Weekend Update

Lessons learned in cowboy country today:

• Eat all of the food provided to you.
• If you drive a diesel, you should practice priming the fuel pump so that this is a fluent exercise when the time comes. 

I'll see if I can mentally track back to Saturday for an update.  I know, it's only 2 days ago, but somehow each day has provided so much activity that it's getting difficult to keep them separated in my mind.  Saturday was going to be a wind-down working day on the ranch:  Mr G wanted to finish up a few things before returning to his year-round home in Houston.  There was still hay to be bailed and straw to be hauled - but first, we went to Eva's for a breakfast visit.

While we were there, Eva mentioned she might need help "trailing the cows" down from the mountain - essentially, an old-school trail ride to move the cows from pastures up on the mountain down into the corrals for winter.  I jumped at the opportunity to ride horseback for 20 miles down-canyon trailing cows.  After further discussion with Eva (based on the trail and my years of non-experience) we decided it would be best if I didn't join this ride.  She did have some great suggestions to further a riding interest, though.  Mr G has several horses down at the ranch, and one is an old mare that I've ridden before.  After talking with Eva and Mr G, I have a multi-faceted opportunity:  find a saddle that fits me (there are 4 to choose from here), learn how to bridle and properly saddle up the mare, and ride her around the property on a regular basis.  There is also a local woman who is known for her horsemanship skills and can provide training.

Alright -back too Saturday morning - Mr G wanted to work on some items at the shop, so I opted for the homestyle breakfast whipped up by JoAnne at the Hyattville Cafe N Bar. (Incidentally, I've bought a few squares on the matrix in the bar to win a nicely tricked out rifle and scope - it's on display just above the bar, which is joined to the Cafe).  For a price less than the pain of visiting a Denny's or IHOP, I was able to chat with some of the locals and Mr G's brother, Mr D.  I also ordered a basic breakfast plate.  What I received was 6 (!!) long rashers of thick bacon, a pile of hash browns, 4 pieces of toast, and two scrambled eggs and an endless mug of coffee.  It was all delicious - but I was full by the time I got to the hash browns, so left most of those behind.

Now, here in Wyoming, folks don't like to waste things. I've known this, but it's different to keep in mind as a new resident, as opposed to being a neat little attribute of a vacation trip.  So, wasting a serving of hash browns really should be avoided if at all possible.  JoAnne told me this when I returned my plate to the counter - she's the only one working and it was bustling.  She said that she'd downsize my future portions accordingly, but to let her know in the future if I won't be able to eat all the food I order.  We struck a deal - I would do that, provided she let me know if I was getting in over my head with some sort of jumbo sized servings.

I eventually made my way to the ranch and helped out with some auto work for the morning.  The afternoon plan was to head over to Manderson, about 15 miles away, and pick up some bales of straw.

Did you know:  hay and straw are different things?  Hay is essentially a type of seeding grass that has been cut and dried, and is used as a food source for livestock animals.  Straw, on the other hand, is the stalk remains of grain plants - wheat, barley, oats, rye, etc.  These grains are harvested from the plant for livestock and human consumption, among other things - leaving the stalk of the plant to dry, which becomes straw.  As a secondary product of cereal grains, straw provides extra bang for the buck.  It has tons of uses - but in our case, it provides two benefits for ranchers: food and bedding.  As a percentage of the feed for livestock, straw provides roughage and generates heat from the digestion process, maintaining body temperature during winter.  It is also used as bedding for the livestock.

In our case, the bales of straw we were going to pick up were those giant round ones you see in the fields.  The process was fairly straightforward - we went to Allen's farm, weighed the Diesel truck and flatbed gooseneck trailer first, then went to the straw stacks for loading.  Allen rode with us to the stack, and then operated the tractor to lift a total of 8 giant straw bales onto the flatbed trailer.  We returned to the weigh station at the farm, measured the difference (over 4 tons!!), and then headed back to the ranch here in Hyattville to unload the bales.

We needed to make one more run before the end of the day, and the afternoon light was fading fast.  We returned to Allen's farm in Manderson, where he loaded up another 8 bales of straw, and started on the way back to the ranch.  The fading daylight was gorgeous - golden dappled light here and there in the hills, good company and conversation.  Then, a dashboard light came on.  It was the low fuel light.  Mr G mentioned this, and said that the truck had a 20 gallon tank, so we were discussing how many  remaining gallons of fuel there might be (1? 2? 5? plus a reserve?).  Then the engine started to lose power, and we stuttered to a halt along the side of the road, with 4 tons of straw, in nearing darkness, about 7 miles from the ranch.  Mr G borrowed my cellphone and climbed the adjacent hill to see if he could get a signal.  He could, so he called a few folk that might be able to help - to no avail.  Everyone he was calling was out and about, starting their weekend, or headed off to their hunting camps.  

Fortunately, Rebecca was home - and her home was literally right across the road (and set back about a half mile).  She hopped into her truck and came to help us out - we rode back to the ranch, grabbed some tools, paper towels, hand cleaner, and a 5 gallon jug of diesel fuel. 

Did you know most farms and ranches have a small farm/consumer type tank of gasoline and agricultural diesel fuel for their equipment.  This was great for our purposes, because we only needed to fill up the 5 gallon container and head back to the truck.  

Rebecca kindly drove us back to the waiting, empty diesel Chevy (cough cough) truck, whereupon we promptly added 5 gallons of fuel.  

Did you know that when you open any portion of the fuel system on a diesel engine, you break the requisite vacuum seal?   In this case, it turns out that we had to find the fuel pump, loosen a screw (thank goodness we had a flathead!), and push down on the manual primer.  This basically pumps the fuel line, purging out the air that we allowed in by running the tank dry and then adding fuel.  When priming a fuel pump, you'll get an outpouring of tiny-bubbled diesel foam.  It may take more than one attempt at this before you'll be able to get the engine to not only turn over, but to keep running once it does.  

By this time, Rebecca's husband James and a friend had arrived to help, and we had a whole repair complement:  flashlight holder, manual reader, driver, and fuel pump primer.  We were able to get the vehicle up and running strong again, thanked all our helpers, and returned to the ranch.  Once there, Mr G called John and Mary - neighbors and founding family members of Hyattville - to advise we'd be late meeting them for dinner.  Turns out, they had some company and were hosting a Mexican themed buffet dinner at their house.

After returning to the house in town, letting the dog out, and each freshening up just enough so that we no longer smelled like diesel fuel, we joined the dinner party.  I think I walked in the door for the final time on Saturday at about 11:30....it was a long day, but remember, I had that nice break where I had breakfast and a return check on my animals.  Mr G hadn't stopped all day!  I suppose I have to admit - I do not have the physical strength or aptitude to keep up with a retiree.  

Yet.

Sunday was a wind down, finish unpacking, do laundry, catch up on email,  and a trip to "town" (or, Worland: 30-ish miles from here) for groceries / supplies (typically a 3 hour event).  Afterward, I finally turned on the television.  It was after dark, and the eerie electronic glow felt strange and somewhat blasphemous.  

 

Roller Coaster Friday!!

Lessons learned in cowboy country today:

• Don't put your work gloves away until you are on your way home.
• Don't leave your vehicle windows down, even on a gorgeous day, to prevent bees and flies from setting up house there.

Today, the Cable Guy came out and installed cable tv this morning.  Everything went smoothly, other than taking too long.  Afterward, I joined Mr G down at the ranch to help out towing a truck to Basin for repairs. That was an adventure in itself.  He drove a Jeep Cherokee, and I was in the 83 Ford super big pickup.   Once we got the emergency brake released and took it out of gear, and turned on the accessories, it was clear the truck had a flat-ish tire and no power steering.  So, for about 30 miles, I was steering this big truck with every fiber in my body.  After the first panicky moments passed (during which my mind did a disturbing escalation of the risks involved, including rolling both vehicles over down a hill), I calmed down and enjoyed the ride much like a roller coaster.

That is, until the Jeep towing me began to overheat.  Of all the days helping out on the ranch, today is the day I decided to bring my black and white cute little insulated bag that looks like a purse.  I had it loaded up with ice and cans of soda.  Turns out, we needed the ice to begin the cool down process of the radiator 5 miles outside of Basin.  That wasn't going to be enough, so Mr G then used the insulated bag to scoop up more water from a nearby drainage canal and began adding that to the radiator.  After a few trips down to the canal, we got the engine cooled off enough to get the Ford truck to the auto shop and drop it off, adding proper radiator fluid in the process.

Then, we headed further down the road in the newly refreshed Jeep to Greybull.  There, we needed to have a tire repaired for a stacker tractor - one that stacks the hay that has been already baled into the 70+ pound rectangles. I call that machine the "hay bale picker upper".  No one has corrected me yet, and it gets the point across.  While in Greybull, we had to stop at the A&W shop for an ice cold Root Beer float.

Making our way back to Hyattville, we stopped off at the bridge that we've been working on .  The work at this stage involves drilling guide holes into planks that are about 16 feet wide, 10 inches deep, and about 2.5 inches thick. Once the guide holes are complete, Mr G follows with a variety of bolt sizes and washers, and then drives them in using the impact wrench.  The weather for this today was perfect - mid 70s, sunny, peaceful - until the mosquitoes discovered us!  We completed one of the longer sections of the bridge today -  that felt like a good accomplishment.  We headed back to the central part of the ranch, and were going to do just one more thing.  This turned into about 10 more things.  I'm not complaining, but I had taken my gloves off and put them away - and we were not in a position to have enough time for me to retrieve them.  You don't want to  know what my hands encountered.

We moved some trucks and trailers, I helped guide the pointy end of a forklift tine into four very small fabric holders to lift a ton bag of oats, and we fed the remaining cows and one of the horses.  We did a little late day clean-up around the ranch, and wouldn't you know it - the sky turned this most incredible sunset swirly range of colors.  Then, each field we passed on the way to the house was filled with deer.

Poor things don't know hunting season starts Monday - but they will soon!

Here is a parting snapshot from when we were leaving the ranch this evening....enjoy!

Wyoming Week 1 Roundup

I tend to be a bit of a statistics junkie, sometimes. So I’ve collected some through this transition from Houston to Hyattville, Wyoming:
Distance: 1706 miles.
Mileage: averaged 18 mph, pulling a loaded 4 x 8 U-Haul.
Consumption: 97 gallons of gas, or just over 6 tanks full, or about $360.
Duration: Drive time spanned 5 days, largely due to daily fatigue. We would stop every 2 hours on the drive up for doggie potty breaks (and sometimes human ones, too!). The cat did fine – he even used the litter box in the vehicle while we were on the road.

Monday: I arrived about 2 in the afternoon and promptly power-napped. Once that was done, I unloaded the U-haul, put everything away, fed and comforted the cat and dog, and returned the U-haul…to Worland, about 30 miles away.


Tuesday: I did a little helping out at the ranch. To clarify, I should say that the ranch itself is about 6 miles from the house itself. The house is in town – Hyattville – population 75. Well, now, that’s 76! I learned that Verizon lied to me - I have zero cell coverage here, so while I love my smart phone and can hop onto the wireless network and use it for everything I use my computer for, I can’t use it for calls. This is a little frustrating. I’ll need to work on a solution for that.


Wednesday: we prepped cattle for auction. That meant separating the DL brand calves from the ZA brand calves, and doing a little math to determine how many trips it would take to move 63 head using 3 trailers containing 17 head each. We ended up having Jared, the ranch hand who lives on site there, making the second run. In the afternoon, I came back to ‘town’ to take the dog on a little exploring trip and started on tilling the garden to prep it for winter/spring.


Thursday: a real workout day. I helped out on the ranch with Jared on one of the bridges over the creek replacing planks. Later back at the house, I finished the battle of the weeds and fixed wooden steps that lead up to the house.


Today, Friday, I have the luxury of time to write this as the cable guy is doing his thing to bring cable into the house for TV. I learned that Hyattville is a pilot community for fiber optic lines – they’ve had them in place for a few years now.


Saturday - probably more work at the ranch. Basically, there is some late season hay to be harvested - so we have to wait until the afternoon when the morning dew dries, otherwise the cattle and horses won't be able to eat it. This was a drought year, so the hay crops are very depleted - and hay costs twice as much as normal if you have to buy it. Mr G has to buy some - a couple of TONS – because of the drought. There is much to do while Mr G, with all his expertise is here in town.


Another farming note: there are several apple trees here at the house and at the ranch, but there are no apples this season! Apparently there was a cold snap in late spring that froze and killed the apple blossoms when they were still flowers. The impact of this is that the elk and deer also feed on fallen apples - so there are lots of hoof prints in the yard from them trying to find apples. I don't think they're too bad off - I haven't seen a skinny one yet. Hunting season starts Monday so there are lots of hunters arriving here now, setting up their camps. I have been told I should wear a hunters' orange jersey to wear when I'm out walking Djinni for the rest of October.


Dog info: Late afternoons I've made a point to walk with Djinni, my dog, throughout the whole town without a leash - she has done great off leash. She is also in paradise, and runs and jumps and plays and barks and play-howls and on and on. Djinni has discovered coyote poop, elk poop, deer poop, cow, horse, and beaver poop and I don't know how many other new types of poop. This is why I keep the leash on her when we walk (even if I don't hold onto it) so I can grab it and stop her from rolling in something that smells "interesting". There is a meat processing place here in town, and they get busy this time of year with all the hunting. I plan to pick up some morsels from them for Djinni.

Last night, we walked by a property with a bunch of horses. Djinni could hear them but not see them, so I clucked my tongue, and sure enough, about 20 horses came sauntering up to the fence to see us. They were wary, but curious - wanting to sniff my hand, but keeping a few inches out of reach. They were curious about Djinni too, and I think she was taking it all in. I hope she thinks I'm some sort of super person because I made all the horses come to me! So, with that calm presence, she didn't bark at the horses, but tried to sniff them nose-to-nose. She bumped noses with one horse and that startled them both, so the horses trotted off into the darkness again. One of them was HUGE. I'm going to have to get some photos of him during the day. On the way back to the house (about 200 feet), we saw not one, but TWO shooting stars!

Cat info: Yesterday, I also let Kathman out into the yard, and he literally got super high by rolling in the bushel of cat mint. (It's a mouse deterrent so it grows around the house perimeter). Then, he slinked his way around the house 3 or 4 times - running back to me anytime he heard something unusual, like a car. Then, he slinked around the perimeter of the yard a few times. It's partially fenced, but it's horse fence, with the big square holes that he could walk through if he wanted. He has not yet discovered the warren of rabbits living at the base of the evergreen tree. I have realized that I can successfully herd him – it’s not unlike herding cows, actually.


Weather: it has been beautiful – chilly evenings and mornings lend way to stunning afternoons bathed in that seemingly polarized fall afternoon light. I start the day with about 6 layers on (plus jeans and cowboy boots). By noon, I'm down to 3 layers, and by 2, I'm in a t-shirt. Such is a warm-ish October in Wyoming!


Not a bad first week – not bad at all! I’ll post a collection of photos this evening – pulled from the Canon, so they should make for better viewing than those taken with the smart phone that doesn’t do any phone activities.

Dog Days of...Autumn?

Autumn Light

Well, it appears my 4 mpx images from my phone look fairly crappy when uploaded to Blogger.  I'll have to look into that.  This image is from the banks of Medicine Creek, underneath the cottonwood trees, with a blanket of fall leaves.  Time to break out the Canon, I suppose!

Ranch Hand....

My first attempt at cow-boyin'. The boots are broken in and ready for tomorrow's calf auction!

Today I helped Mr. G, Jim and Jared separate and corral 6-month old calves. We hauled 4 trailers full to nearby Worland, but because it's in a different county, I learned all about the need to stop at the diner and register the cargo with a Wyoming Form G.

Tomorrow is the auction, so I'd like to check that out. There is late season hay to be baled yet, some repairs to be made, cable to be installed, and - I'm told - a hunting camp to visit. Hunters are already here - scoping out prey for opening day on the 15th.

Painted Hills

This is the high desert area bisected by BLM gravel roads that lead to Hyattville, WY.

Wide Open Spaces

This is what driving in Wyoming on I-25 looks like...

Breakfast of Champions

A couple of aspirin, some fruit, and some fiber - coupled by coffee in a cup bigger than your head - is how I started off today from Denver. I got to Casper, WY, and considered pushing thru the remaining 250+ miles, but the size and quantity of roadkill dissuaded me. I'll post a summary of the road trip adventures in the next day or two, once I get my workstation up and running.

Lots of catch up to do...

But I don't write well on my phone. In short, I'm having so much fun it seems illegal! Better posts soon. Oh, and I'm half way there. Drove the longest route possible out of Texas - from Houston NW up thru the top if the panhandle - 860+ miles!

Preparation, Packing, and......Procrastination

I am a certifiable Master Procrastinator when it comes to certain things.  Anymore, packing is one of those things.  So, true to form, I am putting that off until the evening hours.  Today, I had more productive things to do:  breakfast with a friend, a few more errands, and lunch with my soon-to-be landlord, who I'll refer to as Mr. G.  Mr G and his wife live here in Houston year round, while Mr G manages his ranch in Wyoming.  Since I'll be driving my 4Runner and pulling a small 4 x 8 trailer, I've offered to carry a few things along for the haul that Mr G would like to have at the Wyoming house.  So, we met for lunch and bbq, collaborated on driving directions, and exchanged a few boxes.  I now have an updated route that I'll plan to drive, which should save me some city traffic frustrations.

One of my stops today included REI, the outdoor outfitters.  Most everything I have is already in storage that I can't access - it's an "all or none" thing.  So, over the last few days I've picked up a few things I'll need in Wyoming - since first snowfall is expected tomorrow night!  The problem is I have a very hard time buying winter gear in 85 degree Houston weather.  But, getting it there will prove to be a little more difficult - just because the availability where I'm going will be limited to what's on offer at Ace Hardware!!.

Instead, I've opted for the "getting started" kit - weatherproof activity pants, insulated snow boots, and wool socks.  I have a jacket and a few fleece items, so I'll be good.  For a while.

Here is my dog Djinni (pronounced Genie) inspecting my latest gear:

Now, I'm worn out from running around.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat some ice cream, take a nap, and really pack this evening!!!

And I'm not even going to worry that the only cafe in the town I'm heading to is closing at the end of October......o_o.....

A Change in the Air

I've decided to reinstate the use of this blog primarily to keep the clutter of my thoughts and details free from friends' facebook feeds, but also as a way to chronicle a significant change for me.  I have decided to move to Wyoming!  Big thanks to Heather M. for the recommendation to return to blogging!

I haven't posted since I moved from Ohio to Texas, for a number of reasons.  Now, I am preparing to leave Houston for the nth time, but for a whole new adventure - and in a whole new direction.  I am moving to Wyoming as part of an experiment - call it my Winter 2012 challenge.  I want to winter in Wyoming prior to finalizing my decision to move there permanently.  I need to ensure I can handle those winters!  This has been an objective formulated over a number of years.  Wyoming is the one place - out of all of the places in the world that I've visited - where I feel continually compelled to return.  There is something in, or of, or about Wyoming that resonates in my soul.

My initial plan was to buy a home here, leave my job, begin consulting (and the requisite travel that entails), and live happily ever after.  But - what if I hate Wyoming in winter?  Fortunately, I have a number of friends there, and one of them has offered to rent his furnished home to me during this season to help me further determine if this is really what I want to do.  I am working on the other stuff - the consulting arena - but posts  in the meantime will be kept free of work related details.  (I have other blogs and social networks for that, if you're interested.)  I've downloaded an app to my phone that should allow me to post photos and short blog posts from the road, and I plan to re-engage in my passion for photography as well.

So, I hope you will enjoy my journey with me - haps and mishaps and everything in between!  I start driving on Wednesday, October 3.  That is the same day that the fire warning expires in tiny Hyattville, Wyoming.  It is also the last day of the growing season there, and the forecast is calling for the first snowfall as well.  I'll take those all as good omens!

Most Recent Trip: Norway / Denmark

I just returned from a trip to Norway with a side trip to Denmark, visiting my friends Anita, Arve, and their daughter, Ina. I had a great time, in no small part to my hosts and their extensive planning efforts. Upon arrival, 3 hours early, Anita and Ina came to pick me up at the airport. From there, we went to the house and picked up a few things before heading off to their cabin, a few hours' drive away, where Arve met us for a weekend of fun. The cabin is perched on a hilltop overlooking a fjord, and is near only 3 other cabins - remote but fully modern inside. What an escape! In the morning, we all headed to Arve's home town, Odda, which is famous for its fruit orchards. We stayed at Arve's mom's house - she was vacationing in Spain - and her house has a fantastic view along yet another fjord.

The next day (Saturday?) started off rainy, but that didn't stop us from going fruit-shopping, directly at the orchards. Arve's long-time friend, Oysten, has a plum orchard and his family treated us to waffles and cases of plums. Later that day, we went hiking up to a glacier. It was a good hike but a bit steeper than what I'm used to. So, as a result, I was passed up by an old man, Anita who was carrying Ina, and Arve who was following their dog, Bajas. By the way, their dog is a wirehaired dachshund!

On Sunday, Anita, Ina and I headed to Kristiansand to catch the ferry to Denmark in the morning. Finding an open restaurant there at 9 pm was quite difficult. Unfortunately, Anita received a speeding ticket along the way - I offered to play 'dumb tourist' but she wouldn't let me. The next morning, we were on the 3 hour ferry to Denmark. Anita reserved seats in the restaurant, so we were guaranteed a comfy place to sit, an all-you-can-eat buffet, and a child seat. We dressed Ina in her "pooping in progress" shirt, which was quite unfortunate, because she lived up to that statement several times that day. The girl is certainly a trooper - loves travel, and has been to more countries before the age of 1 than I had visited by the time I was 23!!

In Denmark, we did a bit of shopping. I found a *killer* pair of black knee-high boots, a nice top, and a chic jacket. We also stopped at a Wal-Mart like grocery store to buy LOTS of meat, cheeses, and other supplies. Later that week, Anita and Arve were holding two birthday parties for Ina's first birthday, in addition to hosting a houseful of guests the following weekend. Thankfully, we had a refrigerated cooler. It was much cheaper to take the ferry to Denmark to purchase the quantity of meat and supplies needed.

On Tuesday, we went back to the house in Stavanger to unload groceries, relax, and spend some time with Arve. Unfortunately, my flight back was Wednesday morning, and I returned to work on Thursday (albeit hit by jetlag pretty strongly in the afternoon).

On my flight back, I had the pleasure of being seated next to a cultural anthropologist (what I would be if I could choose professions). She had just spent 3 weeks in Finland studying and researching native folk art. We had a great series of conversations, between laughing at the in-flight movie, Sunshine Cleaning. (The Hangover was not showing on that flight :-().

Anyway, I'll add a few photos here and more single photos above. Enjoy! And Thanks, Anita & Arve!!

Danish Modern Architecture

Unbelievable - a Lamborghini Tractor!!