The year: 1849. The place: Pahsimeroi Valley, Idaho. It is a late September day in the broad valley, and you are standing in tall basin wild rye grass, about 6 feet tall, just up from the extensive complex of willows that defines the Pahsimeroi River bottoms. The grass is robust, and thick. Its …
You Must Have Gone Crazy
Snow blanketed the high country last night. I woke up at daybreak this morning to see a mantle of white across all of the Hat Creek ranges. It was perfect that we brought the beeves back from the mountains on Saturday. It was time. The cattle and horses would actually be fine continuing …
You Get What You Pay For
Recently, we ran a promotion with a friend who has been a fan of our beef for years. His customers are very health conscious, and clearly are willing to spend money on the best supplements, technology, and sports equipment. While a large number of his customers gave our beef a try, a few …
When Fall Rushes in Like a Lion
What had been a tempest of wind finally abated enough that I could hear again; it was no longer ripping through the treetops of the thick Douglas-fir forest we were herding 280 head of beeves in. The adrenaline rush that had driven me for the past two hours was finally ebbing—I took long …
Old Pickups Die Hard
When you have cattle and crews on the range, the days are long. And they can be longer than long. Adversity rears its ugly head, and people tire. Patience wears thin. Sometimes it is hard to be nice, and words slip out of your mouth abruptly rather than the better way of with a little butter and …
Stampede
The earth shaking rumble of the oncoming freight train in my dream was real enough to startle me awake. I sat bolt upright in my tent where I was sleeping quite soundly. It had been a long previous day. My crew and me had switched with the previous range riders in the afternoon, and then rode …