*Disclaimer…all the pictures were taken behind glass, or with the window barely down, with the heat blaring. So, in other terms, there are no close ups. Maybe next time.*
They started at this temperature.
That was around 7:30am.
By the time that I caught up with them, they had made it about three miles and it had warmed up to about -8.
I made it behind the very last few.
It took me about 40 minutes to go 10 miles. Driving through 600 cows that can spook easily takes a little bit of time.
The process was done by 7 people.
Three were at the back of the herd, two were moving trucks and trucks with trailers to block holes, gates, or other openings along the way and two people were working on ATV’s (a side by side and a fourwheeler).
The 600 mamas had to make it 16-18 miles. They were ½ a mile away from their stopping point when I caught back up with them at 1:25pm.
It was cold. Everyone had frost covering exposed areas.
(Kaylyn, intern from Oregon State, she had wisps of frost around her face. She and another person were the only ones on a horse.)
(Goose, General Manager’s very well-trained dog. You can see the frost around his mouth.)
Especially for those who were walking. He walked a good bit.
(Kyle, Ranch Manager, walking with his two well-trained cattle dogs)
People in the trucks were pretty warm.
(Richard, intern from University of Alabama, getting back into a Land Cruiser after getting out to help move some strays along. John, a local who contracts with the ranch, keeping the back part nice and tidy. They are about ½ mile away from their destination.)
There were signs along the way to help motorists know about the moving cows.
(Cattle On The Road)
Matt’s job was to ride ahead in a truck or four-wheeler and fill in gaps with trucks, tractors, trailers, etc. Once the cows made past a certain spot, it was pretty smooth sailing for the last 10 miles. Every time I saw Wooster, he was moving, too far away, or cows were too close and I had to pay attention to them. And it was cold; I was in heat and didn’t want to share it with the openness around me.
The mamas will stay in their current location for a few weeks, then they will move a few more miles down the road. The process will eventually bring them back to the ranch with another big push.
*Disclaimer…all the pictures were taken behind glass, or with the window barely down, with the heat blaring. So, in other terms, there are no close ups. Maybe next time.*
