Wet Saddle Blankets

We had a great Spring ride yesterday with our freinds from the Z6. We are planning a little wagon train trip around the time of the 100th Anniversary of the ranch, just family and freinds of the Ranch. We wanted to scout out a wagon pass we'd heard of West of my Trapline and get a mileage figure, look for campsite etc. Yesterday turned out to be the perfect day to get it done on the spur of the moment. We made arrangements about 1:30 to get started about 2:30, by the time we loaded our horses saddled up and got to the Ranch, our freinds were ready to go too. We drove out about 6 miles on a county road , and headed out West of my trapline through the Rimrocks into a beautiful valley between two pine studded ridges with glimpses of the mountins all snow capped through the ridges. We finlaly found a few cattle/ horse passes through the north rims and turned back East after about 2/1/2 hours of steady riding, crossing the South Rim at an angle towards the pickup and tailer. I didn't really know we'd parked in a hole, and we all knew where the truck was, but we were surprised that we never did see it on the return trip until we got less than a qurter mile from it!. The Plains Indians, Coyotes, Bobcats and Modern Hunters learn to use low places in the prairie to sneak up or away from things, I won't forget that low spot where you can hide from about 5 miles of open Plains, might come in handy hunting Antelope someday.

We loaded up the horses and drove back down the county road to the narrowest possible spot on the road, and found a neighbors pickup hooked to a HEAVY packer roller, stopped in the road making it impassable.

Just as we saw it a horse trotted up out of the sage like it was spooked a little. We investigated the scene, and thought maybe our neighbor had walked out in the sage to do who knows what, while I stomped around hoping not to find someone injured my freind started the truck to move it so we could get by, and discovered the truck wouldn't budge, upon further investigation he saw a total bearing failure on a ten ton packer, that made mving it impossible. At that point I turned the trailer around and we headed back to a ranch trail on my trapline, which took us through a rough coulee pretty slow back to the cow lot and finally to the highway. By the time we got all the horses put up and fed it was 8:30 and dark. A great little trip where all turned out well.