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Archives-July
Where we've been while you were sleeping.

The third month of Adventure !  Here is what we wrote earlier, with conclusion on the Adventure page.

July 1-8, 2007  The Elkhead Ranch

On July 1 we left Freeman Reservoir for Craig, Colorado and the historic Elkhead Ranch. Run by owner Heather S. with the help of one of her three sons (Nathaniel) and several ranch hands, it sits along the Routt National Forest outside of Hayden. The Elkhead Ranch (not the original name) was homestead in 1888. For $10 and the promise to produce some farm product for five years you got 160 acres or more. The ranch has been a cattle and sheep ranch over the years and from the original 3500 acres is now 10,000.

The first and second days at the ranch Ralph spent weed whacking and mowing and doing some wood working and I went on a short ride with Heather to check her hay and did some trail clearing as well. I spent most the afternoons working on the computer and finished the web updates. Jur and Silver Girl are tied out to graze. They are already gaining weight on the green grass. But they are eaten up from mosquitoes and flies. They are wearing fly sheets all day. Their nights are spent with Pebbles, the Longhorn bull. They have established a healthy respect for one another and shared the corral but not their feed!

On July Fourth we went to Steamboat Springs to watch the Fourth of July parade. I had flirted with the idea of riding Silver Girl in it but gave up the idea. Instead it was fun to watch Heather’s granddaughter Dillan lead a miniature burro through the parade. This banner reminded me that it is ONLY under God that we ARE one nation. (Otherwise we are just a bunch of individuals living on the same land. Something more than a cause must unite us or we will crumble when the cause does.) After the parade we walked the town and watched a bit of the ski jumping (they do it in the summer on a special slope). We ate at the Creek View Grill in Hayden on the way back to the ranch. We ordered hamburgers that were delicious and they had Wi-Fi so I got on the Internet.

One of the days I cleaned the trailer and then made chicken strips for lunch. In the afternoon I took the laundry to Craig and went grocery shopping. This is a necessary part of any life and is not always easy on the road. Ralph had some good times with Nathaniel target shooting and playing chess, both of which Nathaniel did great, Ralph said. Ralph and I also enjoyed a dinner out with Wes H. who is working at the ranch this summer.

The Saturday before we left we saddled up and joined Nathaniel, Heather, Wes and Bernardo in riding up Jones Draw to round up their cattle to move them to lower pasture. We rode out their road and then started climbing to get to the top of the three mountain tops we would be getting the cows from. We immediately started following what were elk trails, pushing our way through brush. As we got higher and steeper, Ralph got more worried about his riding. Silver Girl was doing great but Ralph was worried about the slope. We led the horses through some of the tougher spots. We pressed on and eventually joined back up with one of the rough elk trails (better than nothing). We spotted three cows and Heather and Bernardo moved them down. After another hour we came upon the cows the others were driving and were there to help when a few broke away.

That afternoon we drove into Steamboat Springs with Heather. There was an Art in the Park show. We walked through the entire park and there were several good jewelers, one excellent leather worker, and some good photographers. Ralph got us some cinnamon almonds and snow cones. Just like a fair.

We left Elkhead Ranch the morning of July 8. We are going to miss some more great friends we made there. We passed into WY at 10 and at 10:10 clicked over to 126,000 miles on the odometer. At 10:40 we went over the continental divide above Baggs, WY at 7008 feet. Some other interesting things; we passed the end of the Oregon Trail and one of the stops (Big Sandy, WY) of the original pony express. We got into Pinedale, WY and drove 16 miles up to camp at Trails End in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. There were vault toilets, fresh water, and corrals, and the Teton Wind River Mountain Range was straight out our window. We were quite happy with the arrangements. I looked out at the Tetons that evening and just started weeping for all the people who never see the beauty around them and the people who will never get to see such beauty as this. I wish I could share this with everyone I know and will a little through the web page. But to be here, surrounded, ah, it doesn’t get much better than this!

July 9-18  The GRAND Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

The Tetons! There was many a time in the last year or more that Ralph and I would be sitting in our upstairs’ room drinking coffee or sipping lemonade on our patio looking out at a morning breaking or a sunset and say, “This is good but it will be better in the Tetons.” And the Grand Tetons are truly grand. I think part of what makes them so awesome, besides  their height (Grand Teton Peak is 13,770 feet) is they are pinnacles rather that rounded. They pierce the sky rather than simply join it.

That Monday morning we saddled up and rode the Pole Creek Trail out of Elkhart Park. We rode out to Photographers  Point, aptly named as it shouts “photo opt.” Though we had no map we were pretty sure we had arrived when the spectacular view appeared around a corner. We sat down at the overlook to eat our peanut butter sandwiches and let the horses graze on the lush grass left from the snow melt. The trail goes on from there but we are headed back by way of Lake Miller. We got back after 2 and I took the truck down to Pinedale to get our website updated and pick up e-mail. I found the Rock Rabbit, a ice cream and coffee shop with Wi-Fi, and went to work. As I was leaving a guy came in to use their computer and asked me the date. I struggled to figure it out and we got to talking about why neither of us knew the date. Christopher was camping too and working construction in the area. We had a great talk for an hour and a half.

Tuesday morning, we decide to move on to the Grand Teton National Park. We drove up Hwy 191 to Jackson “Hole“, WY and were awed by Hoback Junction and the beautiful valley. We call Pat S. in Jackson. Her name was given to me by Ron C. who I met and rode with in in Moab. She is just two miles south of Jackson so we unhitch after settling the horses and drive into the Grand Teton National Park. Pat also arranges to take me riding the next morning. We figure we can go take pictures and grab breakfast and be back by nine to ride. We also stopped in Jackson to see the Trailside Galleries where our friend, David Yorke, has some of his paintings, one in the window.

We were up at 5 and driving into the park as the sun rose. We went out to Cunningham’s Cabin and got some great pictures of the mountains in morning light. Then we started back south out of the park stopping a several overlooks. The first one was across from the Triangle X Ranch. They were about to herd their 70 head of horses across the road to the ranch. It was great to get some shots of the horses with those mountains in the back. Then we went for breakfast at the Route 89 Diner. Ralph had eggs and homemade biscuits and I had pecan crusted French toast with an orange syrup that was fabulous. Yummy! Then we waddled back to the camp and I fed the horses and changed into riding clothes. I placed a call to Cingular to see what was up with my PC card and found out this area is not serviced by them and thus the PC card will not work. My phone works because of a “partner” service for it. Now we know why people expend the money on satellite units. Pat trailered Jur and I to Poker Flats, the road just past the Teton Village inside the  park. She just parked on the side of the road and we road off into the sage brush. We rode a lot of sage brush, a little along the river and a lot in the woods. I enjoyed seeing the elk and a bald eagle. Pat and I talked about photography and that I raised parrots. She has a friend in Santa Rosa, CA who does also and wants me to call her. That afternoon Ralph and I went to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. It was incredible. Really great work and we could have spent more time but we needed to get to Tetonia, Idaho, our next stop.

On Thursday we were parked in the back yard of Dee and Julia H in Tetonia, Idaho. At two in the morning the lightening and thundering woke us but there was little rain. The rain may interfere a bit in working the horse and getting fences repaired, two of our tasks here. But they need rain. Every day it did rain some (and quite a bit on the next Tuesday). I kept the burn piles going and even hung out laundry and that seemed to do the trick! We worked on the fence line, clearing dead trees and burning them. Ralph got several gates replaced. I trained Cedar, her five year old Arabian stallion. When I put him into the pen to work he started pushing through (and over) the fence so I had to stop and brace the fence until I got it to where he could not go through. The next day Ralph spent  some time reinforcing it. We were at Dee’s and Julia’s for seven days and besides mending fences, training a horse, and clearing land, we enjoyed great conversation and fellowship and a great ride. Dee and Julia have (between them) 11 children, 50 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren! They have lived on this property 31 years. He is a retired fish and wildlife officer and Julia is an artist. She has done several murals locally and in Jackson. She has painted many animal portraits too.

On Saturday we got up early for Yellowstone National Park. We went by way of West Yellowstone along the Madison River. We saw lots of elk and a pair of nesting bald eagles. And, of course, geysers. Lots of geysers; Old Faithful being the most famous of the 300 that are within the park. Gets you a little concerned as you read about the volcanic activity that is building the pressure to cause these numerous streams of heated water to jet out of the ground. . . near your feet! The park also has numerous lakes, creeks and waterfalls. Much of the park has new growth from past fires. By midday the roads were jammed with cars and more were streaming in as we were departing.

Sunday we drove into Driggs to fellowship at Calvary Chapel - Teton Valley. It is a small church with a congregation led by Roger Shea. First he lead the singing and then the preaching. He was teaching out of Deut. 23 about Moses passing the laws of God for the promised land on to the people and how that relates to the people of God today. I found it interesting that in verse 13 it requires you to bury your waste if you are “on the road” or camping which is what is posted in all the Forests and National Parks. Sanitation is a big part of keeping things healthy for ourselves and the land as we travel. And then in verse 24 it speaks of freely picking from the vineyard (or orchard) as you travel through but do not load up and carry off for storing up. This was allowed in the orchards of Capital Reef National Park in Fruita, UT. Neat to see these things being done today and incorporated into our National Parks. There was a fellowship time after the service when we had opportunity to speak with him and several of the congregation. We met Jennifer Griffith (originally from Americas, GA) who is in the process of publishing her work of fiction, Gumbo Yaya (about a Cajun girl). That evening I trimmed horse hooves. I started with Cedar, the stallion, who had to be trained to pick up his feet before they could be trimmed. Then I trimmed his mother’s hoofs as we were taking her riding the next day. That evening was a gorgeous sunset as more rain moved through.

Margaret, a friend of Julia’s trailered the horses and drove us to the North Fork Trail Head in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Julia was grinning the whole way and I kept taking pictures of her as she had not been on a horse in a year. Margaret, too, was excited to be out as she had not ridden yet this year! The trail was beautiful and much as I imagined a ride in the Tetons would be. Through forests and then climbing upward. I spotted a moose and her calf across the creek and then Margaret spotted a young black bear even further away. We later passed another moose cow with twin calves! Despite the wildlife I kept looking at the mountains and thinking I could never get tired of looking at them. But most everyone takes for granted where they live and the beauty around them after a while. We were back just after 2. Ralph had worked on fences all day. I rode Cedar for an hour that evening. The next day I did a couple of training sessions with Cedar and that evening Julia got on him for the first time. I think they are going to be a marvelous team.

The last couple of days with Dee and Julia were long (from 7:30 to 9:00) and full. They were spent enjoying their company, continuing the repair of fences and gates, clearing branches from the fences and burning them, getting our laundry clean, and riding Cedar.

July 19-31, 2007  The Boulder and Macalister, Montana

We left Dee and Julia H’s with sweet goodbyes: new friends and wonderful memories till we meet again. We drove toward West Yellowstone and at Island Park came upon the Buffalo Run RV park having a antique and jewelry sale for the weekend. So we turned in and enjoyed looking. We drove on and stopped for lunch along the Gallatin River along Hwy 191across from the Sage Creek trail head and just down from Taylor Fork. Across the road was the Elkhorn Ranch and then the Covered Wagon Ranch which had dozens of little log cabins and horses for rent. The river was busy with fly fishermen. We got to Big Sky Valley, MT and it was 98 degrees! In Bozeman it was 100! We got out of Bozeman and went over the pass of the Absaroka Mountains where Lewis and Clark passed in 1800. Starting to see the wildlife; pronghorn deer, coyote, and elk. We got off the exit for Big Timber and picked up Hwy 298S, the road into the Gallatin National Forest where we were going to camp for 10 days with Nolan and Marsh P. and their friends and family. The road followed the Boulder River through a beautiful valley into the Beartooth Mountains. It was clouding over and the temperature was down to 95 at 4:30. The mountains looked rocky and huge, large parts of them barren. In the distance there are snow patches. The 47 mile drive seem long, 27 of it on rough dirt road. We passed the Four Mile Campground to the trailhead, a large grassy area on the river side of the road. Our camp was made up of six trailers, 13 people, nine horses, and 6 dogs.

Friday, our first day in Gallatin N.F. Ralph stayed at camp with Gizmo and I rode to Silver Lake with Nolan & Marsha P, Vera M, GD & Janice S, Gary and Carolyn H. We started up the Four Mile Trail straight out of the camp and then the Silver Lake Trail. It is a pretty little nine acre lake on the top of a mountain range. It has a beautiful stream cascading into it and rocks surround it. The following day we rested ourselves and the horses. At about 3 o’clock we piled into the pick up and went up the road to the Four Mile Campground to swim in a water hole and rock slide there. Gizmo and Moses (Marsha’s dog) went too and I took Gizmo down the slide with me. Then we let him dry out and heat up. (See Gizmo’s p.)

Sunday. We rode to Plateau Lake. This is really an area of lakes not one individual lake. It is atop the mountain range where God let a glacier in times past carve out the land and left behind alpine lakes for the high meadow visitors. Ralph and I and Gizmo with the others packed a lunch and rode up the East Fork Trail #27 to the Rainbow Creek Trail #28. The trail had started through old pine forest and then opened to a new pine forest that Nolan called a toothpick forest, appropriately. The first lake, Lake Kathleen, we stopped and enjoyed a short break. Once we got to the top and the lakes, we rode another mile along the lakes and then turned around and rode back to the Upsidedown Trail. Ralph and I, Nolan and Marsha, and Janice rode this while GD, Gary and Carolyn rode down the same way they came up. The Upsidedown Trail rides across the ridge for awhile passing Horseshoe Lake and then winding down through an old pine forest and a series of cutbacks that were beautiful to look from but not directly down if you are afraid of heights. It was after that and several miles that we came to the rock slides. These are cutbacks through rock slide areas of the mountain. And it was a long way down when we first started. The slides were pretty safe but still awesome as that clearing of just rock gave one a feeling of nothing between you and the bottom! Nearly back to the Boulder Road was more cut backs through berry bushes and lots of logs that were showing signs of being moved for the grubs - bears. We came out on Boulder Road at Hicks Campground and then started riding the road back to camp. About two miles out, Charles arrived with truck and trailer and after he turned it around Ralph and I loaded Silver Girl and Jur and headed home while the others finished on horseback. What was really nice was Angie had a hamburger dinner awaiting us and, John, a friend of Marsha and Nolan’s, came with wine from his Covington, GA Fox Winery. (Wasn’t that nice of him to deliver wine all the way from Georgia!)

After another day resting the horses, we were awakened sometime Tuesday morning by Gizmo’s growling and I thought “there must be a bear in camp but I’m too tired to look.” So the next thing I knew Marsha was knocking on the door of the trailer, saying “Janice you need to come get your horses, there is a bear in the tree over them.” So I spring out of bed, Ralph right behind me. I quickly grabbed Silver Girl and Jur and then Ralph was there to help. The bear was not ten feet off the ground and ten feet from Silver Girl’s head, who he seemed to be eyeing (maybe because she was the lightest colored). Nolan said Silver Girl was spinning around and around but she let me get her and walk her away. We no sooner got them over by our trailer, than the bear scrambled down the tree and headed for the hills. He ran past the outhouse and across the road and disappeared, hopefully for the rest of our stay. We took the horses right back over and put them back on the high line and we all went back to bed.

We were up again at seven to ride to Coyote Basin. Charles was riding Silver Girl while Ralph stayed in camp with promises to cook us a pork chop dinner. Ten of us headed out toward Box Canyon going up the US Geo Trail #24. It was a climb from the get go. Later everyone called it the worst but I did not think it any worse than the Upsidedown Trail. They thought it bad because the uphill climb was nearly continuous and this for nearly four hours. We were part way up the trail and I spotted an old trail off to the right that Marsha had never noticed. We were traversing a trail along the contour of a mountain side with a sharp drop off to our left and a steep wall to our right. For awhile I was riding right behind Charles on Silver Girl. Charles spotted what he thought was a Moose rack but turned out to be a bone of a horse. A gruesome sight was there on the mountainside to our right. An entire skeleton of a horse. Fallen from the trail above and lodged against the rock which must have broken its fall and its body. It was a sobering sight on just how dangerous the trail can be. We rode on quietly for awhile imagining such a tragic end. (I spared you the pictorial sight.) We continued to climb and climb giving the horses breaks. We ate lunch on the Geological Trail at a grassy meadow and marveled at the great layered rock springing from it. This trail is really full of rock wonders. Then we continued up to Coyote Basin. This is another mountain top area with springs flowing down to form creeks to join the Boulder River down at our camp. The views were of the nearby mountain ranges: the Absaroka and Beartooth. The ride down was steep and long too. The horses were getting quite tired. A couple of hours down we got to a stream and meadow called Meatrack (as the trappers used to dry their meats there) and there was a bald eagle. We got within forty feet of the American symbol of freedom. Then another hour down the trail I saw two wolves (the group in front saw four). They just crossed the trail so I only got a look. I was glad to get back to camp, Ralph and Gizmo and a delicious meal of pork chops.

The next day we rested our hard working horses. I spent some time working on the many pictures I was taking. After dinner, Carolyn, Ralph & I and Nolan and Marsha took jugs and drove around the corner to Baly’s Lake & cabin to get drinking water from the spring there. The cabin is no longer rented nor used with it’s porch entirely over the lake but falling into disrepair. From a distance in the evening mist you could not tell anything of it’s decay, only it’s beautiful setting.

Thursday the 26^th we rode to the high meadow. You can actually see this clearing of high meadow land from the Boulder Road and we accessed it by riding up the road to Hellroaring Trailhead. Then we took the trail over the river and through the woods to the high meadow above. There was a beautiful overlook along the way that reminded me of the one at Buffalo River already a month and a half ago. We ate our lunch in the high meadow. Ralph was relaxing in the grass and Gizmo was thrilled to get the last pork chop bone for his lunch. Jur and Silver Girl grazed by our sides while we ate our P&B sandwiches. It was a beautiful peaceful setting and would have made a great camping spot. But it’s a good thing we headed down because we got to camp just as the rain started. It did not last long but it got everything wet that wasn’t under cover.

Friday we awoke to very cloudy skies. Even though this was one of the most looked forward to rides, as we would see the abandoned mining town of Independence (which I had read about in the book Jerkline to Jeep), we did not want to do it in the rain. So instead everyone decided to break camp. We broke down camp and Ralph and I were the first to leave up the Boulder Road. As we drove out the clouds cleared and it turned into t a bright blue day with hardly a cloud. When we got to Natural Bridge we stopped and walked along the walkway to get photos. What a wonderful week we had in the Boulder.

On to Big Timber and then Bozeman. In Big Timber we stopped at the Internet café, The North Forty, for lunch. We were thrilled when Gizmo was welcomed to sit beside our table. We also got to stop in the Hospice Thrift Store where Ralph found a practically new Old Navy fleece and I found a pair of roper riding boots. Also found a turquoise belt buckle that Ralph has claimed. This is the third thrift store we have stopped in and we’ve found great items in all. In Bozeman we went to the Super Wal-Mart where Cindy E. met us. She found out about us in May through her good friend who was family to one of our good friends from Miami days! At 8:30 we followed her out to Macalister, MT where she has 62 acres and a 10’X16’ cabin that needed Ralph’s help. The cabin had been built by a brother, her husband, and two sons. Since her husband’s death four years ago the cabin had not been finished and not getting used. There was no water, no electricity and not many trees. It is dark when we arrived but the nearly full moon was a help as we unloaded two horses very ready to get out of a 8X10 box after almost 13 hours! After they were set up on the high line and Ralph got shown around by Cindy, we were ready to end a long day.

The 28^th: I did not hear anything all night so my first question to Ralph (who almost always beats me up) was “how are the horses?” They were fine but without water as they drank the entire 15 gallons during the night. I was anxious to see Cindy who would bring more water. Jur did get a little tied up as he got used to being tied so he could eat around the sage brush. Ralph and Cindy started by going to a near neighbor, Harold, and getting all the jugs refilled with water including several more from Cindy’s shed. The water situation was solved by the generosity of a good neighbor. Ralph and Cindy were back after 3 with lumber and supplies. After a light dinner that evening, as the temps cooled off, we got started.

On Sunday Ralph was taking out and rebuilding the front stairs and I was caulking the exterior. Cindy came out after lunch with her mixed border collie, Dusty, but he wrenched her back and she went home in pain. Late in the evening I put Silver Girl’s bridle on and rode her bareback up the hill. I took the camera but was really too late for anything good. So we got out a telescope of Cindy’s and enjoyed looking at the full moon and the moons of Jupiter.

Monday we got an early start to beat the heat that seemed to really build by 3 o’clock. We worked until noon when we had everything finished except the vacuuming and a few dishes needing washing. We piled our laundry into the truck and headed to Ennis. First we went to see a few of the art galleries in this small town that caterers to fishermen. Then, after finding a bookstore Ralph had to pull me out of, we went to the laundry mat. Cindy found us in Ennis and we all drove to the Bear Claw Bar and Grill in Macalister for steak dinner. That was a great treat. She also brought us ice and homemade soup! We drove back to camp (seeing this warning sign - is it for Mad Cows?) to finish the cleaning, enjoy some lemonade and final goodbyes. Cindy gave us each a bear hug and kiss of thanks. We were glad that we were able to move her forward on this project so close to her heart. Hopefully she can return and stay for several days of rest. Ralph told me something Cindy told him that has stuck with him:  “God gave you your brain and allows you to have knowledge and wisdom. It does not give you the right to use it as a mallet or hammer on others just because they do not use theirs the same way. Thus you will learn two things if you do not beat others, patience and/or grace.”

On Tuesday, July 31, we were up at 5 so we could head to Bozeman at 6 and be at an Internet café at 7. Worked great. Gizmo was relegated to the trailer and the horses to the high line. We spent about an hour and a half in the Internet café and then drove downtown to walk the streets and visit two camera shops. We found a wonderful leather shop, RO Brooks Custom Leather Shop, that we could not resist adding a project to Ralph’s. (Ralph did bring his limited leather working tools.) Ralph said as he walked out, “I could have stayed in there all day, just to smell the leather.” I agree especially as helpful and nice as Rob Brooks was but there were several other stops we wanted to make. So we went to get stocked up on feed, first us and then for the horses and dog. We also bought bear spray, highly recommended in these mountains. We were back at the cabin and camp at 3 and Ralph cranked up the generator and we had A/C. At six we unloaded the truck of feed and starting getting packed up for the next days’ travel. Ralph went to Harold’s one more time for water. While he did that I fed the horses and the phone was ringing when I got back to the trailer. A woman asked who I was as she was returning a call from my cell number. She was Joyce R. in North Carolina. Well, that explained to me why G.D. had not returned my call to his NC cell phone number this morning. He never got my call! Joyce did! And she makes Bible Help calls. Her organization makes cold calls and asks if the receiver wants any questions about the Bible answered. Joyce and I proceeded to laugh over God’s strange ways of putting people together. Though I had no question for her it was great to have a brief chat about our shared love of God and for people. So maybe it was not a wrong number after all! That evening with some of the water we got from Harold, Ralph bathed Gizmo on the tailgate of the truck. Gizmo may not enjoy the bath itself but he sure does like the towel rub afterwards. Now he’s all clean for our day of travel to Darby, Montana and the Selway-Bitterroot National Forest tomorrow, August the first.