Bye-bye Buffalo

Before we left Buffalo, there was one more herding adventure on our schedule.  It didn’t start out that way.  Rue and I got up early to get some photos of the Bighorns in the morning light.  I remembered that the site of the Fetterman Fight on Massacre Hill near Fort Phil Kearny offers good views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. so we took Exit 44 off I 25 north of town and made our way to the monument.  As we approached the monument, we passed several horse trailers and a number of riders on the side of the road.  

As I was walking around and setting up my shot, the riders deployed.  There were a couple of four-wheelers; they headed out to move the cattle on the open prairie. 

I thought they might include this small herd of pronghorns, but they sprinted away over the rise.

The riders fanned out to bring the stock up out of the ravines and brush.

Cattle were coming from every direction.  We watched until most of them were bunched together, then moseyed on home.  I didn’t get that iconic shot of the Bighorns, but this was way better.  I just wish I had been on a horse and part of the action.

The next morning we were off to Custer, South Dakota, for a couple of weeks in the Black Hills.  We will miss Chris and Jan Hanks, Molly and Skye, who have returned home to Florida.

We will also miss Buffalo’s lovely downtown park with its sheep and border collie sculptures; the historic Occidental Hotel; 

the many beautiful views of Clear Creek and our home-away-from-home, Deer Park Campground.  

But we’ll be back soon.

More Adventures in Buffalo

As I said earlier, Buffalo is one of our favorite destinations, and we had more adventures in store there.  We had several more hikes along beautiful Clear Creek.  One was a trip to the old Buffalo Hydro-Electric Power Plant, that dates to the early 1900s.  From a pull-out a few miles west of town, we walked down a path through a meadow flanked by tall cottonwoods and aspen.

About a mile in, we came to the power plant site.  Constructed in 1913, this was Buffalo’s second power plant.  The plant has the appearance of a medieval castle.  It is said that Businessman H.P. Rothwell, who financed the plant was a German immigrant and admired European castles.  When he financed the power plant, he saw that the building carried through on that theme.

Water was supplied from an upstream dam through a wooden stave pipe system.  Although the plant’s purpose was to provide the town with electricity, the exit water was piped to Buffalo for municipal use.

The old building is only a shell, and serves as a canvas for would-be artists.  Fortunately, some of them painted something interesting or attractive instead of just adding their names or initials.

Another adventure was an excursion into the Bighorns.  We always enjoy the drive over to Ten Sleep.  

It is worth a stop, with a couple of good local restaurants and a nice RV park where we have stopped in the past.  As the story goes, the sleepy little town got its name because it was located halfway between two large Indian camps, one near Casper, WY, known to early trappers as the "Old Sioux Camp" and another near the present site of Bridger, MT.  Ten Sleep was reportedly "ten sleeps" from each of the two main camps.  

As we made our way up through the mountains, we saw flocks of sheep...hundreds of them. They seemed to be moving very purposefully, so we stopped to see if someone was driving them.  Rue and Kota were very interested, and watched intently out the open car window.  

We watched for several minutes, but no shepherd or sheep dog appeared to be moving the flock.  Finally, Rue couldn't stand it any longer.  As the sheep milled around by the fence, she gave a couple of sharp little barks.
  

Like a wave, the sheep turned as one and moved away.  Apparently even though no sheep dog was visible, they all knew if one was present it was to be obeyed.  Rue was very proud.

Our main reason for going into the Bighorns, though, was to hike the trail to the waterfall on Tensleep Creek.  Designated Trail No. 65, it is a two-mile round trip down Middle Tensleep Creek to Tensleep Falls.

The views are breathtaking, but the climb up out of the canyon almost did me in.  I was feeling a little headachy when we left that morning, and by the time I finished our walk I was fading.  A world-class ‘burger in Ten Sleep WY helped, but by the time we got back to Buffalo I was wiped out.  Some kind of 24-hour bug must have attacked me, because I ran a fever of 103+ and slept about 14 hours straight.  I woke late the next morning feeling almost normal, and was back to 100% in a couple of days.

Another of our adventures was a trip to the Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming, not far from Sheridan.  It features an historic and expanding Western and American Indian art collection on the 620-acre Quarter Circle A Ranch.  

The museum features not only the original ranch house, but the recently-completed Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building. 

Inside are not only outstanding collections, but also the Brinton Bistro and the tallest rammed earth wall in North America.  

We didn’t have time to see everything, but will be back on our next trip.

Herding in Buffalo...Not Herding Buffalo

Well, not exactly in Buffalo, but close by.  We have been busy here the last couple of weeks, and we’re enjoyed every minute.  But for me, working sheep and cattle with good friends and their border collies has been the icing on the cake, so to speak.  Many mornings found Rue and me at Wendy and John Auzqui’s ranch east of Clearmont (less than a half-hour's drive from our RV park).  

Wendy is an excellent instructor, and I always come away with a lot more knowledge and understanding that when I began.  When we arrived to work, the sheep were ready and waiting.  It almost looks like they're looking forward to it, but maybe it's the green grass that awaits after they are done "working."

Here are some pics of Rue on stock, as well as Wendy and Linda Lulias working some of their dogs.  I had a great time, and look forward to the next.

Here is Rue working cattle.

Wendy was teaching Rue how to work a single.

She gets a pat for doing it right.

Then Wendy's Jet showed Rue how the pros do it...one step at a time!

Linda has a new pup.  Gill got to meet sheep for the first time this week.

How's this for some early intensity!

Wendy and Frank set out sheep for some early morning work in the hay field.

Quirt got a chance to work...

then Linda and Sammy took a turn.

Back in the arena, Wendy's Tony set out cattle

and Linda's Tria worked.

After which, she watched intently while others took their turns.

Linda and Sammy practiced shedding (where the dog is required to separate several head of stock from the group and hold them for a period of time).  

It's a challenge, because it is counter to the border collie's natural instinct to gather stock into a group.  I think Sammy gets it!

Blaise showed some blazing speed on a set of five sheep,

Then had fun working a single for the first time.

Doing what you love with people you enjoy in a beautiful setting...it just doesn't get much better than this!