It had rained in the night, but we were up early enough to see the sun rise. After breakfast we saddled up to head into the hills to find the missing steers. We had found all but 40 the day before.
photo by Mark MacLeodHere's my dad shaving in luxury before we headed out on our ride.
It was a cool and misty morning. The air seemed extra pure and fresh. We divided into groups to find the missing steers. I rode out with cowboy Amos and a few others. My dad went with Ranch owner Art to see what they could find.
photo by Mark MacLeodWe found 24 of the steers, the others brought in 16. Here we are herding them towards the smaller pasture to join the others.
photo by Mark MacLeodAfter finding the steers more easily than expected, we found ourselves with an afternoon off. Some of the Irish went to town to go shopping. The rest of us went on a scenic horseback ride with the ranch owner Art.
photo by Mark MacLeodThere is a lake on the east side of the ranch. The mist got heavier, the air got cooler, the scenery was incredible. We rode into the hills towards the back of the ranch.
Starting to feel a little bit like a drowned rat, but it was worth it!
photo by Mark MacLeodHere's my dad on "Sporty". We rode deep into the ranch, riding along a ridge overlooking the beautiful valley with endless views.
photo by Mark MacLeodWe rode for about an hour and a half before we came to some rustic cabins on the ranch property. At that time they were just fixing the cabins up to use for rentals. I think that they are ready now, I'd love to stay in one sometime! The Nelson's don't do the cattle drives anymore, but do offer some fun things to do on their ranch. Check here for more information.
photo by Mark MacLeodAfter our ride we were treated to a horse training seminar given by cowboy Amos. He does his training in a round pen, starting with 2 year olds.
photo by Mark MacLeodHe showed us how important it was to get the ranch horses used to ropes...and how important it was for the horses to get used to the feeling of something around their legs.
photo by Mark MacLeod Then he showed us about saddlen' and bridlen' and all that other stuff....on a very green horse. Cowboy Amos had a gentle way with his horses.
photo by Mark MacLeod There was an older couple on the drive, Lee had taken a fall from his horse earlier and was feeling a little stiff and sore. My dad hit it off with him right away, here he was teasing him and helping him walk to his tent....a couple of old duffs.
photo by Mark MacLeodAfter supper we spent the cold and rainy evening in a shed. There was a dance with a Mandolin player and a guitar player. The live music lasted until about 11:00.
photo by Mark MacLeodPart of the shed had a wooden dance floor. Ranch owners Art and Eilein Nelson showed us how it was done.
photo by Mark MacLeod After the dance there were some fireworks....just before the rain really started to come down.
photo by Mark MacLeod Time to find our tents for the cold wet night ahead....we'll be hitting the trail in the morning.
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