As if following the cues of the calendar, on the day that was marked as the first day of fall Mother Nature graced us with the bluest sky dotted with white, fluffy clouds, and the sun shone through the golden aspens leaves so they almost glowed. On that same day the board that declares the state of the union at the ranch each day was tipping off on one side, the column marked “All-Day Cows” was filled with names, while the rest of the columns sat sadly vacant.
“Oh no!” said the wranglers. “What shall we do with so many riders wanting to go out and find cows?” they asked. Goose and Isaac looked blankly at them, trapped in their fishing waders and unable to trade them for jeans and boots. Kelli moved from downward dog into warrior pose as if to fend off the suggesting looks that she might turn into a wrangler for the day. And the housekeeping fairies (and ninja) stealthily slipped by the corral with their cleaning supplies in hand, avoiding eye contact with the desperate wranglers.
From the back office nook, a figure slowly emerged. Who? What? Is that Steph reaching her hand out for the office pass? With a quick change into one of Devyn’s plaid shirts, she throws on her hat, dusts off her chinks, and fills up her water bottles. And that, folks, is how I got to go ride for cows on this most brilliant first day of fall.
My riding companions were cheerful, not realizing the relic of a wrangler they were heading out with for this ride. But the day unfolded into an epic adventure riding through the hills, jumping over streams, navigating downed trees, and scaling the sides of mountains while rocks tumbled down into the ravine below. It was epic. Epic-ally void of any cows. Not one. Not even a sign of fresh cow poop. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
It turns out that our ride wasn’t the only one to have a gorgeous ride through the mountains only to strike out on rounding up cows. One group did bring home 4 reluctant bovines. Another saw plenty of cows, but couldn’t get a lick of them to cooperate, as they squirted off into the trees at the first sight of humanoids. And one more saw nothing but tall grass, golden aspens, and gorgeous mountains. Nonetheless the smiles were wide as the dinner bell rang tonight. Because there is always tomorrow. And, if you end up riding over hundreds and thousands of acres of mountains, rivers, and forests for the day without spotting a cow, it is still something to smile about. Watch out cows…..we know you’re out there. And, we know where you’re not now too! We’re going to hunt you down, round you up, and bring you home. But, that story will be someone else’s tomorrow as this rusty wrangler hangs up her office pass and goes back into the corner nook.
Happy trails to you, until I ride again.