6,180 miles of cow tracks, blizzards, and joy

 The inevitable fact of the matter is that at some point, there would be a blog about the cattle drive.  About the long days of watching the backsides of steadily ambling bovines.  About waking up at 4:30 a.m. just to get started early enough so you didn't have to finish in the pitch black.  About the days being deliciously warm for late fall, or sometimes bitterly, miserably cold and snowy; about the moments of excitement when a cow breaks back and heads for hell-for-leather to somewhere she definitely isn't supposed to be; about the bittersweet satisfaction of getting the herd through the last gate in Smith Valley.

 Day One:  Leaving the ranch!

 Rush hour in Bridgeport...

As many of you know, the annual cattle drive is a tradition for our family.  This year marks the 103rd year that we have been driving our cattle out of Bridgeport for the winter.  Historically, it wasn't just our cattle that were taken out of the valley and down to better winter ground.  Ranchers from all over the Bridgeport valley would join their cattle up and drive them to Smith Valley, then on to Mason Valley, and where ever else they needed to go.  While I can't be sure of the exact numbers, it seems like there would be a LOT of cattle because Bridgeport has such rich feed.

In this day and age, you seldom see a drive like ours.  It's much more convenient for cattle to be trucked to their destination--they don't wear out their feet, they don't drop too much weight (always better to have a fat cow going in to winter...or really, anytime!  We like fat cows!), and it takes a fraction of the time.  Add all that to the fact that there is more traffic on roads that are better maintained, houses are popping up along what used to be open country, and cowboys seem to be a dying breed and you can see how it's been easy for something like this to easily slip into a distant memory.

Yet we continue on--not stubbornly, I assure you.  We continue because we love the tradition.  I don't know that I can ever recall any member of my family saying, "You know, since it's going to snow on the drive this year, let's just truck them to Smith."  It would never even cross our minds--we have always done it rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, or sunshine...and that's just the way it is.  And we will likely continue even though we may have to find a different route, or stop at a different ranch for the night, or take a few less or a few more cows.

The cows know when the hay wagon arrives...

It's a family event, too.  We have a small number of guests that come to help and many have been returning year after year.  These people (as well as our summer guests) become part of the family.  I (Leslie) was born on the day after the cattle drive and for as long as I can remember since then, my birthday has fallen some time during the drive.  When my brother and cousins and I were in school, we would always at the very least get to ride on one day of the cattle drive, often times two or three days, and as we got older, we would skip school altogether and go on the drive (best way to play hooky is to have a job to do!).

My cousin, Aspen, at 3 1/2 years, rode for a day on the drive (this was taken 5 years ago).  She's one tough cookie!

Until next time, dream of green meadows, fat cattle, shiny horses, and blue skies!

It's definitely Fall...and winter is peeking around the corner!

I'm sitting here working on our annual newsletter, glad for a chance to be in out of the weather.  This morning when I checked the weather, there was a 70% chance of snow...and darn it, I'm just NOT ready for it to be cold yet!  I guess I knew it was coming--we already had a snowstorm here about a week and a half ago, but for some reason, it seems that I am less ready for the changing of the seasons.

From where I sit, I can see out to the aspen trees between the office and the ranch house.  Their brilliantly golden leaves make the light unreal and somehow I can never quite capture their brilliance on camera.  Today, they are being blown off their branches and the ground looks like it's got a yellow carpet on it.  Other than the wind, it is totally silent here--one of the things I simultaneously love and hate about fall.

I (Leslie, and from time to time, perhaps Megan) decided to start writing this to keep you all in touch with this place, to let you know what we are doing from time to time, to keep you in the loop.  Also, some people don't know what happens on the ranch during the fall and winter months--I can't tell you how many times we've gotten the comment, "I bet you guys are glad when winter comes and you're not so busy!"  It makes us smile, because while the summer is busy, the other seasons are hectically busy in their own way.  Here's just a few examples of what's happening at the ranch this month. 

About two weeks ago, we sent a truckload of yearling calves to a sale in Galt, California.  The truck arrived at the ranch at 6:15 in the morning, well before the sun was up.  We loaded the calves by the lights we have set up around the corrals, heavily bundled in winter clothes, our breath showing in the frosty air. We weaned our calves and sent them to Smith Valley to put on a little more weight before we sell them.  Our fall-calving herd got sent to Smith last week so they wouldn't have to calve in the snow in Bridgeport.  The morning we shipped them, two of the cows had just calved. One cow had twins--both alive, both healthy but tiny.  Latte, Jon and Betsy's milk cow who will mother ANYTHING, adopted one, and so everyone has had a happy ending.  It's very difficult for a beef cow to raise twins because they don't generally give enough milk to fully support two calves, which is why we are lucky to have Latte, the milk machine!  Most of the horses have been turned out at the end of the lane here in Bridgeport and are happy to be on vacation.  We'll get them in soon to determine which of them might need a little better feed, which of them are going on our Cattle Drive in November, which of them are fat enough to stay until December. 

Between all the work that we have to do with the livestock, there's also a million other little things that go on here in the fall.  Dwayne and Benny have been putting new roofs on some of the cabins, Megan put on the "Ride to Remember" Alzheimer's benefit at our Smith Valley ranch, Jeff and Blair have been working on sending some cattle to the other side of the Sierras for winter feed, and every member of the family has been preparing for the Cattle Drive and working hard to ensure that next year, the ranch will be better than ever!


Until next time, dream of green meadows, fat cattle, shiny horses, and blue skies!