This week’s story is from Abigail Kelly, our daughter, about growing up on the first Alderspring Ranch. Abby and her husband Ethan grow our pastured pork that's in the webstore, and Abby is the current herdswoman for all of our home ranch cow calf pairs. The story that follows takes place about 25 …
The Real Cost of Organic
Gwen desired an in-depth tour of the 70 square mile piece of Idaho wilderness to see where our cattle grazed this past summer; she wanted to ensure that it was still 100% certifiable as organic. There are a few old two track gravel roads that journey up and through the rugged mountains and forests …
People as Part of the Wild Landscape
The cowboy apparition I had been watching for several weeks became human flesh one day as I cruised down an old logging road on a dirt bike after a long day of putting trees in the ground. My trusty Honda was by far the best conveyance in and back out of the high elevation forest on the 25 mile two …
In Hat Creek Before Columbus
The year: 1492. The trio of Spanish caravels continued their pitch and roll across the bleak expanse of virgin Atlantic waters. It had been 68 days of blindly sailing west on a featureless sea. Onboard the tiny ships we now call the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria (not the actual names of the ships), …
Back Home Again
It was like Sherwood Forest down there. As far as the eye could see, tall cottonwood trunks stood with rustling leaves above, providing continuous shade over the thick grasses below. An occasional 100 year old and failed homestead log cabin, now rotting into the ground provided the only break in the …
Cats and Cattle
Erik was right. He described the tracks he had seen and hazarded a guess as to their maker. Those tracks were the business card left by a mountain lion, the solitary and fearsome host of the forests and canyons we lived and worked in. The big cat had his eyes on the easy mark of a wayward …