Jeremiah Watt

This day was a very cool greeting indeed, the tent a a good 1/4 inch a frost on it, and getting undressed-redressed was a little chilly.........thank goodness I have the wisdom to not shave my legs. That highland blood shows up in the hair of both thier men and thier cattle.............hey at least my legs were warm.

My camp was an erie one, since the back drop wasa cemetary, and with the frost in the morning it could have been on the set of a horror film..................."The Camper in HELL"

I get camp packed up, and ride just down the road and spot a Post Office..............and it is open even warm maybe???? SO, I enter in, and find Becky to be very warm and friendly. Then in comes Ganey Summey, and he is the real chatty cathey.....so we vist about all things pertaining to my ride/California. and every thing else that crosses his mind. I learn that the winters are very mild these days, and they used to be real bad when he was a boy growing up in Fort Blackmore.

And boy let me tell you, there comes a flood here too, that is why Fort Blackmore never grew.................sometimes we get 20-30 feet of water comes down the holler. There was one younf fella whjo came in to mail an item and was 95 cents short...............and as it turned out I had my fanny pack open to get out my log book, so I threw down a dollar and told him I would be glad to cover it for him. I never though much more about it, as Becky then related to him that I was riding across the country and had stopped in to warm up. He left saying thanks for my kindness, and me and Ganey continued to visit while it warmed and the fog og the river bottom lifted.

I bet another 10 minutes went by, and I see the same young fella walking back up to the Post, but this time with his hands full of a food warmer. He proudly presented me with scrambled eggs and 2 biscuits and sausage gravey as well as a hot coffee. He wouldn't let me pay him, he was just so surprised that someone from California would pay his Postage he wanted to return the favor. NOw it was me whom felt honored or Blessed. He left as quickly as he came, leaving Ganey and I to visit more.

I rode on some 8 miles and stopped to take a picture of an old train station. I had leaned by bike agianst a small flower planter...............and that was enough to bring out a very suspicious building superintendant. Howdy says Herbert Horne, we don't lean no bikes on the flowers round here. SO, I move my bike to another place less troubling. I take a few pics and he asks if I am writing a book or work for the Government? To which I tell him niether, just riding and taking pics as I go. I ask if I can take his picture, to which he is surprised, and very reluctant....but finally agreees.

I get him talking, and find out that he served in KOrea and also in Vietnam. During WW2 he helped his father break Mules for the Army. He loves to work with Mules and work Horses, they are horses with some sense............those WEST horses, they are just to tough and hard headed to be of anyreal use. Herbert is matter of fact, and I don't challenge a word he says. He goes on to tell me that as a boy, he and friends would ride the train from here in Dungannon over the mountain to St.Paul and watch a movie on saturdays, then ride the train back home before it got dark............those were the days when life was fun, and Dungannon was a real town.

From the town of Dungannon, I have some seroius hills to climb before I can stop in Coeburn. It was made up for by how beatutiful it was to get up in the hills and the canopy of turning leaves. I finally arrived in Coeburn, and had expected some mail for me, but to my surprize the Mail was closed. ONce I found that out, I called my cowboy friend Gregg Norris, and told him I was passing thru town.

Gregg told me to stay put, and he and his boys Elijah and Jocab would in to pick me up. I was not real sure what to expect, since I had never met any of these folks before, all I had ever done was talk to Gregg few times on the phone was all.

A nice 1 ton Dodge Flat Bed Dually idles up, and out step 3 heafty fella's who could have been from Elko Nevada by thier dress........and I greet them all. After which Gregg says to his boys with a wry grin...........lets get this Jeremiah home and properly dressed..........thank god for tinted windows eh Eli.

Gregg lives in Big Stone Gap, the ride was interupted only long wnough to eat a little Pizza, and then on down inot the gap we went. The ridges are a blaze with the oranges and reds of fall here in Virgina. I find that Gregg is very serious about having me re-dressed...........so I shower and then the boys give me clothes between them so I am outfitted in any thing but SPANDEX.

Well, lets go boys, says Gregg. We got cows to feed before we can take Mr.Watt her for supper. ANd so by 4pm that day, I am feeling very close to the lifestyle that I know best..........and Spandex Dreams are quickly fading into my distant past. The day is filled with the bellering of cows as we feed, the click of shod horses hooves against rock, and the smell of hay. Gregg runs the largest cattle back grounding operation in Virgina, and has apassion for good horses as do his boys. So we feed up the cattle, take a look around from the feed truck for any cattle that may need extra attention, and then return to the barn to feed up the large number of horses that fill every pen and corral on the place. Well, as it always is the case, once that is done we can get down to small talk, details of the ride and of course a little roping on the dummy. We peoably rope for an hour at least, and its time to hhave a little more food.

Gregg is a BlueGrass nut, and we listen to the likes of Snoop-Dog and Filthy Cent doing numbers ion Banjo and Fiddle, to be serious it was good to hear that coming out of the radio instead of the other junk. We head into Big Stone Gap, for a little Mexican Food, really its just a chance for Jacob to take a clsoer look at the pretty little Senorita's that work there.....................I may be old Jake, but I am not blind.

It was a good supper, plenty of visitng. I find out that Gregg runs a Scrap Metal Yard, and also buys and sells Herbs. Now this is right amazing to me, because I tell Gregg about meeting BIlly Tignor...............and before I can get the words out of my mouth, he says yes I know, I buy all his Gensing from him. SO, you see the world is smaller than we think.

We head to the house, and visit until3am, way to late for me but I tough it out and enjoy the Cowboy Company.

Good Night and God Bless