Once we got the cattle into the corrals, then the real fun began. And by fun I mean a couple days of hysterical bellowing. Oh, and I imagine the cattle were frightened too. (For part 1 click here.) A view from the main corrals, looking at the barn The first thing we...

I want to try and explain what roundups were like on Date Creek Ranch. Everyone’s watched Westerns and so everyone has some idea of what roundups are like. Lots of cowboys dressed in proper cowboy hats and other cowboy-related attire. Chasing down cows and roping...

Dogs were a big part of daily life at the ranch. We always had two or three, mostly Australian shepherds, though we migrated on to Queensland heelers as I got older. However, like everything and everyone else at Date Creek Ranch, they had a job to do. No freeloaders...

I just returned from a camping trip to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Nine days. Went up with a couple friends, met a couple more there. Nothing we haven't all done lots of times. But it was the rain that almost made this trip a...

I’ve had some interesting run-ins with the larger ranch fauna (i.e. horses and cows) in my day, and when I say interesting I mean painful. And by run-ins I mean injuries. I carry a number of battle scars to this day, although battle scars would indicate that there was...

Chapter 1 “Whatever it takes.” Jarryd glared at Hamisi and Kathor, daring them to challenge him. The crystal was hot in his hand. Holding it felt right. This weapon was meant for him. Kathor looked troubled. The big man had his arms crossed, regarding Jarryd from...