Nothing profound in this post. Just WSF
being a fool again.
Three days a week I drive by the EJE Ranch
South of Kimball, NE. Shaun Evertson writes an interesting blog I follow, and
sometimes it brings back memories.
On Monday we were ahead of schedule. Our
route, Hwy 71, is a narrow two lane no shoulders heavily traveled road making a
North-South link between the Nebraska Panhandle and Northeast Colorado,
Interstate 76, Interstate 70, and Hwy
287 into the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. If it is blocked for any reason,
you are screwed schedule wise.
We
decided to map out an alternate route through the prairie West of Hwy 71 on the
Weld County gravel roads. Along the way we passed a very large yellow/white cow all on her lonesome. Brought back a
memory.
Of all the bad news a stock grower can
hear, “You’re cows are out”, ranks near the top.
Some friends had been in a bad wreck and
I was visiting when they got that call. We tried shooing the cows with our
vehicles and on foot but that wasn’t working. Finally, we had to saddle a horse and I
mounted and rounded up the critters. Back
at the barn there were many disparaging remarks about my horsemanship.
“How long has it been since you were on a
horse?”
“Probably twenty years”.
“Well, don’t give up your day job”. Etc,
etc etc.
That ended when I asked the question, “Are
your fucking cows in?”
For the record, I was riding a horse by
myself before my 4th birthday. My father, bar none, was the best
rider I’ve ever seen. Close behind is my sister. Me? I ride like a sack of
potatoes tied to the saddle horn. That said, I’m damn hard to buck off.
Back to the cow, the county road she was
along is lightly traveled, mainly by the windmill farm maintenance people, so
she probably wasn’t in too much danger. A few miles further West there was a
herd of similar color – probably where
she belonged.
It has been a long time since I’ve been
around ranching but I think she was a Charolais breed. Hope she found her way
home. Didn’t see a calf.
The route we mapped out I found
interesting. Rolling hills, some quite steep, gullies, outcrops of Niobrara
shale, missile silos, oil infrastructure, and occasional glimpses of the Pawnee
Buttes.
A good sized herd of Pronghorns were bedded down in a protected swale,
and catching a few rays one could guess.
Mileage wise about eight miles longer
than the Hwy 71 to Hwy 14. Comes out at Raymer. About 20 minute longer time
wise. It will be nice to have an option.
10 comments:
Horses are worse when they get out because they are quicker and if they don't want to be caught, they're like greased tomcats.
I found your story very moooving. I was udderly rapt, waiting for the next part of the story.
Cud you write more of these?
That is when a good border collie is your best friend.
Puns are the lowest form of humor. Probably appropriate for the level of my scribblings.
Admit it. The more you ruminated on what I wrote, the more you laughed.
You win!
Loved this and loved the other blog as well. So what do you do in traffic with cows? Moooove over. I hated it when someone would come tell me our cows or horses were out. Gah.
Good grief, I've unleashed the punsters.
Options are always good... :-)
Like flying, have alternatives.
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