The Walton Ranch

This is where Michael works.  I took this picture to determine if my Nikon camera body is functioning properly.  It suffered a nasty fall, completely severing the very nice zoom lens off the body.  I am guardedly optimistic the camera is working just fine.

And, I have this picture to show for its operational status.

Update:  The Walton Ranch recently sold to the man who owns Urban Outfitters .  He also has a specialty cheese farm in Pennsylvania; I found this article about that farm PA Cheese .  Priority for the new owner is the design and build of a for-certain trophy home on the ranch.  It is exciting to see the ranch have a new "vision" with direction and some money to start making things better.

What a beautiful ranch, indeed!  I would say my husband is pretty darn lucky to work on a ranch this beautiful and now owned by a man with a vision.

Opening Day, Hunt 1, Sighting

Cut to the chase.

We were not alone!  We saw a bull but he saw us all!

We marveled at the amazing fall colors, enjoyed an afternoon lunch on a warm fall blue sky day.

We worked the stock hard, up steep hills.

No pictures, but this, an essay on The Darkness. 

Darkness

The alarm clock begins its annoying reveille at 3:30am.  We groan in unison, having been wakened at 2:44 am by a misguided Dispatcher thinking I was still on duty.   We give Tme five more minutes, warm and snug in our bed, separated by a line of sleeping dogs; one stretched out longways, her nose at our armpits, the other, an anchor at the end of the bed. 

Mike gets up.  I follow and we get dressed for the hunt.  The thermometer reads a balmy 35 degrees.  

Each of us has our things to do.  Breakfast burritos warmed, lunches packed, gloves, binoculars, sunglasses, water – the items set out and readied the night before.  Mike dons a headlamp and walks down to the corral to catch and saddle mules.  The generator starts, lights illuminate the tack shed. 

We reach the trailhead, a sixteen mile drive, and find we are not alone, this opening day of elk season.  There are four parked horse trailers and three horsemen leaving as we tighten cinches, load guns, wriggle on bridles, and get ready for the ride up the canyon.

This canyon runs east/west.  The moon is a sliver in the sky.  Headlamps are turned off and even in the open parking lot, our eyes adjust to the pitch black darkness.  I determine to find some sort of glow in the dark ornament for the next morning ride.  In the open, I can barely make out the spotted ass of the Mike’s mule ahead.  It is so dark.  I close my eyes to find equal darkness.  My mule makes his way through the rocky trail, picking where to put his feet.  He does not stumble. 

This experience is terrifying.  I work hard to relax and follow the movement of my mule; suddenly going uphill, around a tree, and then downhill.  Sparks jolt the darkness in front of me as metal shoes click off rocks.  My foot hits a boulder next to the trail I cannot see.  The creek roars next to us, sounding much bigger than it actually is. 

Silver moonlight hits the opposite side of the canyon.  We ride out of the dark timber and into this lovely light.  Morning light comes turning the silver light into a brightening blue.  I relax now, actually seeing the trail in front of us. 

Soon, darkness disappears and we watch morning unveil our surroundings.  The ride to the Secret Trail is 1 hour 45 minutes. 

And at that trail, there is a camp, four horses tied to a picket line, an empty tent, and horse tracks fresh in the trail in front of us. So much for the secret!

In the morning’s first light, we are certainly not alone, this opening day of elk season.

Scouting on a Fall Afternoon

There is a secret trail.  Monday is the first day of elk season. 

I cannot divulge to you its location.

We heard bugling!!

Yesterday we rode - in the light of the afternoon - to find the secret trail.  This way, Monday morning - in the darkness of the morning - we will now be able to find it!

It was a really nice afternoon with fall colors, an occasional light drizzle, and only three places on the trail where you'd be in big trouble if your ride stepped the wrong way.  I hope my mule has good night vision!

Fast Weekend!

Some weekends are just too fast.

Saturday, we said goodbye to a great fisherman Bob Schupman at a wonderful celebration of life ceremony in a room filled with family, friends, and fishing buddies.  Bob died way too soon and will be missed.

Dinner with friends that night - a menu that would make any local restaurant envious.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the meal.  Crabapple salad dressing - a recipe I invented - was really delicious.  Topped off the dinner with Janet's rhubarb raspberry crisp. Good friends, good food, good wine.

Sunday found us atop our trusty mules moving cattle from the north pasture (11 wolves were seen early morning eating off a cow they killed from the herd earlier that week) to the ranch.  It's a plus-ten mile ride down the road complete with all kinds of new things for the mule you might be riding.  Parked cars,  Beer cans on the edge of the road.  Flapping flags.  A whole bunch of new horses around and cars behind.  Dogs zipping here and there, keeping the cows moving.  I was holding on to the reigns too tightly to get a picture!! Ruby and Smoke did great biting cows.  Ruby suffered a minor whacking above her eye.  The whole gang had lunch and visited, telling tall stories afterward.

Fall weather and rain brighten this year's fall colors.  The week ahead looks somewhat sane, but it is a 911 world; could change any moment.

Ruling Out, Park City, Fall

So, to be sure, and to rule out the lunch spot where the 3 month old $500 dollar eye glasses may have been dropped, Mike and I took a great day ride up the South Fork of the Buffalo River last Saturday.  The lunch spot, finally found, was a bit further than either of us remembered.  We had a nice lunch break, but did not find the glasses.  Here are some pictures from that very nice day.

Today, I returned from doing code work for the 2018 codes!  Meeting was held in Park City, Utah, a town very much like Jackson.  High end, mountain setting, lots of great eating places.  Great working group.  We got much accomplished and I learned a ton.  Well worth the effort.  Catch up time tomorrow and Friday.  So, these are not my best photographic compositions - taken simply to celebrate the beauty of fall.  Soft, overcast light made the glistening fall colors a visual feast on the journey home.  Mary and Terry - I wish you were here right now!  You could get some great pictures!!

nice powerlines!!

Slim Pendergraft

The peak is named after the man - Slim Pendergraft.  Mountain Man, Game Protector and Gentleman.

We camped in the lovely mountain meadow below the peak for three days on our packtrip.  The rock where the plaque is located sits in a random place; you have to really know where it is to find it.  Upon our visit, we noticed the bronze plaque was not secure.  By any means.  It seemed to all, that should it be left in this unsecured manner, it would be just a matter of time before it got taken. This is a picture taken prior to
securing.

It was decided a return trip would be made to secure the plaque.  Tom and Ken and Mike put the plan into action.  These three men - mountain men, game protectors and gentlemen, all three - returned to the plaque over Labor Day weekend with a plan.

The horse back ride into the area is about 18 miles.  Sitting below and pointing to the peak named after Slim Pendagraft, the history of how the plaque got on the rock originally is under current investigation.  Ken said he performed the operation in his mind every night since we visited the plaqued rock on our summer trip.  Tom and Ken worked on various methods using various products.  Mike assisted.  Friend Coralia got a much-deserved break back to an area she knows very well.

Secured for many more years, the task was a success!  We all rode out on Sunday knowing the plaque would stay secured to the rock, pointing to the mountain, honoring a man I hope to learn much more about as I work toward an article for publication about Slim Pendergraft.  Mountain Man, Game Protector and Gentlemen.

Some more images from the weekend backcountry trip.  

Lunch Break

This may be my favorite picture of the year!  Lunch on the way into Gilroy's Camp.

 

Tom, left; Michael, center; Ken, right. 

 

Back From the Mountains - And BUSY!

Back on Sunday.  Busy Monday.  Look for a story and photos to come from our back country trip.  We had a great time!

Mike's Radio Interview

Mike enjoyed a quiet birthday, working, spraying weeds, and enjoying a birthday dinner over wine.  This week, he was interviewed by our local radio station KOHL.  Listen to how GREAT he sounds - the guy has a radio voice!!  Captain Trumbower Radio Interview

Still very dry here.  We are going to the mountains for a quick end of the season pack trip.  Two missions: to reattach the brass plaque to the granite rock in Pentagraph Meadows and to search for the lost-on-the-last-packtrip, 3 month old, $500 glasses.

Enjoy the long weekend.  It is a much-needed break, indeed!!