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The Drive Home, Day 2

leanin' H

Well-known member
Today was a fine day! The weather was almost balmy in the high 20s and we were a horseback! :D Started at 8 this mornin. We left them at Black's corral last night and had to make Cleo's corral today. It's only 9 miles but the cows are thirsty and tired. We turned em' out and started south. The Veiw back at the trailer with Desert Mountain behind.
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The scenery part of the ride was mostly yesterday as today is true western desert with salt brush and a little sage and not much else. Phil was tickled to be a straddle of a saddle and not pushin a throttle!
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The cattle strung out pretty well considering the forced march they have been on.
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My Dad and the roadkilled rabbit headgear! He was the gate getter and thermos packer today. We were on the road all day so he just cruised along with us. At almost 70 he can do as he pleases!
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Chance and his colt were a welcome help today.
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The veiw from a horse is way better than from a wheeler! Got to see backs instead of butts all day!
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The aiming point today was Intermountain Power Project which ya can see up ahead. They built it out in the middle of nowhere to appease the enviro's but still close enough to ship in the coal that fires the generation plant. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to build it in today's political climate. The 500 high paying jobs and countless indirect employment is a Godsend for the area.
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The view west with the Swazy range as a backdrop. Killed my first Muledeer there when I was 16.
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Looking back at the starting point this mornin'.
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A Angus bull from Yardley Cattle Co. in Beaver, Utah. I like his length and rear quarter. His calves are good doing meat makers!
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Here's a shot of just the desert. It is dang desolate and yet beautiful and peaceful. Antelope and rabbits are at home here. It can be miserable in July. It takes lots of acres to feed a cow in winter. As a side note; The little black nub right in the center-foreground is an old volcano crater. The black bench is where the lava flowed out and cooled. There are hot springs out there. And vents where the air is hot and others where ice forms inside. The Topaz Internment Camp during WW2 was located near there. That's where Japanese/Americans were held during the war. Kind of a sad piece of American history.
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Still heading south. I can't tell if were getting closer to the smokestack though. :???:
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If ya look close you'll see the truck/trailer at the corral ahead. Cows wanted to get there and rest! We used to water them at a windmill and stocktank about halfway between the two corrals. But idiot vandals ruined it. Then the cowman who owned it put in a submersible pump and pump house built out'a plate steel. We had access and would pump a tank full for thirsty cattle. Now a fellow owns the permit and well who lives way up north and we no longer have access to it. So The cows will have to wait till tomorrow by lickin' snow today> Tomorow a.m. we'll trail past some spreader dams full of runoff. We will chop lots of holes and let em' tank up.
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They are tucked in tonight with a good supper.
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Some are just happy to lay down and rest. 33 miles so far with 12 or so to go tomorow. One reason we wait so late to go home is the need for snow. The cows will get to lay around all they want after tomorrow, the good old sisters!
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We made the corral at 12:30 so we cut out the replacement heifers and gave them a trailer ride home. Only kept 9 this year.
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And since the day was young we cut out the five bulls present and they rode home in style too! The other two bulls are still on the mountain and we'll hope to pick them up Tuesday.
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The really snowy mountain is where we started from Saturday. The closer mountain was the beginning today. Hope ya enjoyed the tour! See ya Tommorow evenin'. :D
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brushpopper

Well-known member
Really enjoyed your pictures and the history that went with them. Wouldn't you like to catch the vandals that screw up good things for other people, we have the same problems. I bet the whole crew was a lot happier being horseback. Thanks for the ride.
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
Glad to hear you had a warmer day :) . Your statement of waiting for snow before trailing home really made me think how lucky we are to have numerous water sources in the area. I guess you would need to consider water sources before striking out on a 45 mile journey through the high desert :D . Thanks for the beautiful pictures!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Years ago that would've looked like fun...But anymore, once I saw that hiway I think a portable chute and bull hauler would look better.... :wink:

My buddy Arthur Itis starts dancing just looking at that cold riding...
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Years ago that would've looked like fun...But anymore, once I saw that hiway I think a portable chute and bull hauler would look better.... :wink:

My buddy Arthur Itis starts dancing just looking at that cold riding...

Just think of the memories made by doing things like this though! :D Unless there was a firey crash, who remembers many rides on a cattle pot? Plus we save the cash needed for a truck or gas/tires/wear & tear on equipment if we haul with stock trailers. Sometimes the road less traveled takes ya on the greatest trips! :wink: Heck, i'll wager you have lots of wild storys about shortcuts, drives and bovine soap-operas from the big sky country! :D
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
leanin' H said:
Oldtimer said:
Years ago that would've looked like fun...But anymore, once I saw that hiway I think a portable chute and bull hauler would look better.... :wink:

My buddy Arthur Itis starts dancing just looking at that cold riding...

Just think of the memories made by doing things like this though! :D Unless there was a firey crash, who remembers many rides on a cattle pot? Plus we save the cash needed for a truck or gas/tires/wear & tear on equipment if we haul with stock trailers. Sometimes the road less traveled takes ya on the greatest trips! :wink: Heck, i'll wager you have lots of wild storys about shortcuts, drives and bovine soap-operas from the big sky country! :D

Oh I've done it several times (and sometimes wearing an almost identical mad bomber cap :lol: ) --When I was in grade and high school I helped out one neighbor that never even worried about gathering cows or weaning until the snow got too deep for them to find grass-and then trailing them 20 miles after gathering---But anymore the mystique, romance, and adventure just don't seem to fire inside me as much as it did back then :wink: :lol:

Luckily now the longest trail I have is about 10 miles- and after getting them the first 6 there are no more fences and all I have to do is go home and wait for them to show up at the gate and open it for them...
 

Red Barn Angus

Well-known member
Thanks so much for the photo journey. I surely agree that the memories made from a trip like that would be priceless. Your country just has to be close to heaven. What a way of life !
 

Yanuck

Well-known member
So, Leanin' H, whats the finger and toe warmer of choice? peppermint or butterbrickle schnapps?! :wink: looks like a great trip!
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
Yanuck said:
So, Leanin' H, whats the finger and toe warmer of choice? peppermint or butterbrickle schnapps?! :wink: looks like a great trip!


He can't even pronounce those words Yanuck! :lol:
All he's got is a hot rock in the toe of each boot at the start of the day and two bricks on the end of his legs at the end. :D
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Great Pics. :D Quite the drive.
I just saw an ad in the paper looking for "Cowboys" I think maybe paying ones for a cattle drive between Xmas and New years. I cna figure where they are driving them as they aren't in that big of cattle country.

We still drive cattle 10-12 miles. Cheaper and usually faster then trucking them. I used to help friends drive 2 days home with pairs in the fall. We could have some cold slow rides. :( :)
 

Jassy

Well-known member
As I sit here in my WARM office and comfy chair..I am admiring your vast countryside...like you said,,quiet and desolate,,but yet so beautiful. Thanks for the little history lesson also,,that's what I love about these photo trips..takes me to places I'd probably never otherwise go...We've got to move some critters around this next week, but only from one pasture to another..no major milage like you are...I hope the weather holds for that...Can't wait to see the end of your trip photo's..thanks!
 

C Thompson

Well-known member
Beautiful pictures of the desert in winter and I thank you for these but I sort of concurr with oldtimer.If you are doing it this way because you like it that is just fine.I have been on a few of those drives over the years and still do it over shorter distances today through the back woods and no offence is intended but around here a few short hours with a cattle liner would pencil out less than a three day cattle drive with quads and pickups going back and forth down what looks like a pretty good road.
 

DOC HARRIS

Well-known member
Leanin'H-

The Topaz Internment Camp during WW2 was located near there. That's where Japanese/Americans were held during the war. Kind of a sad piece of American history.
I agree with the comment about the 'sad piece of American History' BUT - those of you who were not privy of the circumstances prevalent at the time of WWII don't understand the Fury and Anger and Fear and Suspicion of ANY Japanese-appearing individual at the time. We had been attacked at Pearl Harbor, and the American Public at THAT time had more Love of Country, and Patriotism, and Respect for the United States of America than these pasty-faced, limp-wristed, tree-hugging, Liberally brain-washed Wimps who are gleefully destroying our Nation today. So to incarcerate potential subversives at THAT time was the ABSOLUTE CORRECT action - in spite of the fact that the majority of them were not a threat to the US! But WHO KNEW that for certain?? Certainly NOT the GOVERNMENT, or CONGRESS, or Superman, or Batman or ANYBODY else! WAR IS HELL!

I wonder what the reaction would have been had we NOT imprisoned those INNOCENT people - and - - - - - My Goodness!! Suddenly - Hoover Dam, Hetch-hetchy Dam (San Francisco's Municipal Water supply), and , say, Chicago's Union Stockyards were bombed out of existance!! I can tell you that the fury and rage that the US Public would have displayed would have put the reaction to the "New York Twin Towers" bombing to shame!!

People can b--tch and complain about "...not being FAIR, and da du da and bla bla bla" but the US Public in those days had guts and b--ls, and that is why we had no internal troubles. TODAY??? Hah! We are a collection of disgusting wimps and dominated babies!

DON'T GET ME STARTED!!!!

DOC HARRIS
 

theony

Well-known member
I like the pics. We don't have mountains in view or smoke stacks. Otherwise you are about as desolate as this country. :shock: we still walk part of the cows 12 miles. Don't mind it a bit, by last of Oct the cows are ready to come home. It's mostly just opening the gates and let em come.
 
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