my truck and went up on Canyon Creek Mtn. behind camp to cut some branding and campfire wood. Just as I got up there it started raining. Lightning snapped close by and it came down pretty hard. From where I sat waiting it out I could see way out and spotted the herd about two miles away. They looked like ants coming down the valley. It was a Hollywood shot. The rain didn’t last long but the sky remained grey with low clods snagging on the Mtn. top. When I got out to start cutting the sounds of cattle calls came to me carried and broken by the winds of the thunderstorm. By the time I got a half load cut the cattle were in the corrals and the crew was ready to brand.

They were really on the ball today. Everyone took a hand roping and flanking getting a set done and then a short break while we sorted the next set. This is one hard working bunch! We rolled through about 25 calves and were done about sunset. And no one was seriously hurt. A few rope burned fingers, a couple bruises but nothing that wouldn’t feel better in the morning.

Once again I had to go home after it was all done to do chores and take care of some business in the morning. We had sorted five yearling steers to haul back so I headed out about 7pm. When I pulled out of camp I was surprised how sluggish the Dodge was. It had been a long time since I drove it with a load preferring the F 350. But since the F350 basically has no brakes I decided to take the load on the Dodge. It was a slow trip home. The turbo isn’t working and it was like driving a wagon. Over two hours to get back to H.Q.

I sure had one upset little calf at home. Trixie was hollering when I got out of the truck and drank down almost three full bottles of milk as I fed her by lantern light.

Hi was about 62, rain here and there but cleared for the afternoon. Warm night, about 45.

Friday 9/23/05

I got my business done and out to camp just in time to saddle up and ride with the crew. We gathered again back around Little Loco tank and came up with a good-sized bunch to brand. It was slow getting them to the corrals, we tried a short cut.

But once we had them in and took a short break things clicked along. It was a beehive of activity. Every one knowing what needed to be done and set about to do it. All afternoon we worked, the sunset and we were still working. In the last glimmer of evening we had to admit that we wouldn’t finish what we had gathered. We weren’t happy to have to let them go but we got a lot done. We used up all the daylight there was. We loaded up our gear and horses and headed back to the H.Q. getting in close to 10pm. It was just a real long plain old cowboy day. There were hot showers after a week of being dirty and a thick steak waiting. After that no one was up very late.

The cowboy of the month award goes to Dan. He was awesome in the branding pens working his butt off. As we were breaking camp he was surprised to see everyone else had a thick foam pad in their tent. He didn’t know we had them and spent the week sleeping on the hard, lumpy ground. He laughed it off.

It was a great crew! The New York boys kept us laughing and shaking our heads; Ike was help and entertainment with his poetry and harmonica. Gary was always first and last at the corrals helping out. The girls, well they kept the books and the vaccines flowing and support. Larry was the fire tender and soon caught on pretty quick to the importance of that job.