Craving to See the Other Side of the Ridge!

"I was just following that trail that answered craving a cow puncher has, to see what it looks like on the other side of that big blue ridge that's always out ahead" Will James ~ Drifting Cowboy




This week I was headed North on I-15. A road I have traveled many, many, many times. I got to thinking to myself...How many times have I driven this road but never really seen what was right there in front of me. This is my favorite time of year right now...for about 2 weeks Hamer to Dillon is transformed into miles & miles of lush green grass for as far as the eye can see.

Well, on this routine trip down the great American highway I decided to stop....& smell the flowers. I wanted some pictures for the "Monida Rodeo Company" thank you cards and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

Here are some pictures from my adventure! Hope you enjoy the trip off the beaten path as much as I did.


It was as if time....just stalled for a moment as I looked out over this glorious green valley! I was there! Bringing back the best of my past, the beauty of the now and the endless wonders of my future!














Hope you enjoyed the ride!

Yours Truely,
That Girl

Now back to reality ....and the rest of the story! When I left home, I looked at the fuel gage & thought...Hmmm, you should put a little fuel on in Dubois. Well, the Dubois exit came & went without so much as a brake light. Oh well, a lil fuel at Lima....I think will be fine. Hmmmm, Monida is so irresistible....you've driven by it hundreds of times but today is the day to explore!

I'm right up on top looking out at what I picture heaven to be......when the fuel light comes on and the gauge is way past E! Well, lucky for me the top of the hill is near & I can certainly coast down to save some fumes :)

Let the coasting begin! Not to worry, still plenty of time to get a few parting shots as we descend back into town. Even on the highway I was still overwhelmed with the beauty that surrounded my glorious drive. Even if I had to walk to town to get fuel, I think it would've been a beautiful walk! :) .................I can say that now.......because I coasted into Lima on fumes & didn't have to.

I Can RIDE as FAST as You Can RUN!

I’ve been ache’n to do some stories about the good ol’ days here lately. Here’s a story from the my minds archives. The details are a bit foggy so I’m just gonna fill in as I remember it.

I would like to say I was a junior in senior in high school but I might have been a freshman or sophomore in college. I makes no difference….just you’d hope that I’d be getting wiser with age & this is clearly a foolish story. : )

It was a warm afternoon at the Hoggan Ranch. The neighbor boy wanted to come over & ride a pony we call Chocolate Chip. He was a tiny lil chocolate colored pony with a thick stocky lil body.

Now we are going to have to back track in time quite a few years to give you a little history on this blessed lil animal. Back when Eric, Rita, & I were all real little….Rita had asked for a minature pony for Christmas from Santa. Christmas morning, Dad saddle up rode out in the pony bucking horse string & gathered up a baby pony for his baby girl! (Seriously…she asked for a pony & got it!) Well…this miniature renegade wasn’t exactly what Rita had in mind. Actually, it wasn’t at all what she had in mind & she wanted NOTHING to do with it!

Well, that didn’t slow Dad down a bit. Eric & I were put in charge of taking care of his little princesses pony. Breaking it to lead, taking it to water, ect. Wow, I’m pretty sure Chocolate Chip’s name was the only thing sweet about him! This was one of the most stubborn & miserable creatures I’d ever been in contact with!. I remember Eric & I both getting drug behind on the lead rope as the pony would run away with us. One time we were just in the corral & he ran off……dragging us behind….until about the 3^rd frozen pile of horse poop knocked loose our grib of the lead rope! I didn’t care for this pony or the spoiled lil’ sister that had wished this lil’ devil on us!

Eventually, with time Chocolate Chip was broke to lead, ride, & all that jazz. He was a spoiled little pony that wasn’t rode enough & knew good & well when he could buffalo a kid. That brings us to our present story. The neighbor kid often came over to ride Chocolate Chip when he was older. It was a nice afternoon. We got the horses in & caught the pony. 1^st putting him in the round corral to get him warmed up. Well, our round pen is about the size of 3 traditional round pens & if a horse wants to be naughty….it sure has enough room to be! Chocolate Chip was letting that spoiled little pony personality shine thru! I decided to even up the playing fields & so we moved the warming up process to the alley that was considerably smaller. The neighbor boy & Chocolate Chip were finally starting to see eye. When it came time to go to outside, 1^st chance that rotten little pony got …it was misbehaving!

I’d had all I could take of this rotten lil’ pony cheating this little kid so I decided I would “tune up” on him. (This is where the music begins that indicates that something real bad is about to happen) Picture, this stocky, thick necked, hardheaded….lil’ Pony…..complete with a little saddle……as I climb aboard. (I’m somewehere between the age of 17 & 21…….CLEARLY past the stage of riding the little saddle)

Here we go! Chocolate Chip has been wanting to run off so I let him. Certainly I can ride this rotten little pony as fast as he can run so when he gets mad & wants to run I just whip him & ask for more speed. (Thinking I will air him out a lil’ so he is paying attention & will listen when the boy gets back on) He go tearing thru the yard! He doesn’t know what to think about being spanked, especially when no one is pulling on his head to stop. He is at a dead run! Little pony legs in full speed! He runs right up to the edge of the barbed wire fence when he comes to a screatching stop! The gate butts up against a long feed manger so I turn him back on the fence (manger). He is mad & takes off running again! I spank him again & think to myself again….I can ride you as fast as you can run! (This thought was made thinking that the manger was a solid object to run down, similar to a fence & the large pole fence at the end certainly was better to stop at than the wire one we’d just about run thru. The odds where in my favor for teaching him a lesson!

The events that were about to take place I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams! We are running full bore down the manger! There were some boards missing from the old mangers feed bunch. Chocolate Chip saw this as the perfect opportunity to escape & before I knew what was happening………WHAM! He DIVES off into the manger! He fits thru the slats but the rest of us doesn’t! The horn on the saddle catches on the top of the manger slat! I am stuck for a brief second in time, pinned in the saddle by the horn & the manger that this devil pony is trying to take me through! CRACK! BOOM! BANG! CRASH! These I imagine are the sounds echoing thru the silence as finally 8 manger slats break loose! I get swiped off the saddle backwards & land flat on my back on the packed Hamer clay with 4 slats of manger laying on the ground beside me in both directions! I ripped half the manger out! To this day if you go to my Dad’s place, you will still see panels filling in the holes in the manger.

I guess, the rest time I decide I can ride a pony as fast as he can run……I’ll think twice about if thereare any holes he can escape thru!

How'd They Get the Halter on that Horse!

Aww, the crazy ramblings in my head.

The world….what a fabulous place! Millions of pictures & stories to be told every second!

The other day….

The bulls swaggering down the alley….bright blue sky with a few big white puffy clouds perfectly coloring in the sky. Always seeing pictures….stories & moments of perfection caught for a second in your mind. The title of the picture would have been “Returning Home from Battle Victorious” ….yes, I name the pictures in my head : ) The story that was being portrayed was that of triumphant rodeo bucking bulls galiantly making their way off the truck & down the alley back to tell all their friends of their victorious weekend! Much as warriors returning home to their village to tell their family of their victory.

(yes, this is exactly what was running thru my head as I opened the big log gate & the bulls trotted down the dusty alley towards me....lol)

OK…..let’s get out of my head….It’s too scary there to stay very long!

The last couple weeks have been a whirl wind! Lil’ Red Roan & Rodeos have been keeping me on my toes! Thank the good Lord above! Doing what I love & getting paid for it!

This adventure starts out heading to the CSI college rodeo! Nothing out of the ordinary…right……WRONG! I had to make my maiden voyage of 2010 in the FREIGHTLINER! Oh geez! There was a whole lot of … I think I can…..I think I can…..I think I can...being chanted along the 3 hour drive! I MADE IT…. In one piece & so did the truck & all the stock! Yay!

I ran into a team roping friend that owns his own trucking company at the Flying J truck stop. Aww, let’s just say that I was more than embarrassed when he told me he saw me pull in. : ) He gave me some helpful hints for the road. (That’s right….I was being a Lounge Lizzard, swapping stories with my trucker buddies…haha)

I’m gonna cut this story short. Overall, CSI was a great rodeo! CSI has an wonderful rodeo team. They put on a great performance & it was a pleasure to work with them. It was a priveledge to be able to be a part of their production! Also, a shout out to the amazing crew that Hoggan rodeo had there! With that many talented people gathered together, it is pretty easy to go home triumphant at the end of the day!

Without further ado….here is one story that just can’t go untold!

The HALTERED HORSE

The last performance of the rodeo has came to a close. We are getting ready to trail the horses back out to their pasture. I head out to the hill to close the gates & open the gates to the pasture. There are about 4 gates that have to be closed so the horses don’t escape. All of which are high traffic areas for timeys getting to their trailers. By the time I get the 4^th gate closed…the 1^st one I started with usually has to be double checked again. This fun lil’ game is the reason I stand guard out on the hill…to ensure that the gates aren’t opened & horses turned loose.

I holler for the guys to send the horses. My gates are closed & the pasture is open. Standing in the dark up on the hill awaiting the horses. The bucking horses not used in that performance were already out in the pasture. They made their way up to the hill to greet me. That nights rodeo horses come loping out of the building & meet with their comrades. As I look thru the herd of horses I see a……horse with a halter on it. Ugg, some timey’s horse must have gotten loose & I was joined up with the bucking horses. I make my way into the middle of this sea of bucking horses. I get a hold of the lead rope but she isn’t wanting to lead very well. Dragging me by Satin Sheets ( a beautiful blue roan bucking horse) & all but running the lead rope under her tail. I turn loose of the lead rope not wanting to get kicked by a bucking horse. All riled up by all the bucking horses, I’m sure. I slip around & get ahold of the lead rope again. This time trying to get close enough to the fence so that I can take a wrap around a post to snub her up. Thank the good Lord above I couldn’t get her close enough! She drags me across the hill top again & I start YELLING for the guys at the door for help! HELP…there is a horse with a halter on! (ugg…seriously…..I can’t even catch a stupid timeys horse) A bull fighter & a CSI roughy make their way outside to help me. (thinking I’m crazy) No, there is actually a horse with a halter on it. The three of us can certainly get her cornered up & caught. The rest of the bucking horses are tired of being ran around & head out to pasture. I set out to turn her back. ……Nope….their is no bluff in this ol gal & she didn’t even bat an eye at me trying to stop her. SERIOUSLY! Ugg….so the guys & I head out around the bucking horses afoot & in the dark. We sort of a small set of horses to bring in with her. Well, sort her off & catch her. I’m on the gate & the bull fighter is sorting. Holy mackerel….! There are 3 of us & we still can’t get her cornered up! After try after try after try….I’m fed up! Let’s run her back in the building. I run down to the building, thru the side door & holler for the big door to be opened. The rest of the crew inside….now thinks I’m crazy also. Why? They ask. Just open it! I have a horse with a halter on. They open the door & we run in the haltered horse with 2 other bucking horse companions.

Low & Behold……..This black & white mare is packing a number 4 brand on her hip (our rodeo company brand) & a 100 number brand! HOLY CRAP!!!!! This is 100 MISS LIZ…..one of our bucking horses! We run her into the stripping chute to get the halter off. This mare was not even in the short go performance! How in the heck was did they get the halter on this horse! If I was truly evil, I would make you wait to hear the rest of the story…like I did.

HOW did they get a halter on that horse?????! This question pledged me all night! It propably would have plagued me for years if it wasn’t for a random turn of events. David & I get to the rodeo grounds to load the rodeo stock & head home. Well, nice girl had parked in front of the loading chute. Her pickup was locked & no one could find her. No problem, we had to gather, sort & do a few things before we loaded. The college team was there cleaning up & a some of the kids came out to help us gather the stock. One of the guys says….Oh, there might be a halter on one of the horses. I don’t even hesitate.....before following with a ….HOW DID YOU GET A HALTER ON THAT HORSE!!!!????

He proceeds to tell us that she had got stuck in the fence the afternoon before. She was pinned with a leg thru the fence. Her hips were pinned so she couldn’t really move. They put the halter on to help get her out but once they’d freed her…..They couldn’t get the halter back off! LOL…..wow, that would’ve plagued me for life if I wouldn’t have heard the rest of the story!

I would also like to thank the college girl that locked her keys in the truck. After we were sorted & ready to load….the truck’s owner still hadn’t surfaced. After about an hours time….a group of inexperienced criminals finally perfected our breaking in skills. The trucks wheels had been left turned to the left so…we pushed the truck up hill & out of the way so the semi could back in. All a new experience for me, which I appreciated learning new skills. But most importantly, THANK YOU….because if that truck wouldn’t have been parked there….I might never have know how a halter got on that horse!

I made the trip home from Twin Falls safe & sound. My shifting has improved with every mile . ( I still don’t love it but I can successfully move forward ;) The last couple weekends, I was grateful for that trip because it made the short trips the Freightliner & I had to make by ourselves seem a lot easier! Hoggan rodeo was doubled up so everyone went their separate ways for the weekends. First & foremost I need to thank my family for helping me get ready to go & taking such good care of me. Regg is real good about making sure everything will be smooth sailing for me. Thanks for all your help Regg! You rock! McKell & Ellie were great help too! Crystal & I hauled to Leadore & got along great! Wonderful rodeo weekends! Aww, I love spring!

So I’m gonna cut these weekends tales short too. Mud Lake & Leadore rodeos went really well! Thank You to District 1 for allowing Hoggan Rodeo to be a part of your rodeo season! That being said, I will finish out with a few hilarious lines that just can’t go untold!

· Mud Lake’s rodeo went well. Survived the truck driving again. Horses that weren’t supposed to be much had there trips & just fired right out of the chute. ( I told Regg & David it’s because I’m a better flank man ;) The highlight of the rodeo however had to be when this bronc stalled….I was flanking & headed him out at the same time! It was awesome! Still not sure how that works but it was awesome!

· Being a GIRL is awesome! (It’s not everday you’ll catch me saying that” The weekend of Mud Lake, my Uncle asked me if we’d had any complaints. I said No, no one had said anything to me. Well, next weekend I would find out why……They didn’t know who to complain to! Like I said earlier….Being a GIRL is awesome! The next 2 stories, you’ll see what I mean.

· I’ve loaded the horses . My first bronc rider is just about ready to nod his head….when a timer hollers down from the announcer stand…. “WHERE’S the Flank Man?! We need a FLANK MAN?!” I am standing right there. My hand is on the flank….lol! I casually raise my hand. I don’t know where the flankman is but I think I can handle it : ) lol…made me laugh

· After we get our rough stock bucked, the pickup man & I are filling water troughs. A kid comes up & asks the pickup man who the stock contractor is? He really needs to talk to them. (Keep in mind that the pickup man & I are the ONLY ones standing there) The pickup man replies, smiling, I don’t know. I’ve never met them before. The kid rambles on about how he knows Pat O’Maley but he doesn’t know these guys. (for the record, this is the second weekend in a row that I’ve taken the stock to this Districts rodeos. I brought the exact same timed event stock as the weekend before) SO I ask the kid what he needs? He tells me that a Doggin Steer is bad & needs pulled. I tell him that I will let them know. As he goes to walk away, the pick up man says, Here, let me introduce you to your Stock Contractor. I reach out & shake his hand. The kid replies with numerous vowels….AAAA….UUUU….AAA….Oh….AAAA…Oh… all in a stammering type reply. He finishes out by saying the steer is real bad. Needless to say, my phone call to report into my Uncle David this time consisted of “There might be complaints…just no one knows who to complain to!” I loved it! Haha…what a great weekend!

Spring has sprung & a rodeo season is under way! There are a few stories from the last couple adventures! I hope you enjoy them & I will have lots more soon to come!

See You Down the Rodeo Trail!

Just What I Do When I’m Not Feeding Elk & Taking Chopper Rides

Just Want I Do When I’m Not Feeding Elk & Taking Chopper Rides

Now the last stories you heard from me were pretty exotic. Wolves, Gran Tetons, Helicopters, and Thousands of Elk! Well, the following is a look into just few of the adventures I get drug into during a typical week at home.

MOUSING AROUND :

Regg calls and asks me if I can come drive for him to feed? No problem, I reply. He’s gonna come down & pick me up. Sounds good, simple chore and won’t take long. He arrives about 10 minutes later in an old blue feed truck. We set out the back way around the block to go feed. I’m on the phone…… when suddenly…. a mouse appears right by the gear stick! I SCREAM!!!!!!! Death curdling SCREAM!!!! I don’t like mice in general but I’m really not a fan of them in enclosed areas with me! The mouse scurries away down a hole in the floor lining & disappears. Oscar is laying right underneath my feet & he doesn’t even see the mouse by his head! So much for my dog being a good mouser! Regg thinks I’m crazy…he didn’t see anything either.

My phone friend has hung up….thinking that we died in a fatal car accident while on the phone with her. I call back to let her know it was just a mouse. Keep in mind I am now sitting with both feet up on the seat underneath me. Aaaaaah! Another mouse appears RIGHT UNDER REGG’S FEET! GET HIM! GET HIM! GET HIM! I am yelling at Regg to step on the mouse under his feet! I looked the mouse in the eyes…I swear it was a different mouse than the 1^st spotting! Regg doesn’t see him at 1^st & by the time he does the mouse has crawled under the plastic floor matting that is peeling up. Regg is stopping on the floor & all about trying to get it. Hitting the gas pedals….brakes….& anything else the culprit tries to hide under!

Thank You! We are finally to the field to feed! I am more than happy to jump out of the mouse infested pickup to get the gate. I even offer to feed. Regg says if I’d know all we needed was mice for you to feed, he’d have got some long ago. ; )

Finish up feeding & I get the gate so we can head home. If I’d know we were feeding another set of horses…I would’ve never got back in the cab. I think we are headed home so I get back in the Blue Beast. Sitting with both feet on the seat….kind in a squatting position. Didn’t want them to touch my feet! We are half way down this back alley road when….Out of no where…..A HUGE MOUSE COMES RIGHT AT ME! I swear he was trying to sit on my lap! I SCREAMED…..JUMPING SIDEWAYS & using Regg’s head as a foot step to climb on! I was practically sitting on him…but that was as far away from the mouse that I could get!!!!! UGGGGG! Gross little creatures anyway!!!!!

The old wooden gate is drifted in with sand and tumble weeds & I am more than happy to GET OUT to open it! Feeding….from the back of the pickup is also no problem. When we finished I went ahead & got the gate & ….remained in the back of the pickup on the trip back to the house! I’d had all the MOUSING around I could handle for one night!

Feeding with the Tractor

Once again, I get a call from Regg. He’s feeling under the weather & needs some help doing chores. No problem, just call when you want to go. The cows get feed a concoction of goodies thrown together in the mixer. Regg is gonna load the mixer & then send me out to feed. Well, while mixing the 1^st load….the saddle horses get out. Ellie is chilling with me in the tractor so we jump out to help capture the escapee. Escapee detained & back to the task at hand. The load is ready to go & I get my directions. I fed with a similar feed last winter in Nevada so I figured I could get the hang of it ok.

Ya……I can’t even get it to move forward! Ok, we get a little more schooling & off we go. My comprehension of the gears is not real good & I bounced Ellie’s pretty little head off the window a few times. She got to hold on when cousin Mindy was driving. A few cell calls later & I had it close to under control. Didn’t even hit the fence …but came real close…& all the directions about quantity & spacing of the hay…were a waste of breathe. I was just lucky to get the hay in the manger without hitting anything!

Go get another load mixed & head out to the big bunch of cows. Oscar has been following us in the tractor. Well, when we get out to the cows….that isn’t gonna work. David’s honky ol longhorn cows are good mommas & don’t like a dog being around. They are trying to stomp him into the ground & he is trying to take refuge under the tractor. I can’t even hardly move forward without hitting a cow trying to dive in after the dog. I stop the tractor…(which is amazing cuz I still don’t think I had it in neautral….really struggled to understand my gears) & hop out to load my dog. He, conviently won’t come to me & hides under the tractor. I reach under to grab & throw him in just as a honky white long horn is headed for the cab! Dang it! Stupid dog! I bang my elbow on the step of the tractor or something. Wow….now the feeding begins. I did ok. Got a little better with my starting without knocking Ellie off of her seat ; )

Not to worry, I fed for him again the other day & I was a pro. Shifted good, ran my PTO, put it in park when I stopped….I’m pretty much awesome now : )

Ellie & I takin pics in the tractor while Regg mixes a load of feed for us

Working on a Well

Regg calls & needs help at the neighbors working on the well. The neighbor is Tommy Thompson. He is an amazing man. Super handy & can fix anything. He has helped my family out on many occasions & anytime I can do something to return the favor I am more than happy to.

Well, here are some pictures.....Yes, It's as cool as it looks :) This is a cable that we hooked to the front of the pickup & it ran up to the top of the tractor. Regg stood on top of the roof attching the cable to the well pipes. Tommy stood down in the well directing the pipes into the hole. I drove the pickup forward & backward in accordance with Regg's hand signals.

Fixing Water Lines to House

I was such good help with the well Tommy called to have me help get some water lines cleared out to get the water running in the old house behind there place. Don’t get me wrong…I AM NOT HANDY but this task I could handle. LOL…I stood down in the cold, damp well hole turning the water on & off as I was told to. I felt like I was Sloth from the goonies : )

Oscar looking down at me in the well....He did not think it was a good idea to be down there!

Cool rock walls & the pump in the well..or Sloths bedroom as I like to call it

Rockin the headlight ;)

No pictures, but throw in playing cards at Dad's, feeding with the team, dying easter eggs....add that to Well Fixer, Mouse Screamer, and Tractor driver....that's how I've been spending my spare time :) So just when you get to thinking that I might get get bored living here...there is never a dull moment with my neighbors!

Here are a few bonus pics from the last couple days.

1st Pic ~ My new shaggy puppies

2nd Pic ~ Ellie's new mode of transporation when the cows are on the fight :)

3rd Pic ~ New surprise baby...MULE at Dad's place ...lol...never a dull moment!