Have you ever been in wet jeans? I mean like, “jump-in-a-swimming-pool” wet? Have you tried to peel them down your legs, or pull them back up? Then, have you tried to move? Like, bend your knees… think… getting on a horse in wet jeans. Think “Wet Saddle”. Think “having to get off your horse to pee in the middle of a rainstorm and then get back on your rain wet saddle and keep riding”.
That was my life this afternoon! Sorry for the imagery, but, hey, it caused Tess and I some hilarity in the middle of a downpour.
We moved our yearling heifers up the mountain… scattered showers predicted. We spent the morning sweating, but I had my sweatshirt along anyway. As soon as they were unloaded from the trucks, it started raining. And thundering.
When we finally decided this wasn’t going to be a quick shower and pass us by, we took off.
Across the flat sagebrush… on top of the Big Horn Mountains. Not where I really want to be with lightning cruising around above our heads.
Then, down. Into fir and aspens. Clouds rolling by us.
My sweatshirt so soggy, the sleeves are hanging past my fingertips. Water dripping off my baseball cap. Leather reins sticking to each other and not sliding like expected. Branches dripping more water on me as I ride by. My camera too wet to focus. Steam rising from the backs of the heifers.
Finally, we reached our destination.
We dropped them and long trotted back to the pickup and horsetrailer. Our adventure wasn’t over yet as we had a couple of miles to go on rain slick, muddy, greasy roads. Brandon did well and we made it to the gravel, with only two really bad hills (now rutted) along the way.
It was a Water World Adventure and we were definitely in the Splash Zone!
Find me here!
Thank you, thank you for sharing so much of your Wyoming life. Not only do I enjoy the pictures, but I am so grateful for your family who tends the land, the cattle, so much that the Lord has blessed this country with.
Theresa… that’s a wonderful compliment. Thank you.
You are very, very welcome.
In my opinion there is no place wetter than the back of a horse in the rain. This city slicker has experienced that, once. The thunder sounds scary. I heard once that if you can hear it you’re too close and should be somewhere safe. Fat chance of that moving cows, eh?
Love your blog, Carol.
sure was an adventure but seems like your splash zone was missing some cool water slides, a miniature golf course and some greasy foods!!!! like ours here!!!! lol 🙂
Been there. All you can do is laugh and add it to your memory book. Part of the joy of being a ranchers wife.
Not sure where that “ant” came from… lol
The wet jeans aren’t ant fun if you have to peal them off and get them back on, but riding in the rain is fun (to me, anyway.)if it’s not too cold. I have some great memories of riding in the rain! I love the rain pictures!
It was OK for a while!
Yeah, I’m sure it wouldn’t be fun for too long.
You all needed a slicker! What a downpour – as we call ’em, a “trash mover and gully washer!” Thanks for the moment-by-moment adventure. Hope everything from leather to clothing dried out for the next ride.
Slickers are never where you need them. Well, Brandon had his… but not the rest of us!
Yuk!!! What a day you had. Not experienced totally wet jeans but some can be a challenge to take off even dry! Hope you were able to have a bath/shower when you got in. I nearly said to ‘warm up ‘ then remembered that you were not experiencing a cool (temps in 60’s) English summer. If heating was still set to winter temperature it would have switched on this morning. Oh joy. What a 1 July!!!!
Oh, we definitely needed to warm up! It was in the 60s up on the mountain, but sitting in the pickup with even the heater going, was not enough to warm up when you’re that wet!