RIDIN' MEMORIES

[JimT]

We got up well before sunrise, caught the horses and took 'em to the stalls and fed them. Then we went and fed ourselves, packed the saddlebags, grabbed our guns and gear and went back to the barn to load up. Just about sunrise we were into the Coronado National Forest.

My daughter was on her blue roan Morning Star and I was on my quarter horse Shay's Gal. Both of them loved exploring the mountains and canyons in the country around us and were eager to go. We headed down the canyons following old game and cattle trails. Several ranchers ran cattle in parts of where we were traveling through and over the years the cows had beaten paths through the rocks and canyons that were nice trails to ride.

IMG_2218.JPG

It felt like it was going to be a hot day. Arizona was in the middle of a 5 year long drought and water was scarce. A few years before it hit there was usually a small stream of water in the canyon bottoms where we could water the horses. But that was long gone, dried up.

There were still man-made tanks in several places that we knew but it was quite a distance between some of them. However we planned our route through the hills and canyons so we could hit at least a couple of them. There was also a well with a windmill up in the higher country. It was located in a small canyon and had some steel tanks with floats on them to control the water. I never shot any game near it as it was the only source of water for miles and I did not want to booger them from coming to it.

I was riding through that part of the mountains one day and heard shooting. When I got up to the windmill I found one of the tanks shot full of holes and leaking water. Tracks of several 4-wheelers led away from it. I rode back into town and called the rancher who ran cattle there and told him what I found. The next day I rode back out there with him and several hands and we patched up the tank. Never did find out who did that, but with the advent of 4-wheelers there was a lot of stupid people gaining access to the back country.

As we headed into the canyons I noted that we did not see as much game like we did before things got really dry. This part of Arizona has both Mule Deer and Coues Whitetail Deer as well as Javelina, Bobcats, Mountain Lion and Bear. Also Jackrabbits, coyote, fox, squirrels (both ground squirrels and little gray squirrels) and Coatimundi, as well as other small animals like skunks, possum and porcupine. And snakes of course. Rattlers was what we watched out for. There were Diamondback as well as Mojave rattlers in this country. One old Diamondback that I shot measured near 6 feet long! Further South on the mountains there were Bighorn Sheep. Usually we saw quite a bit of game when riding but as the drought had dragged on we saw fewer every time we went out. I had seen Whitetail coming into my corral and getting a drink from the horse trough. I never bothered them. I knew they needed it.

We had been riding for about 3 or 4 hours and had turned back toward the mountains and started a climb. Coming up a little draw I saw a green patch a ways ahead of us and headed for it. When we got there I found a small pool of water so we stopped, pulled the gear off the horses and let them drink and then roll the kinks out of their backs. The little pool was a seep from what would have been a nice spring during wetter times. But the horses were able to drink what they wanted and it filled back up each time. We let them graze on the grass that was there while we had a sandwich. I got my camera out and snapped a photo.

horse3.jpg

After a nice break we loaded up and headed on up the mountain. We had a climb of about 7 or 8 miles to get to the canyon where the windmill and stock tank was located. Being hot we did not push the horses but let them set the pace. They seemed as interested in seeing the country as we were.

There's nothing like the feeling of a good strong horse under you … one that works with you and ain't fighting you or trying to do its own thing … one that you trust and understand when it is trying to tell you something. Gal was the kind of horse that you could ride in bad country all day long and in the evening she still had stamina. She enjoyed getting out and going in the mountains.

Eventually we climbed up to the trail that led past the canyon where the windmill and stock tank were located. We found our way up that canyon and when we got there the stock tank was full of water. There was nice shade on the sides of the canyon so we unloaded the horses and let them drink, then tied them in the shade and took a rest ourselves. It was hot and still, no breeze blowing.

Rested, we climbed out of the canyon following an old game or cattle trail that led up and over the mountain, circled around and brought us back down behind our house. It was a good 2 hours or more traveling around there. During the ride we came around a turn in the trail and found a small herd of Coues Whitetail Deer in the canyon. We stopped to watch them for a bit. Some people call them the “Grey Ghosts of the Desert” because they can disappear so quickly. I learned that often, when coming to a fence, rather than jump it like a Mule Deer, they will crawl under it!

More than once I had ridden up on deer feeding across a valley and watched as some of them ran uphill, stopped at the top and looked back to see what we were doing. While another group of deer ran downhill into the brush. The ones that ran uphill were Mule Deer and the ones that ran downhill were the Whitetail

Eventually we came around the mountain and could see our house off in the distance. We rode on down, hit the road that led home and in a while we were in the corral. We got the horses unloaded, watered and fed them and brushed them down. Then we packed our gear in the tack room and went into the house to water and feed ourselves. It was a long warm day but it was a great one! I miss those days!

oracle2.jpg

Oracle, Arizona

Our property was up on the hill near the water tank. Behind the water tank was the National Forest property line. The mountain on the left of the photo is where we rode down to the trail back to our place.

[yooper2]

What a wonderful time that must have been! Thank you for sharing it with us. Beautiful landscape, it's a part of the world I've never seen.


Eric

[Drawdown]

Praise God for a trip like that and the story of it!, Thanks Jim!

[jeepnik]

Jim, you paint an amazingly vivid word picture. If you know wild country you can not only see it, but your memory fills in the sounds and smells and especially the quiet. The quiet is something folks who have never been away from all the noise we humans make could understand. Thanks for that.

[JimT]

Thank you! I was blessed to live quite a few years in that wonderful place. The Coronado Nation Forest is almost 1 3/4 million acres and I could ride out my back gate and be in it within 100 yards. Game in abundance. More places to explore than you could fit into the years. Besides living in Africa, Oracle then was my other favorite place. I am thankful for the life we had there. My old Long Range was on the National Forest land.

Long-range Pistol Range.jpg

[.45colt]

We have vacationed to Arizona several times and seen a lot of the State, Friends from work retired to Rio rico others lived in Phoenix. One trip We stayed up by Canyon De chelly probably 20 years ago and did the hike to the bottom. We would never be able to do that today. Thanks for the Great Post and story.

[piller]

Sounds like some great memories, Jim.

[earlmck]

Good memories there, Jim. Thanks for sharing!

l grew up (until I graduated High School) on a ranch east of Kingman. Didn't have the variety of animals you had in the lower desert country but lots of mule deer and jack rabbits. And quite a high population of mountain lion but I never did see one in the wild (though I'm sure they saw me!)

Made many a fine ride in that rough country though my memory does not retain near the detail yours does. Had 4 main horses in my string; the one called "Peanut" was most memorable as being the toughest *** who never ever tired even at the end of a long long day. Constant head throwing dang horse and the roughest ride by far we had on the place and was not the slightest bit "cow wise". That's no doubt why he was part of my "string" as I was the "kid" at the time and got stuck with the dregs.

[JimT]

Good memories there, Jim. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! Ranch life was the best way to start learning life as far as I am concerned.

[AmBraCol]

My Dad's formative years were around Globe and he was always going on and on about the region. We had oodles of Zane Grey novels and some of them featured parts of Arizona. But I grew up in the Amazon Basin and recall the first time he took us to Globe. Now I see the beauty, but then? "Haven't seen any creeks or rivers! Where's the water?" Yep, a whole different kind of beauty indeed! Thanks for sharing!

[Ysabel Kid]

Thank you Jim!

Man, I miss riding so much...

[Griff]

Thank you Jim!

Man, I miss riding so much...

+1! Being a horseshoer for several years... I think I've spent more time under a horse than on top! Bein' on top is more fun...

105-0559_IMG.JPG

[JimT]

Being a horseshoer for several years... I think I've spent more time under a horse than on top! Bein' on top is more fun...

A friend and I had a shoeing business back in the 1980's. We shod horses for the ranches around Oracle as well as for the folks who just loved riding. We got $10 a horse in those days. I can hardly believe what it costs these days!

[wvfarrier]

Life always looks better from thw hurricane deck of a good horse

[High Desert Hunter]

I sure do enjoy these stories Jim!

[JimT]

I sure do enjoy these stories Jim!

Thanks. I appreciate it!

[Griff]

when I started shoeing in '75, I was getting $18 for a shoe, and $10 for a simple trim. Runnin' all over Orange & LA counties. I had a 95lb "Ranger" anvil, a home built coal forge, mounted in the back of my ½ ton Chevy p/u with 3 rows of 2x4s across the bed to hold my shoes... going down the road the shoes "rang" nicely! But... what seemed to get the most comments was the bumper sticker in the back window... "I ain't a Cowboy, I just found the hat!"

[Bill in Oregon]

What a blessing living at the edge of a national forest. When I lived in Alamogordo, the Lincoln began at the head of my street. It just felt good knowing it was there, that close. At least I can see parts of the Gila from where I now live.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I wish I could have seen that with you my friend. Only once have I ridden in country that was not cut up by fences. But I like to imagine what that would be like.

[JimT]

I wish I could have seen that with you my friend. Only once have I ridden in country that was not cut up by fences. But I like to imagine what that would be like.

That was what I loved about Arizona, with about 40% of the State being Federal land. New Mexico is a little over 30%. Nevada is around 80% and California is 40-some percent. I don't know about the others but most of that land is open range in Arizona. It's millions of acres and covers some really wild country. Living there for a large part of my life .. from the time I was a boy until I was almost 40 ... kinda ruined me for the more fenced-in country found elsewhere.

[Walt]

Hey, Griff!

Nice-looking large car ya have there. And your hayburner looks nice too!

Thanks for the pictures

[Steve in MO]

One of my twin granddaughters loves riding, and goes to riding camp every summer. When she started she had absolutely no fear of them and took to it like a fish to water. My wife and I both grew up with them, but we haven't had any in years. We may have to change that.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Good horses.

[JimT]

I've seen pictures of him before but that horse of yours is a pretty big ole boy!