Pat & Sharon O'Toole

Jose ready to enter the highway
Rodewald pasture
Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Early December marks the entry of our sheep onto the Red Desert. This is the last stage of the long trail that begins when we leave our National Forest grazing allotments around September 30th. We trail down to pastures near the Home Ranch, then on to intermediate pastures at Cottonwood and Badwater. We have to have snow to go on to our grazing allotments on the Red Desert--our winter country--because there is very little natural water and the sheep depend on snow for hydration throughout the winter months. Badwater is on the Continental Divide, so when we get the snow that allows us to go to the Red Desert, it is the same snow that pushes us out of Badwater. Part of this trail, spring and fall, involves crossing the Union Pacific railroad overpass and the Interstate 80 underpass. It is always an intense experience, as we flag the highway and make sure that the traffic stops while we make our way. It takes about an hour from the time we leave Duane and Debbie Rodewald's pasture south of the tracks until we cross the fenceline that marks the south boundary of the Red Desert allotments.

Union Pacific overpass
we had problems

That-A-Way
Passing the fireworks stand
Creston Junction

Past Creston Junction

Kate helping
After the I80 underpass

Almost there
Jose, after the underpass

Pepe putting the sheep through the gate
Red Desert

Out of harm's way
Red Desert
photos by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Winter ewes at Badwater

The Farmer's Almanac advises us that this coming winter is to be a relatively mild one. We have to factor in the big snowmaking machine to the north of us on Battle Mountain, but still it seems to be Actually Winter. Today we sorted our ewes, who have trailed to the Badwater Pasture. This is the pasture about 15 miles south of I80, where we hang out until we have enough snow to go to our winter pasture on Cyclone Rim and Chain Lakes, about 40 miles north of I80. We hope this coincides with our BLM on-date of December 1st. Why is this important? We have almost no natural water on our sheep wintering grounds. Sheep are a miraculously hardy animal, and can, and do, survive the winter by eating snow, along with last summer's leftover grass and forbes, and soon, corn.

I want to add that Badwater, and the Cyclone Rim and Chain Lakes BLM allotments are WAY north of the aforementioned snowmaking machines, so the wintery scenes you see here are all attributable to Mother Nature. We are sorting the ewes ahead of putting in the rams in mid-December. We want to make sure that the ewes with the finest wool have a romantic liason with the best, fine-wooled Rambouilllet rams, while the others are introduced to our good Hampshire bucks,with their meat producing traits.

In either case, it was a cold day for our crew as we sorted the ewes in the Badwater pasture.

Cicero and Antonio bringing up the ewes

Pepe and Pat at the cutting gate

Guard dogs not at work

Encampment at Badwater

Jose and Salomon, dishing up lunch
photos by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ladder Ranch

Rambouillet sheep
Roberts meadow

I often quote the saying "in Wyoming, we have four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction." We are on the cusp of Construction (got held up yesterday) and Almost Winter. The leaves are gone, the wind is cold, and snow is predicted.

It has been a long and eventful fall. Besides our usual fall work, we have had two momentous events--the sudden decline in the health of my 89-year-old father, often depicted on this blog; and the birth of our grandson, McCoy. I would call these bookmarks, but I don't think we are yet at the end of the stack. We also have the wonderful anticipation of expecting another grandson in February.

Shipping lambs to the feedlot
Bull Pasture

Christian (kin from Brazil) and Maeve loading lambs
Bull Pasture

Edgar on the go
Home Ranch

Tono in the chute
Home Ranch

Janet Britt, Wyoming Nature Conservancy, helping out
Home Ranch

Old ewes after sorting
Home Ranch

Coyote watching us ship
Big Meadow, Home Ranch

Through it all, we have had the usual fall work of sorting and shipping both sheep and cattle. We hosted an intern college student, Allison, who proved resourceful, flexible and brave. We have had a cook come and go. I will get rich when I finally get around to publishing "The Cook Book".

I am way behind in putting up photos of the fall riding, sorting and shipping. So, as we transition between seasons, here are some images from the past weeks, which this year aptly reflects our personal lives, as well. .

Pat and Eamon gather cows and calves
Routt National Forest, Colorado

Allison and Amigo
Routt National Forest, Colorado

Courtney and Lynn, cowgirl crew
Routt National Forest, Colorado

Eamon sorting heifers
Home Ranch

Brian at corrals
Home Ranch

Siobhan and Daisy, ready to ride
Home Ranch

Dirte, Eamon, Megan & McCoy
Home Ranch

Seamus, Callahan & Brian
Home Ranch
photos by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunrise over Three Forks Mountain
Home Ranch

One advantage of getting up early to cook
photos by Sharon O'Toole

Posted by Sharon O'Toole at 4:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)