Posted by Preston on December 26, 2005, 6:24 pm
11/22/05 Tuesday
I woke early as usual and was pleased as could be to walk out the cabin and see snow on the ground. There was just a couple inches and it was just what I had been waiting for. I knew I could find those cattle I could just find one single track. I got going about 8am and rode Zane. He was the first to walk up to me when I went in the corral with my halter. We headed up Pine canyon and then to the tank. I found tracks. They were left after the snow started but had been snow on. The snow must have stopped about 3am so I figured they had a six hour led on me but I had more to go on than in the last week. They had taken the same trail I had followed the other day up the Mtn. and they led right back into the mountainside meadows. The sun was now out in full force and with the white snow it was damn near blinding. The tracks here had no snow in them so I knew I was getting close. Higher up the Mtn. we went till we were just about on top, right below where rock starts to kinda crown up forming the ridge. I was looking down watching the tracks and shading my eyes when Zane pulls to a hard stop. I looked up and there was a cow under a juniper tree in a little fold of a ridge.
Yahooooo!
Zane was excited, I was excited. We rode over the little crest and there in a bowl under some big old juniper trees where a bunch of cattle. We started getting them up and moving and more and more came out of the trees. We trotted around getting them all headed down and when they hit the first meadow I counted 26 cows, 9 calves and two bulls, old Motley and a young bull of our neighbors.
They were all feeling trotty and took of headed right to the trail to Pine Tank. By the looks of the area I found them they had been in there a lot. I had several times been close to it but you would never know that little bowl of cover was there unless you rode right into it. I’m sure it was a place Motley picked out.
They wasted no time getting down to the tank. I was way behind them but they were all there waiting. After letting Zane get a good drink we started them down the canyon. They had kinda blown themselves out on the way off the Mtn. so they traveled well and in about three hours we were in the corrals. I sorted off a trailer load and headed back to the house with them. I got home just before dark. Let the cattle out in the North Trap and went to see my wife. I had fed the horses before I had left so I had time for a good meal and a shower before I headed back to camp with a load of hay. I fed the cattle that were in the corrals and then went to bed feeling great about the day.
It was cold again but I was too busy to really notice. The sun was so bright it made you seem warm. Over night was sonly down to 22. Snow kept it warm.
11/23/05 Wednesday
I was out early and saddled up Dakota to sort loads. The first load I did was pairs. I first cut five pairs from the main bunch and put them in the branding pen. Then I cut off the moms and got them on the trailer with no problems as there was a bit of hay on there. I shut the dividing gate and went to get the calve son behind them. They all went one but one. Stupid little shit. She kept running around trying to get back into the branding pen…the last place she saw her mom. It took 30 minutes to get her on the trailer. I loosened Dakotas cinch and turned him out and headed back to the H.Q.
I was driving the F 350 with the bad tranny and it took a long time getting back, about two hours. I put that load in the shipping pens then went back for another. The rest of the day was spent sorting cattle and loading 8 at a time and driving them back to the H.Q. All the loading went pretty well. Dakota was great in the corrals he was really on his game. It was a fun day of sorting cutting and driving.
My last load was just before dark and I loaded the last three cows and the horses and headed home.
It was so nice to sleep in my own bed and wake up with Maggie.
11.24.05 Thursday Thanksgiving.
Lyndsey and I sorted two loads of calves and old cows loaded the trailers and headed to Albq. to the sale barn. The sale is tomm. Lyndsey went on up to Sante Fe to visit her mom after we unloaded and I went to the hotel.
Had a boring dinner in the hotel restaurant then went to bed. It had been a long week.
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