When there’s rough country… Reagan gets to ride with me in my sxs. So somewhere around 6:30 am, she was dropped off, squishy and blanket and snacks and water bottle in hand. We let the chickens out, loaded up, and after miles of zooming on roads, caught up with the cowboys just bridling their horses. We were sent down a long, rocky ridge, overlooking steep juniper covered slopes. Nope, no cows.
We drove over the ridge, meeting up with Brandon and Megan. Quinlan was following a cow and calf, Lorelei sent “thataway” (please keep an eye out). Victoria had been sent to The Hole and was out of sight. I would head back over to Daniel’s crew.
Somehow, my partner in crime was sleeping.
Driving past a clump of trees, I heard a cow’s bawl. Circling around, I found three pair coming out into the open and heading the wrong way. Zoom, zoom, and there they went. As I circled around the hill, the cows decided to go cross-country and not down the trail. Though I tried, zooming through sagebrush is practically impossible. Bouncing and rocking and crunching through brush, I never dumped my partner onto the floorboard. But the cows had crossed the valley and were headed clear back to the corner we’d entered.
Though they’d have to circle way around the pasture, it was generally in the correct direction. Halfway down the hill, I could go no farther. Somehow, one silly calf took off and flat-out ran back the way we’d come. We tried to take the cow back towards her calf, but she was unconcerned. Daniel appeared. We traded info and I was sent back to look for the calf. No calf, but I found two pair and a bull.
Daniel showed up and took my cattle. I was sent to look for the calf again. Reagan was awake again and zoom! Off we went. Back out through the entry gate, skirting a big draw, and back in… and doggone if we didn’t find two of those pairs we’d dropped earlier. Shoving them across the draw, Daniel showed up and took them once again. We circled around again.
Get the idea? Zoom zoom. Run into Daniel. Anyone seen Victoria? Zoom zoom.
Running around, we ran into Brandon’s crew, and I helped with them. Then Daniel’s bunch showed up and I ran to help them. Anyone seen Victoria?
Have I mentioned the wind was blowing pretty good… With Daniel and Brandon’s herds on the highway and headed towards the lot, I went up on the ridge to look for Victoria. At one point, my hat blew off my head and out of Reagan’s window! That’s a good crosswind! Daniel showed up again and we worked our way through the junipers and down the ridge.
By golly, there was Victoria with 16 pair and two bulls.
(to be continued)
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