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 January Snow on the Working Dude Ranch Well, I guess the weather people got the storm warning right. It looks like Colorado, not southern Arizona here on the ranch. We need the moisture – but it would be nice to spread it around a little. We are pushing 3 inches of rain and it’s sleeting right now. Plus there is still snow on the ground and 100% chance of more accumulation tonight. But not as much as a little north of us. Blue Vista overlook has 6 foot drifts and is still getting snow. Apparently, ADOT has given up trying to plow Highway 191 and just put up “Road Closed” barricades. They have run out of barricades there are so many closed roads. The town of Alpine is out of power and no one can drive there to fix it. Here on Eagle Creek we never have power – so we wouldn’t miss it anyway. That is one advantage to being 100% off grid!
Actually high water in the creek crossings is our biggest travel problem. We tend to get stuck on whatever side of the creek we are on when the water comes up. Right now Eagle Creek is impassable. It had 6000 cubic feet per second today at the pump station on Lower Eagle. Average is less than 50 cubic feet per second – big difference. We haven’t even bothered to go check Sheep Wash and Smith Canyon crossings – probably up also. Wait till that 6 feet of snow above us melts – we are going to have some WATER!
 Cattle Country? Well, a long dreaded day is fast approaching. We are moving the cattle to Main Pasture this week. When we first bought the ranch 6 years ago and drove up the Coronado Trail, the Main Pasture was the first part of the ranch we could see. I thought at the time that it must be impossible to turn out cattle and actually gather them back out in that country. It is one steep mountain after the other. 6,000 acres of woods and canyons a billy goat would have trouble traveling. But cattle have grazed there for years. Unfortunately, it has been probably 15 years since it has been grazed and the trails are all brushed up. I talked to our neighbor who ranched similar country where the Blue Mountain Primitive Area is now. They used catch dogs to locate cattle and hold them up, roped and sidelined the cattle, then brought them out. They also had 2 camps and took 2 months gathering at each – and still missed about 20% of the cattle. He said they always had some yearlings to brand the next year. This country is not for the faint-hearted!
But next time we use the pasture- probably 2 years from now- I’ll have a feel for the lay of the land. I’ll know where the water is, where old trails are, and hopefully have new trails from the cattle. This year will be hard – then it will seem easier every time we graze Main Pasture. One thing for sure, this is not a pasture we will take guests riding in. I am just glad we have a new cowboy. If he makes this cut, he is a keeper!
 Pulling Water Lines Today Doug and I start pulling water lines – again. Some of them are along old roads where we can use the 4-wheeler, but most will have to be pulled with a horse. Sometimes a short section can be hand pulled, but that pipe gets heavy pretty darn quickly. It will be a relief to have a new water system in. Right now we have 26 pastures (as best as I can figure) with NO natural water. Every dirt tank is bone dry! Fortunately, we have springs and creeks in 5 pastures. But the bulk of the ranches – both the Double Circle and Anchor Ranches – is dry now. We have one water system that serves 9 small pastures, 2 water systems that serves 1 pasture each, and a water system that serves 3 pastures. The new system will add water to 5 pastures. It is a lot of work but vital to both the livestock and wildlife. We will keep plugging away until we have the ranch well watered. We leave water in troughs year-round for the wildlife. Everyone benefits. Anyone want to volunteer to help?? We have to build and install wildlife ramps too – always plenty of work at the Double Circle Ranch.
 Pit Bull Fuser
 Belle the Cowdog Worried Belle Starr the cowdog met her match the other day before the last snow. It had gotten dusty again and the Arizona wind was really whipping up. A big dust devil started by the porch and up our driveway. Belle apparently thinks her job description includes running intruders away. She gave chase – just raising a ruckus. Every hair on that pup was standing straight up. She must have been real pleased at how that monster was running from her, the fierce protector of her small universe. But she got in the dust storm. It must have stung her up a bunch. She came back down the driveway like the devil himself was trying to catch her. I didn’t know she could move that fast. Her ears were flat on her head and her tail between her legs and she was MOVING. She didn’t stop ’til she was safe on the porch. Then she peeped around the side and let out one very quiet bark just to show me she wasn’t afraid. She sure didn’t want the dust devil to hear her and go for round two!
 Rough Ranch Country Years ago, three of the Fillamin kids, ages 10-14 drove a herd of cattle to the Double Circle Ranch from Calva – by themselves. Now that was probably a 4 day drive across some wild country with no roads and lots of bear, lion, rattlesnakes, and probably wolves. It was no problem, just everyday business 70-odd years ago. Today you would probably be arrested for child abuse if you sent kids out with a job like that. Heck, most adults today couldn’t do that drive. Can you imagine going to a suburban mall and taking 3 kids that age, giving them horses, some sourdough biscuits and beef jerky, and pointing them at cattle in the distance and the general direction they needed to go and turning them loose? Talk about a wreck! We are losing a lot of self-reliance and just plain old gumption with all our modern lifestyle.
Yesterday I visited with a neighbor – a kid younger than my grandson, probably around 18 or 19 years old. He is riding fence for the ranch that borders us on our eastern boundary. Now that is some rough country – beautiful to be sure and with plenty of water and forage – but ROUGH. This young man – Josh – lives by himself miles from anyone – on a road that needs a 4WD in good weather and is impassable in muddy or snowy conditions. His job is to ride all day and lead a pack mule or two to patch fence. Now this is thousands of acres of basically wilderness. He might have to camp out for days because it is too far to ride to headquarters. Plus he rides a lot of young stock to put hours and training on the colts. He thinks nothing at all about it. Riding the fence is his job – no big deal. But in 2010 it truly is a BIG deal. Thank goodness for ranch-raised kids who know how to work, can take care of themselves, and have the gumption to cowboy on big, wild ranches.
 Clarice Holder They say that what you are doing on January 1st is what you will be doing all year. Well, Roland and I moved cattle – that is definitely an all-year job. Doug worked on a truck most of the day – unfortunately that seems to be a continuous thing too – keeping everything up and running. Then we all went to the Holders for supper. Clarice makes the BEST chicken enchiladas! I have her recipe, but my enchiladas are passable – hers are scrumptious. I have no idea why. I only hope we will have Clarice’s chicken enchiladas frequently all year. Now that would be a treat!
 Tom Whetten Photography Class Photography buffs – listen up! Tom Whetten is coming to the Double Circle Ranch May 6-9. He will be teaching a Photography Class guaranteed to increase your camera skills whether you are an amateur or professional. Tom has traveled everywhere shooting the most amazing photos. He even leads an African Photo Safari. We won’t be shooting giraffes here – but we will be shooting the real Great American West complete with working cowboys and Texas Longhorn steers. And the scenery and wildlife is pretty hard to beat too. Tom will divide his time between actual photo shoots and classroom tips and instruction. It will be fun and educational, and you will go home with a set of photos that will be the envy of friends and family. Tom is giving us a special introductory rate of $750.00 all inclusive – a substantial discount and quite the bargain. Can’t beat it. Come on out.
 Mearns Quail Get out your binoculars and come to the ranch! Bob Luce, world traveler and author, is coming to the Double Circle and leading a birding class. This class is geared to beginning birders – you don’t need to know how to tell one sparrow from the other. It is a great way to reconnect to nature and appreciate the beauty and diversity around us. This class is perfect for families too – bring the kids age 12 and up – and ask about a family discount. Actually, this adventure is a bargain – $800.00 all inclusive, includes wall tents with private baths, 3 home cooked meals a day, all transportation on the ranch, 2 guided hikes with Bob daily, and evening programs. Bob is a retired wildlife biologist – so expect to learn about the furry and slithery critters at the Double Circle as well as the feathered ones.
Bring comfortable shoes – you are going to be hiking dry canyons, riparian habitat, upland range – a little of everything is here at the ranch. The trip is planned for April 29 – May 3, 2010 to take advantage of the migratory neo-tropical birds that pass through. It will be an experience to remember. Be sure to pack camera too, the scenery and wildlife are spectacular. Let us know if you would like to extend your stay and ride the range with our cowboys on this working cattle ranch. We’ll design a custom vacation you will love.
 Cow Dogs Herding Cattle On a ranch as big as the Double Circle, a pair of cattle dogs is well worth their keep. I have heard it said by ranchers that a good dog is worth four cowboys. That may be a slight stretch – or not – if it is a REALLY good dog. We have 2 grown dogs – plus Belle Starr the pup. Katie is a black and white Border Collie-Mcnabb cross. Our partners, the Holders, bred their female to a neighbors’ cowdog and generously gave us a pup. Copper is a red border collie. She was actually on death row at the local dog pound. I never stop at the pound – but I felt like I needed to stop there last year when I did the town run. There she was – hunkered in a corner of her cage looking terrified. I couldn’t leave her. Fortunately Doug wasn’t mad – he loves her too. She had eight puppies and they had all been put down already. Someone had kept Copper and her pups in a cage for a year and a half. The pups hadn’t been touched – ever. They were killed as unadoptable. Copper is great. She is getting older and has arthritis. I only take her out part of the time, but it really hurts her feelings to be left home. She lives to work and to please. Copper has a heart of gold, not copper. A gem.
Here are a couple of photos of the dogs going back after a young steer who didn’t want to keep up. They pass him, turn behind him, and drive him to the herd. Saves me going back for him. Steers need to know that they are expected to join the cattle drive. They get herd broke with time. But stragglers and hiders need to be made to join up and not let get away with escaping. Dogs sure are handy to teach them!
 CowDogs Herding Texas Longhorns
 Winter weather on the ranch - Horses in the snow Well, the north wind did blow and we did get snow. But it didn’t last long. There is still snow on the mountains and in our high country and some ice in shady spots on the road, and it is supposed to snow more tomorrow night. Snow is a good thing here. It melts slow and soaks into the ground. It recharges springs and the water table – but it sure makes it harder to get the chores done. We had 3 days in a row with single digit temperatures – and it isn’t officially winter yet! I have relocated my silk wild rags, dug out the long handles and wool shirts. My chinks have been replaced by chaps for winter. Lined gloves have taken the place of thin leather work gloves. But my heart isn’t in it. Part of me is screaming NOOOOO – not cold yet, please. I think I will have some hot chocolate and sit by the fire for a spell.
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