Back Hoe

Today was yet another day working on water systems. Only this time we brought some help.

We met up with Rick this morning, a member of the Kelly Thompson community, and heading up to the dry lakes to do some digging. Rick has a back hoe which we were going to use to dig some BIG holes. First, we went to the Dry Lake. We have a siphon pulling water from the lake but we wanted to install another pipe line from the creek so that we could fill the pond and siphon water out at the same time. We put in a "t", two valves, and about 30 feet of PVC. We also added a new water box to accommodate the new valves. When we finished, it looked great.

Next, we then headed over to Chamberlain Lake, on the other side of the ranch. Our mission here was to simply dig a hole to try to find a pipe that was leaking 5 feet under ground. It turned out it wouldn't be that simple.

What we found was a pipe, but no leak. Still there was water seeping into our hole so we kept digging, following the pipe further up hill. We then decided to see if there was any water in the pipe. We cut it. No water. Rick then suggested we use an air compressor to cause enough pressure to clean out the filter at the top of the pipe, which we all assumed must be blocks -the reason the water to run outside the pipe. After some time of shooting air into the line with no results, we decided to keep on digging.

One big hole (and one big mess) later, we found the end of the pipe, which was underground, two feet above the water table. The excess pipe explained why the water was leaking down hill and why there was no water in the pipe. We closed out the day by trimming the pipe down to the water level and gathering up our tools. Tomorrow we plan on installing a cylinder into the ground where the pipe end is so that we can check on it when we need to. We also have a pretty big hole to fill in.

It was awesome having Rick help us today. He and his back hoe were a huge help! Thanks, Rick!

Tuesdays

Today I was on my own.

Started my day with a pit stop at Joe's to get some direction on what to do today. The cows are pretty much taken care of for now, leaving me with a host of small ranch projects to do. I suggested to Joe that I could spend the day cleaning up the roads by cutting down tree limbs that obstruct driving. With a chains saw and long-arm saw I hit the road.

It was cool this morning, but slowly warmed up as the day went on. I took about three hours trimming trees in places where it'd be impossible to get a truck through. When I was done, I headed up to check on the cows. Three cows were left behind in Angel's field, so I moved them in with the bunch. When I got to the trough the cows are using, I noticed the water wasn't keeping up with the cows. They had drunken it down to the bottom!

To fix the problem I opened up the pressure regulator again and cleaned out a screen that was filled with weeds from the pond. The water started flowing and was soon the trough was gaining on the cows.

I also took some time to move cows off the trough and focus on their behavior. I started by isolating a bunch and moving them out onto the road. For the most part they moved easily, but very slowly. I was left wondering what makes them so slow going - could it be the water in their bellies? or maybe they just didn't feel like walking. Either way, I slowly got the cows to stream along the road and back to where they could feed, leaving behind another bunch to follow suite.

I always find it really interesting working with the cows when I'm alone. I get to really pay attention to my own actions and how exactly cows respond to me. With other around, I'm not the only driving force for the cows so it can be hard to evaluate. Still, I enjoyed the afternoon, taking things slow, but trying to focus on how the cows were responding to me.

Fall in San Juan

Autumn is OFFICIALLY here.

I'm originally from the North East and have spent the last four years in Vermont enjoying the beautiful changes that fall brings. But out in California, the changes are less noticeable. September stays hot, there are no maple trees that turn red and orange, and I don't smell wood stoves in the evening. Today my feelings changed.

It was cold. 55 - 60 around two o'clock. Everett and I were over at the Kelly Thompson Ranch collecting the cows and moving them into a new field. We brought them all into water, then pushed them out into their new feeding ground. When we went to the top of the ranch to check on a spring, it was COLD! The wind was blowing and the fog never moved out. We had to turn the heater on when we got back to the truck!

Little things have been changing around the ranch. Very subtle things. Bright green grass has been slowly emerging under trees and in the fields. The smells of dead leaves is starting to fill the air. It's getting cooler and the breeze now kicks up a storm of leaves. There are multiple flocks of turkeys roaming around. And the sun is setting at 7 in the evening. All these signs point to a different, but definitely real fall that is slowing coming around the corner. And I'm excited for the change!