Rain was predicted. Should we believe it? The storms that have blown through this summer have gone north or south, leaving us dry except for a short blast last week. But this was not simple thunderstorms… this was RAIN. Like… clouds settling in and raining. We have semis ordered up for tomorrow to haul weaned calves. Will it rain too much for trucks to climb the dirt roads? We’ve got to get this done… so let’s go as planned, but you might want to throw in your slicker! Up the mountain we went, 3 cowboys and 3 on wheels.
So how do you know if the cowboys are about to come through the pines?
Your dogs or your horse will tell you long before you know…
As they came closer, the first few whisps of cloud floated by… and when you can touch a cloud up here… it’s going to be cold and wet soon.
The cowboys are in back. We turned them down the hill to the bottom of the draw. I left. The draw is horse country, not sxs country, and I would meet them under the butte.
The cows seemed ready… the chill in the air reminding them their mountain summer is coming to an end. By the time they dropped over the hill to the left, it was getting more difficult to see.
The corral is there, the gate to my left, and once I’d managed to turn some cows in the right direction to make the gate, I was blind. I assumed everyone was still there but I didn’t see anyone. Whatever, I’m just putting them through…. It’s not real conducive to zipping in a sxs though, the buffalo and cow trails are just deep enough you have to pay attention and take them just right.
Then somehow, it’s just me and Daniel. Where’d everyone else go? He had seen them leave and we debated if we should go “look” but I knew if I drove off, I’d most likely head straight into them and mess things up. Daniel felt like he might ride off into some other dimension… As big sky cowboys, fog can really mess us up! I had become misplaced gathering this pasture once in thick fog… but knowing you’ll eventually run into a fence and then you can figure it out from there is somewhat comforting.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of discussion, we could hear motors and cows…
Yay! So glad to have this done in record time, because we could no longer see! Lunch was eaten on the way down the hill but we will be back tomorrow to wean some calves!
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