The Camping Trip of the Decade

 Camping has never been my thing. Working that hard to go on vacation just reminds me of a dog chasing its tail, there is no end to the work! Anytime Rob suggested a camping trip I said "No Way!!" 

He would go camping during elk season each year with any hunters we had visiting. Till us ladies got them all packed and out of here I was exhausted...then the texts would start shooting back at us, "Did you send any...???

It was just safer to stay home and sleep in my own bed and drink fresh brewed coffee! 

Then the Pandemic of 2020 happened. 

We like to get away from the ranch for a few days.. or a week each summer. In July we had a couple weeks between visitors. We had already cancelled our plane tickets to PA so Rob gave me the ultimatum, either we stay home or go camping, I could choose! 

Camping it is! I was desperate!! He decided we would just go for two nights which suited me fine! I did make one stipulation, we had to take our queen sized 26in deep air mattress! He said no problem! 

I made a list and checked it twice! I packed everything I could think of that would make my life on the mountain easier. 

We were about a half hour from home when Rob exclaimed.."the camp chairs, I didn't put them in the truck"       I had them sitting in the garage right with the coolers except they were leaning against the wall not against the coolers. That cost us about an hour of daylight and at this point he was keeping track!! 

We finally found a camp site about an hour from home....that was how I started gauging everything. :) 

                                 

We got the tent set up without a hitch. Rob got the air mattress out and hooked it up to the air pump. . I looked at the door of the tent and back at the air mattress..."it aint gonna fit and I'm not sleeping with the mosquitoes." He said "it'll fit and if it doesn't we'll just let some air out."  "Alrighty , I hope you know what you're doing!" We carried the mattress over to the tent and I was right,  it didn't fit! He said "ok, lets open the valve and start pushing." We started pushing, it didn't seem like we were making any headway even with the air escaping. It was like pushing an elephant into a telephone booth. Then I started to worry someone would drive by and see us pushing this monstrosity and they would KNOW this was our first time camping! We finally got the thing through the tent door but it was about flat! "I didn't want to drive the truck up here with the trailer hitched to it but it looks like I'm gonna have to, watch I don't hit this tree...!" It took a little wiggling but he got the truck close enough to the tent, if we pulled the mattress out the door as far as we could all the cords would still reach. 

Note to self: Next time put the tent out in the open enough we can get the truck up to it easily!! 

We got the mattress pumped up again. The mattress fit perfect but nothing else did. We had to crawl in at night and back out in the morning. It sure beat sleeping on the ground though!! 

We had a 4 wheeler along so we spent most of our time riding the mountain roads. The first place we rode, was the Indian Mountain Lookout. We drove past open fields of wildflowers. They were so thick it looked like someone planted them.

                                        

                                                        The Lupine was in full bloom

Indian Mountain Lookout, elevation 7250

 We came upon a turkey hen with 4 tiny offspring following her but they flew into the trees before I could get my camera up.

                                      

                                        A doe with a tiny fawn wandered out in front of us. 

                                     

On the way back to our campsite Rob wanted to show me a place on the mountain we could see our ranch. It was pretty hazy but we could see it. Our elevation was just over 5000 ft.

When we looked down the other side of that ridge we saw a deserted ranch. They use it as a hunting camp now.

                                  

 Rob took his binoculars everywhere, just in case he would see some elk. 

                                    

      

The next morning we drove across several ridges to the area we had cattle pastured. We spent several hours looking for our cattle. We had 20 pair on this property but we only found 10 or 11 pairs.

                                               This area had burnt 2 years ago.  

  

    Looking for cattle in this jungle was like looking for a needle in a haystack! 

 

      We finally gave up and went exploring along another mountain road. Rob had never been on it before and wanted to see where we would end up. We followed it several miles till it turned into a walking trail. Rob said, "If you weren't with me I would walk that and see where it leads......" I had wanted to look for huckleberries so he went down the trail and I scouted the area for berries. Half an hour later I was done looking for berries that weren't there and Rob was still walking... after another 15 minutes I knew he was lost. When I got over my panic attack, I started to think somewhat rationally. Neither of us had phone service so I took the 4 wheeler back out the way we had come till my phone found service. I called his phone but it was still dead. I went back to where he left me and waited another 20 minutes. While I was sitting there I heard 3 gun shots. I knew it was Rob trying to tell me where he was but I was sitting in a hole and the shots sounded like they came from behind me. . I waited a few more minutes then drove back to the spot I had service and called him again. I was driving back to our spot again when I heard another shot, closer this time. I turned around and headed in the direction I thought the shot came from, and met him walking on the road. He wasn't lost...he got on the wrong trail when he was coming back, he knew it was the wrong trail, but he couldn't find the right one. He ended up walking in a big circle. He was exhausted and I was worn out with worry...It had been 2 hours since we parted! 

Note to self: Get the man a GPS before our next camping trip!! 

We decided to take one more 4 wheeler ride. Cascade Lake was about 21 miles one way at the bottom of the West mountains. As we came around the last ridge and headed down the mountain the lake spread out before us. 

                            Our first glimpse of the lake at the top of the mountain. 

      

     It was a beautiful sight and well worth the 4-5 hour drive on the back of the 4 wheeler. 

The next day we packed up and headed for home. On the way home, I told Rob it was fun, I enjoyed it, I could have done without all the extra excitement but I would go again.. He asked, a little too eagerly, "You want to go again next week?" Next week just might be a little too soon!! We still had a truck full of camping gear to unload, ask me again when I'm finished unpacking!! 

                    

The Perils of Mountain Roads!

We spent Memorial day moving some cows to the mountain for the summer. We had an hour and a half drive. I had never been up there before but Rob and our friend, Ryan spent several weeks up there working on fences. Part of the area had burned in the 2018 fires so the fences were a mess. 

Ryan and his wife Missy were in one rig. 

Rob, Nate, Kallan and I were in the other rig.

When Ryan's trailer slid off the mountain road soon after we started the incline, we all wondered if it was really worth it.

When Rob had to back his rig back down the mountain till he could get to a place to turn around,  I started to feel a little like Tigger did when he climbed a tree to prove to Roo that Tiggers could climb trees, then he couldn't climb back down and sat there wishing he had tried swimming instead!! I was wishing I had stayed home!! I sat on the back seat with my head down and my eyes closed..praying and trying not to gasp when I felt the truck shift a little. 

Rob says it was only 1/4 mile that he had to back up but it felt like a mile!!  After he got his truck turned around, we took Ryan and Missy back to their place to get panels to make a corral on the road. Ryan thought if he unloaded the cows, he shouldn't have any trouble getting his trailer back up on the road.

They made a corral, and unloaded the cows. I was afraid of what we would find.  With the cows sitting at that angle for that long..they were a manurey mess, but otherwise in good shape. Thankfully Rob had all the calves on his trailer. 

They got the cows unloaded and Ryan got his trailer back on the road. 

The cows seemed eager to get back on the trailer, so we were back on the road in short order.

All that excitement wore the littlest cowboy out!

 The road up to the top was treacherous. Several times I didn't think we were going to make it.  Rob's truck isn't manual shift so with a loaded trailer, we did a fair amount of slipping and sliding.  

I wanted to take some pictures but I was still looking anywhere, but down the mountainside.

The last little jag up through the property gate had an uphill horseshoe curve. The second time Rob made a run for it, we rocked and bounced our way up! 

The cows were so glad to finally get to their happy eating ground!!

                                                                                   

            I was so glad to finally get out of the truck! A cabin once stood on this foundation. It burnt in the 2018 fires.

The guys had one more load of cows to take up. Ryan took the cows on his trailer and Rob had the horses on his trailer. Ryan, Missy, and Nate wanted to use their horses to bunch the whole herd of cows together when the last group got there, hoping they would all stay together as they grazed.  Kallan and I opted to stay home! We had enough excitement for one day!! 

Branding Day 2020

Branding day 2020 will probably be remembered for a long time. Social distancing and the stay at home order put a damper on our preparations. Branding day is considered the social event of the year. Neighbors helping neighbors. Friends dropping in to watch...and then the camaraderie around the lunch table.

This year we had to limit the amount of people that attended. We had 9 people working at the different jobs, When a person or a horse got tired of roping, they would trade off with somebody else.
We had 5 people who knew how to rope, since we only needed three at a time, it was easy to trade off.

One of my sisters wanted me to video the event this year but I am not good at that type of thing. And I didn't prepare ahead so my camera card was full. I did get a few short clips. I would rather watch the cowboys swing their ropes...and miss..  :) ...than watch the actual branding.  Somebody left the calf, in this first clip, loose before they were finished with it, so several of the guys tried to rope it again.


The day was windy and cold as you can tell on these clips.

Once a a while the guy manning the nordfork would miss the calf's head so another rider would rope the calf's front legs.

It didn't take as long to brand 98 calves as they were anticipating. They were all finished by lunchtime.I didn't get pictures of how we practiced social distancing during lunch,  :)   but I found a couple pictures from our 2019 branding.

There is usually a lot of bantering taking place as the guys gang up on each other and share the mistakes that took place during the morning rush. Its also a time to catch up on the neighborhood hotline. Virus or no virus, branding day is for friends and family to work and fellowship together!

A week later we moved the cows and calves to their summer pastures. A few pictures I snapped of some contented cows!

A Mama's Love

Working a ranch has it's interesting moments. Spring calving we have found, can be discouraging and tiring from the long hours outside looking for new calves in cold rain or blowing snow.

This year it has been the extreme opposite. Calving season started in early February, with mostly sunny skies and clear cold nights. The cows and calves thrived!

We have a cow, #120, that started losing weight in the fall. By mid December we didn't think she was going to live through the winter. Every time we went out to feed I would look for her, every time, I thought she looked worse. We figured out there was something wrong with her mouth, she could eat hay just fine but when she chewed a cud the saliva would run out of her mouth like water. It had us baffled.

The beginning of January, Rob declared she looked better, she was gaining weight. To me she still looked bad. We continued to watch her, she did start to look and act a little better but far from normal! On March 6th, Rob came in from checking cows and said, "You will never believe who had a calf." We only had about 60 cows to calve yet so... you better tell me!!  "#120" Are you serious!! Is she still alive? Is the calf alive?

Our next big concern, Would she have enough milk to feed the calf? Rob thought we should take colostrum to the calf so armed with warm milk and towels, we headed out to check up on the calf. The mama cow stood right by her calf making those little mooing sounds that tell the calf to "run their coming to get you!" or else it means, "if they try to take you, I will chase them down". Both have happened before!! But this time the calf stood there and watched us approach. #120 didn't even try to lick off her baby, so we knew there was something not right with her mouth. I fed the calf the colostrum while Rob rubbed it down with the towels.

His next question was "should we just take the calf to the barn and keep her there?"  My mother heart couldn't handle that! No, the calf needs her mother, and 120 needs her calf! We can bring milk out every day to supplement and see what happens.  Several weeks later,  Nate and Ryan wanted to check the cow out and see what really was wrong with her. They took their horses out and roped her, got her down on the ground and looked in her mouth. They came to the conclusion she must have some kind of throat cancer. Now what do we do? 

Nothing! She seems to have good days and bad days but she still hovers over her calf. The calf seems to give her the will to keep plodding along. Since the cow doesn't have the milk supply the calf needs, we still take milk out morning and evening.  For awhile the calf would let us stand next to her while she drank her bottle. Now we need to sit in the side by side and she comes to us. If we get out, she runs back to her mother. The side by side is her substitute mom!! 

I'm dreading the day we have to sell this little gal! She has the best of both worlds. She gets most of her nourishment from a bottle, but she also has a mama's love!!

In Times Like These...

                                               In times like these, you need a Savior,
                                               In times like these you need an anchor...

                        In times like these, with the world practicing social distancing and
                          many quarantined,  I need a distraction. I like to look back on
                                        pictures from the past. sometimes a song
                                pops into my head. It just felt like a good blog post!!

                                                           This Changing World,
                                                makes the burdens even harder to bear,

                                 in times like these when we're laden with disheartening dispair.

                                            (I took this picture less than an hour before the
                                                 Challis earthquake rattled our windows.)




                                                 On the Wings of a Snow White Dove

                                                 
                                                          God sends his pure sweet love...




                                                       God Put a Rainbow in the Cloud
                                                   

                                       When it looked like the sun wouldn't shine anymore...




                                                 I Will Sing of The Mercies of the Lord

                                                        Forever, I will sing, I will sing..




                                                    The Holy Hills of Heaven Call Me

                                                   To mansions bright across the sea..




                                                           The Lord My Shepherd is,

                                          I shall be well supplied....What can I want beside?




                                                      I Love to Steal Awhile Away...

                                                      ... Where none but God can hear....



                                         
                                                         Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,
                                                                    I love to hear

                                        Things I would ask Him to tell me, if He were here..

The TSA and Me!

Flying was one of those unnecessary evils I thought I could live without! I was perfectly happy to travel through life with my feet firmly planted on the ground! Than one lovely spring day when I was about 47 years old, our feed consultant offered us an all expenses paid farm tour to MO. We would be touring the Purina calf and heifer facilities. I wanted to go very badly, anything to better my dairy calf operation! There was one drawback...we had to fly! I just knew I would hate flying! And I was right!  I was sick the whole way to St Louis! We finished our tour which was well worth the rocky flight down! Going through security in St Louis for the flight home I was jerked out of line and given the special 20 minute pat down, even the bottoms of my feet were under scrutiny. Our whole group of 30 people stood off to the side and tried not to watch! I had never went through that before and I can say I haven't gone through one that excruciating since!

 Am I the only one who has issues with the TSA? I can count on three fingers the times I have gotten through security without a hitch. If I do happen to breeze my way through security, opening my suitcase at my final destination brings the TSA up-close and very personal!

When I walk through the scanner, there are always three points that light up on the screen..my head, because of all the hardware I have in my hair, I understand that! My hip, as of 2013 is now full of titanium, which I also understand. And my left wrist! why my wrist?  I don't wear a wristwatch and haven't since I ran over it at the bank about 27 years ago, so what is the attraction with my wrist? They don't have a clue, but it gives them a good excuse to pull me aside to swab my hands and the bottoms of my feet, and run their magic wand over me. I know it will happen every time I fly now, so we try to give ourselves extra time for the TSA to enjoy their little mission.

Now my suitcase is another story! I always seem to find that nice little note that reads something to this effect, " your luggage has been chosen to be physically inspected by a TSA official." It is always plastered to the bottom of my suitcase. That tells me they take everything out and then they must stand 50 feet away to throw it all back in!

One time I opened my suitcase to find trail mix scattered through all my clothes. It was in one of those plastic containers you need  to tear a plastic strip off to get it open. I had planned to use it for a hostess gift but instead I had the pleasure of shaking peanuts and raisins out of everything!! And there at the bottom I found a nice little note!

Another time I was transporting frozen bacon from PA to ID...Okay! I have gotten a lot of grief for this one from my own family!! Who flies with a suitcase full of bacon...long story short...I don't anymore!!  :) I had it in ziplock bags then double bagged in grocery bags...so my clothes wouldn't smell like bacon! I might as well not even bothered! and then there was that note again!

The last time we flew, I wanted to take carryon's for the 10 days we were going to be gone. After filling two small suitcases with just Rob's clothes, I knew I had two options. Either wear all my extra clothing or break down and check a bag! Since my experiences at the security checkpoint are less than favorable, wearing all my extra clothing probably wouldn't go over well. So we checked a suitcase! We enjoyed our ten days and arrived back at the Boise Airport to discover our suitcase was still back in Detroit! Three days later our wayward suitcase arrived home. As I started emptying it I found total chaos! I try to keep things organized to a certain degree, so to help save space I put all our toiletries in three or four ziplock bags. Every bag was slashed! Thankfully nothing had exploded, which has happened before too! Then I found some smashed and broken items! I don't know how you can smash a medication organizer box, but the TSA did! My 5 lb. block of cheese and the fruitcake that I acquired from my niece were unharmed! That was a huge blessing! :) and then I found the note!

I always thought of myself as pretty easy to get along with, but the TSA has just stood on my last nerve!

Next time we fly...we are going with the bare minimum...so if you see me at a church function and I am wearing the same dress all week, its not the only dress I own...I just don't enjoy picking up the pieces left by the TSA.