31 minute read
Drought Tour - West Coast
DROUGHT TOUR - WEST COAST
by Tim McCray Tim@ABPmag.com
photos by Derek Sample Derek@ABPmag.com
Orange County, California is, in a way, a beginning and end to this trip. But I started at LAX airport, which seems like an odd place to start a Ranch tour. Derek came up with a working title of “The C.O.W. tour” as our plans were to visit some locations in California, Oregon & Washington. But Washington had other plans, as we had trouble connecting with ranchers or our schedules weren’t aligned with the forces. Either way, I hope the C-O-W trip may happen in 2022. Starting off from the LA area, we (almost) immediately headed north to Mammoth Lakes, spent a day there enjoying some scenery and Derek’s other house before winding our way through Yosemite National Park. Upon exiting the park and finding a spot with decent reception, I phoned home. My wife Raven grew up in Orange County, but also spent quite a few weekends and summers at a ranch house on the Flying M Ranch near Merced. She talks about her time on the ranch frequently, so much in fact, that I knew someday I would lay my own eyes upon it. After making a phone call or two, Raven sent me a number and I found myself on the phone with Wes Myers, who happened to be at the ranch that day. Wes invited Derek and I to spend the night in their bunkhouse. Our overnight plans were still up in the air so how could we turn that down?
FLYING M RANCHES Le Grand, CA – Stocker ranch
The back patio of the bunkhouse where we were staying overlooks the private runway, as does the house where Wes and his family live during their time here. This compound is known as La Paloma and lies just NE of Middle Marker. The two locations are far enough apart to offer each other privacy, yet close enough to walk to. Pasture and cattle guards surround both plots allowing inhabitants to be completely surrounded by the herd, but with all the modern amenities for us humans.
Wes and his brother Luke oversee this piece of land which became an irrevocable trust as their Grandfather John had wished. They both have day jobs that occupy most of their time, but the brothers are dedicated to preserving the land and the heritage. This year, Wes & Luke are planning to place stocker cattle on the vast amount of grassland that they estimate can sustain 7000-8000 head from October – May. Cattle are coming back to the ranch and maintaining the land for the next generation of Myers.
Wes took us about the property the next morning, up to Haystack Mountain, the predominant grassland hill that dominates the landscape, as well as the Rahilly Tree which is another favorite landmark on the ranch. Rahilly is a lone tree in this vast prairie looks more like North Dakota than California to me. This one tree marks the homestead of one of the original families that settled Merced County. It was a favorite of Lucia Myers as well as
my wife’s memories where she and her sister built a rock wall around the trunk to protect it from the cattle. There’s so much meaning in this tree, that in our route around ranch, we had to pick up a water wagon and get some water to that tree before Wes returned us to La Paloma and back on the road. Upon leaving Flying M, we didn’t have much of a destination. We knew we had to head North into Oregon as we knew we had a few ranches waiting on us and we were still piecing together some stops along the way. Our route was taking us through the great smoky mountains of California. I know that the real great smoky’s are actually in Tennessee, but I’m pretty sure these are far smokier. The wildfires ravaging California at the time (and are even bigger now) made for some difficult visibility as we headed north to Sacramento and then east through Reno. Thankfully the next day gave way to clearer skies as we continued north. Just before we left Nevada into Oregon, we saw an old road sign “Enjoy Beef Every Day”. Of course, that definitely caught our attention. Derek flipped a quick u-turn and while doing so, we hadn’t even noticed Hank Kershner on the other side of the highway preparing to move his cows back across the highway. Following introductions, we offered to assist Hank in moving his cattle across the very busy Highway 95. This was dangerous with all the traffic timing was everything. But it seems the herd had done this before. Derek took some photos, we talked to Hank a bit more and he thanked us for our help so we headed onto Oregon. Along the 95, we jog into Idaho, and back into Oregon where we stopped in Pendleton just in time to be 10 minutes late after the dining room closed at Hamley’s Steakhouse. Thankfully they had an over accommodating waitress named Jess who fixed us up like royalty. This long day ended with a steak dinner after all. Jess, as it turned out, grew up on a Charolais ranch. She also volunteered to reach out to her friend Tierra Kessler at Kessler Angus about us stopping there too.
Rollin’ Rock Genetic Partners Pilot Rock, OR This industry leading seedstock herd combines the experience and history built by Bill and Jennifer Davis partnering with their nephew Ryan Raymond of Raymond and Son Ranch. The Sires and their Progeny are well-rounded and sturdy built. The Legacy lives on, focusing on producing cattle that are rugged, durable, and can adapt to all parts of the country.
We met up with Ryan Raymond at Rollin’ Rock’s new sale facility near Pilot Rock, which they started building in November 2019. Then their registered and commercial herds arrived in December. The first sale in the new facility was in March 2020. Nothing but bare ground was there when they started, but they completed the building and the pens in 4 short months. The sale this past March marked the 50th annual sale for Rollin’ Rock, and the 8th in Oregon. Ryan will start weaning bull calves and steer calves here
next month after bringing the cattle from their summer pasture near Wallowa (approximately 2 hours East) and Helix (about 40 minutes North). He had an opportunity to lease the 83 Ranch (about 13,000 acres) in 2002 and started picking up other ground near Pilot Rock (about 18,000 acres). Although the family spends most of their time in Helix, he lives about 3 months in Pilot Rock and another 3 months in Wallowa out of necessity. They usually bring everything back to Pilot Rock in November, though as dry as it is now, it’s hard to tell what will happen. “Thankfully, the pasture near Wallowa is really good, and still green”, we were told. Despite being in severe drought conditions they haven’t had to haul water yet. Ryan feels that one thing he thinks sets them apart from other registered breeders is that the cows are bred and weaned and required to survive in this terrain, rather than being born and live their lives on the same pasture. They must adapt and reproduce. The surrounding terrain is mountainous and vast and requires good horses. This applies to all of their locations.
We continued touring the winter pasture, which is at about 3,600 ft, where the feed was minimal. However if they get an inch of rain by September, that could turn that around too. He has some long-term contracts on land he’s using because he treats it like it’s his own. Managing that much land in three different locations requires not only his immediate family: wife Amy and their two boys Pace (16) and Colter (13). But also, a first cousin, Casey Evans and an extra full time man, Trevor Meyer. Ryan also stated during our visit that he “could use one more full time person.” However, the two boys really can do so much already since they both ride quite well, can unload trucks and move cattle. Driving back to the sale facility, Ryan had suggested another hotel for us that night in Pendleton if we were to be visiting Kessler’s that evening. Ryan also reached out to Kessler Angus and helped set up our next appointment. Seems like we are heading to go and meet Randy Kessler!
Kessler Angus – Milton-Freewater, OR Kessler Angus is a first generation seedstock Angus operation. Started in 1962 as a 4-H project. Concentrating on traits such as calving ease, disposition, mothering ability, reproduction, milk and carcass values.
At only 9 years old, Randy Kessler’s parents bought him his first heifer. Being the son of crop farmers, he knew at a very early age that his passion for cattle was what he wanted to do in life. At age 11, he sold his first bull and by the time he was 18, his herd had grown to 50. Now, nearly 60 years later, with the help of his [late] wife Dawn and their 3 children Tierra, Cheyenne and Cody, that herd has grown to average 350 – 400 cows. In 2012, the American Angus Association recognized Kessler’s Angus as a Historic Angus Herd. This Labor Day weekend, he’ll be showing a portion of his cattle at the Walla Walla County fair, something he’s done consecutively for nearly 60 years.
Kessler’s annual sale (3rd Tuesday in February) is held at their ranch in Umapine. Oregon. This is the same ranch that Randy worked on in his early years back when it was a polled Hereford ranch. He tells us that he would “work for them all day long. Then during lunch and after work, I’d tend to my own cows.” He continues “when the previous owners decided to get out of the business, I leased pastureland, and when they decided to sell off completely, they offered it to me for purchase”. That sounds easy, but there were some lean years ahead. Randy tells us that one of those years, they had partnered with someone for a sale that didn’t hold up their side of the deal. Randy ended up paying 100% of the bills though they didn’t have the money. He happened to have a prize-winning cow in his herd that year that was eventually sold to Eldon Krebs. It was that purchase that allowed him to pay off the bills and stay afloat. But they were still broke. He had given some turnips one day to a fellow that looked as if he were more destitute than they were. A few days later, that same fellow returned with 2 huge boxes of potatoes. “We survived on meat and potatoes that year, though we didn’t even have enough money to buy ketchup” he tells us, “or Pepsi”, another of his favorites. Eldon went on to show that cow in Denver the following January and won Grand Champion at the National Western. When Randy approached Eldon afterwards, he was grateful to him for helping him out when he needed it, and glad that Eldon had made money as well. Eldon ended up giving Randy the banner from that showing, which still hangs in his home office.
years ago. It’s gone now, but it left him with some eating problems and an oxygen tank. As we noticed, that didn’t stop him and it certainly didn’t kill his spirits either. This year, he constructed a remote-controlled winch for his ATV that attaches to scales so he can weigh calves, which is something he used to do by himself just by lifting them. This winch gives Randy the ability to work by himself if needed. His daughter, Cheyenne, has moved away to California and is working as a nurse. Tierra & Cody are both still home on the ranch, although they were both out of town the day we had stopped.
Randy still loves what he does. You can see it in his face as we’re touring his pastures looking over his herd. Sporting a giant smile, his demeanor changes back to a resemblance of a 9-year-old boy when he’s around his herd. Obviously that passion that was in him as a young boy has never left him. After touring the ranch, he invited into his home for some homemade pie and further conversation. We can tell that he doesn’t take anything for granted these days. He’s happy to share a slice of pie with some strangers and talk about his accomplishments as an Angus Breeder. Some of those are decorating his home office and living spaces. He’s proud and yet humble and so grateful. “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive!”
Pendleton, Oregon is an area I hope to return to. It doesn’t look like much at first driving from the East over some grasslands, it appears as just a small town amidst the crops. But after some further investigation, it actually winds its way through some ravines into a small city that has some great restaurants, curiosities and a whole lot of character. The large display board at the Oxford hotel encourages visitors to spend their Saturdays in Pendleton for the wild west shows, wagon rides, live music, river walk and various underground tours. They promise covered wagons and peri-
od time actors and actresses as you explore the downtown. Unfortunately, our schedule didn’t bring us here on a Saturday, so we missed out. The next day we traveled west for a bit alongside the Columbia River before heading south to our next destination. Derek decided I should drive for a bit (my first on this trip) and literally a few minutes later I received my souvenir from the state Highway Patrol. He didn’t seem to care where we were going, only that we were going too fast. After that unfortunate event, the road ahead started winding its way through the beautiful rolling hills and ravines of Central Oregon. I nearly missed our turn from the 2-lane highway we were on to the winding adventure that will eventually take us to Bar 6 Charolais. Almost immediately, we crossed a cattle guard and open range sign and then a few Angus calves feeding by the side of the road. For the next hour we traveled through ranch land with a few congregated mailboxes and zero, yes zero, townships. Madison (from Bar 6 Charolais) said something about teaching us a new meaning of remote. Lesson learned. The last part of her directions were once you leave pavement, it’s another 45 minutes on dirt. Then when you think you’re here, go another 7 miles to the house.
Bar 6 Charolais Mitchell, OR - Charolais
35 Years in registered Charolais they breed for the commercial cattleman. A Cowman’s kind of program. Range calved to ensure we are offering our customers a true range ready bull. We can ensure
that our cattle are providing a type of rugged sustainability that is unmatched in today’s cattle market. We hold our own herd to the same requirements with assurance that they carry their weight. Thriving on dry and rugged pastures, we need them to calve on their own and trail that calf down to winter feeding grounds.
Bar 6 Charolais is operated primarily by Jim Anspach, his daughter Madison, and her husband Kale. Jim moved his operation here about 15 years ago from Washington. Madison & Kale moved in about 6 years ago to help out. It’s extremely remote. Both Derek and I exclaimed that they win the prize for the most remote ranch yet. We then sat down with Madison on a hot summer day and visited for a while, kind of like we were old friends. We’re not on a mission, we just like to get out and visit some folks. Seriously, we’re pretty laid back in that sense. So, after we arrived and introduced ourselves to each other, we sat some chairs around the fire pit and just had a conversation. We shared some stories of our journey so far, and she filled us in on some things going on around their ranch. Like the fact that her husband Kale runs a spraying company, so he’s off working elsewhere. Her dad, Jim, is working cattle somewhere else, and her mom is in the house taking care of Madison’s son who isn’t feeling well that day. She tells us a few stories about travelers through the area that break down, need a tow or just tire’s fixed, get lost, etc. all sorts of crazy things. One poor lady came out with her 3 kids and thought the road had been washed out. She decided to drive down an embankment to the road below and got her car stuck. Permanently. It’s still sitting there, sans passengers. They try to be helpful to those unfortunates that don’t plan too well, such as being way out in the middle of nowhere without food or water. Speaking of food, since we left Pendleton this morning, we really didn’t think, nor were there really any options to stop for some lunch. Derek and I are just dumb boys who don’t pay attention to things like that. Madison put together a delicious salad for us. Ranchers to the rescue once again, but I guess that’s nothing out of the ordinary for them. We talk about the remoteness of the area quite a bit, how any major grocery shopping, or a parts run, are all-day adventures. It’s basically 3 hours to any kind of city large enough to sustain a Costco or similar stores for them to stock up. If she and the family want to go have dinner somewhere, it’s a 45-minute drive into Mitchell, which google tells me has a population of 130 as of 2010. So, yeah, we’re remote.
After some lunch, it’s decided she will drive us up into the mountains a bit and perhaps we can find some cattle. It’s all open range, and approximately 196 square miles of rugged rocky terrain. Actually, we might have better luck finding Bigfoot. I keep an eye out. The road that runs past the house is a public access road that cuts through their country. They get a fair amount of traffic with people exploring, camping and even bicycling, as this is part of a well-known ‘Bend to Boise’ bicycle trail. The forest road we’re traveling on is taking us up to some higher pastures where the cattle should be. But it’s a Stage-5 drought for them, and we did find a few cows already at lower elevation making their way home early. Their sale this past February offered 130 Bulls for sale. But truth be told, she has a rough estimate to how many are out here. They turn out their herd in March and won’t see them again until they come back home around 6 months later. Their herd is expected to calve, thrive, survive all on their own until they come back for winter. They breed for low birth weights to ease in that process and have assisted in only 1 or 2 every couple of years. We drove into the wild country for probably an hour before stopping and heading back down, out past an original homestead that was well built as it was still standing. We passed an old miner’s cabin and another old tiny house that an elderly couple used to live in with no modern amenities. The drive back down the mountain was just as entertaining as the drive up. We see more cattle on the way down, as the feed this year is scarce. They, like us, are heading for home. Madison was, eventually able to get rid of us, simply by suggesting we stop in Mitchell for some food. Tiger Town Brewing Company was highly recommended. Now I’m not a food critic at all, but the food was something I would expect out of a well-known establishment in Minneapolis, Chicago or even Portland. Not this small town of 130. I spoke with one of the owners, Eric Charpata who grew up on the family ranch just out of town. He also said that yes, they try and source their beef locally whenever possible. Last year there were some difficulties, but they are getting back to normal.
Plus, the place was well attended on a weekday afternoon. Pretty cool place. Check out their website and if you’re in the area, you have stop in.
That evening we spent the night in Bend. I was hoping to get through there at least after watching a documentary on the last Blockbuster video store. Had to get a picture of that store, and Derek had to get coffee next door. Good start to the day. We had a couple of hours or driving before our next stop, and just enough extra time to check out a very smoky Crater Lake National Park on our way back into California. It’s after this stop that we decide whenever, wherever we’re traveling, there should be a National Park visit.
Our goal at Dixie Valley Angus is to produce great bulls for commercial cattlemen that will add pounds to the calf crop from the day the animal is born till the day they leave the ranch. We also concentrate on adding carcass weight and IMF to raise premiums in calf crops. We hope to bring phenotype, docility, fertility and fleshing ability to a cow herd. We also believe we can make breed leading females with our cow herd and an E.T. program that will fit the needs for seed stock suppliers to add to their herd and make a great product for them for generations to come.
Morgon Patrick already had a busy day for himself, but he did manage to squeeze in an hour for us as we were traveling through. Thick smoke again filled the air in northern California. That coupled with the drought conditions and the day-to-day operations of a busy seedstock operation, we were just glad he had any time for us at all. But we did manage to talk a little about their operation there, the drought and the fires.
new to anyone this year. Morgon sent 65 fall cows off to feed at one of their commercial ranches, something that ranch was better able to handle than where he was, “even though they are dry as well” Morgon said. “We had a 6-day irrigation season this year and we just put water anywhere we could” Morgon said. Then you just hope the well water will maintain them.
Of course, the hay crops are down too. Morgon says they’ll usually get 3 to 4 passes on alfalfa, or at least cut three and graze one. But they’ve only put up about 10% of normal this year. They’ve contracted some corn stalks out of the valley for supplement and will be using some liquid feed mixture in there too. Not surprisingly, they really focus on feed efficiency with carcass and growth, something that seems to be paying off. They currently have a few bulls at Cal Poly that scored really well and will more than likely win for low birth and multi trait again.
Aside from looking at drought conditions and very smoky skies, they had a few of their stud bulls back after being pulled from cows just a few days before. Jindra Stonewall and Baldridge Elroy have both done very well for Dixie Valley’s program this year.
Rhoades Angus Ranch Cambria, CA written by Derek Sample
Rhoades Ranch seeks to produce and market the highest quality registered black Angus bulls. We strive to achieve genetically favorable characteristics with long lasting, high performance results. Our sustainable practices such as naturally grown without the use of grain and promoting natural muscle growth provided by rugged terrain is the formula for longevity!
I was referred to call Justin by a friend that owns the local art gallery in Mammoth Lakes, CA where I have been fortunate enough to sell my photos of the Eastern Sierra mountains where we have a 2nd home. Mountains as high as 13,000ft. surround this quaint town and it’s where I find peace. So, when she told me about an Angus Ranch that shares the same fence line with her boyfriend over in Cambria (on the Pacific coastline), I was a bit surprised. It turns out that her boyfriend, Dirk Winters, owns a few hotels and a Christmas village that is a real popular tourist destination. With that said, their neighbor, Justin Rhoades, owns a pure-bred and Commercial Angus ranch in the hills near Cambria. With amazing views of the ocean from atop their pastures, this is a quiet and serene place to be. As there are remnants of old equipment and a few barns and foundations here and there left over from previous generations of his celebrated ranching family, what you will notice the most is that these rolling hills are postcard perfect! Then put a few Angus on those hills and it’s an Instagram folly to enjoy After meeting Justin and his friend Jason Gagnon, I got a side-by-side tour of all the hills and pastures, most with springs as the main water source. It’s a major drought around most of the west but Justin has been lucky so far as his some of his springs are still flowing, though not like they used to. Jason just happened to be there that day as part of Justin’s partnership with JLG Enterprises to sell semen from his prize bulls. Justin has been working the ranch on his own since his father suddenly passed away in 2012. Justin’s Dad, Wade (known as Scooter), died of a heart attack while maneuvering his tractor to fight a brush fire. From what I can tell, Justin and his Dad were like brothers and their sense of humor kept them above the float where they could work together for hours on end and still have dinner together. Their family started this ranch as one of the early pioneers
of this area and their multi-generational presence on this farm gets a lot of respect around here. Wade was a strong man with a quiet presence, though when he spoke people listened. He is surely missed. Since then, Justin has established a working routine turning the ranch into an even more successful Commercial operation while still maintaining his pure-bred Angus herd. Years ago he and his Dad would purchase ‘good bulls’ from multiple farms as they thought that was the thing to do. They’d bite the bullet and spend $100k on bulls. The first year, they saw a return on their investment, but the 2nd year and on it was just a push, they wouldn’t bounce back. They just looked at each other one day and his Dad was like “this ain’t working. That’s a huge investment and we don’t even get to use them a second year. Plus the first year they’re kind of hot and just fat and don’t move around too well anyway”. Eventually the conversation turned to “What if we raised our own bulls and made them a little tougher?”. Well, it will take some time to do but they both agreed. They started by loading up a semi-truck load of 35 pure-bred Angus and not long after that, people started inquiring about their bulls. The program was working and they would sell a few here and there. Now there’s quite a demand for his bulls. Rhoades Angus Ranch has transitioned into quite the presence on the regional and national front where Justin takes numerous calls inquiring about his cattle. In addition, Dirk Winters (remember the neighbors on the fenceline) asked if he could work something out where they could feature Justin’s cattle on their menu to help feed the large number of tourists staying at his hotels. As of now it’s too early to say, but I’m sure it will turn into a great co-venture for both of them. If so, I’ll be back to continue the story with Justin as there’s definitely more to be told.
Silveira Bros. Madera, CA Our mission at Silveira Bros is to produce multi-trait performance Black and Red Angus seedstock for the commercial producer. We strive to produce Angus bulls that can be used on heifers and cows, excel in weaning and yearling performance and transmit superior carcass traits. At Silveira Bros, we emphasize CALVING EASE genetics by utilizing artificial insemination and extensive embryo transfer to the nation‘s most highly proven sires and from our highly proven donor cows. Silveira Bros. has two sales per year – Bull sale in September and Females in October.
We’re back in Almond country. Finishing our stop at Silveira Bros. seems familiar. It should as we’re only about 40 miles straight south of Flying M ranches where we started. I can’t help but think I’m stuck in the 3rd season of Goliath. In more ways than one, if you’ve seen that show…
We find Rick working on his squeeze chute when we arrive. He’s dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, which is apparently how he likes to work most of the time. I’m like minded as that is my preference as well. So, I suspect we’ll hit it off pretty good. Within a few minutes he’s driving us around the ranch and it feels more like we’re old buddies just driving around shooting the bull. Derek and I are easy going anyway, but it sure goes a long way when Rick’s making us laugh most of the time. Rick’s a crackpot, and he’s not afraid to be the butt of his own humor either. Don’t get me wrong, he’s serious about his business and other important matters, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously, or at least that’s what I’m getting anyway. Kind of like Billy McBride.
We talked a little about his Almond empire (I may have exaggerated that last bit). Then about water. Since we are on a drought tour – we’ll talk about water. “If you go underground here, it’s probably the biggest underground river there is in the state of California”, he tells us. “We’re always in a constant fight for water. “It seems the government always thinks that they know better, but ever since they started taking over, it’s gotten worse. A lot worse. Since we started conserving [water] the last 25 years, this is when our water problems have really started.” We are all in our 50’s by the way (Derek, Rick and me), so we’re all probably capable or remembering what life was like in our early twenties…back when we knew everything. Rick says “we used to flood everything. There was water
going everywhere. If we did that, the ground charged back up. We had normal rainfall. When we started conserving is when that kind of changed.” Then he told us that the powers that be decided they will limit it even more starting next year by only allowing him a certain number of inches of water annually. He figures that if he doesn’t do any irrigation at all on his pastures, and about half the ranch is pasture and native grasses, he’ll still be about an inch short for his trees. This also means he’ll still have to take out an 80-acre section just to have enough water allotment to finish everything else.
I think* I can solve California’s water problem in one word: Coyotes. Right? Here’s my plan: we take all the coyotes, and we strap canteens to them…. When the Silveira’s came to this land in the late 70’s, “Coyote’s were always a big big problem for us” Rick said. “They would attack the calves when they were born and when they were weak. Come to find out, they were just hungry, they didn‘t really care. They could kill anything to eat. So as time went on, what I started doing was we stopped shooting them. I went into kind of more of a conservatorship type thing. When we irrigate, we have gophers and squirrels and then those critters start popping up which would make the coyotes come in packs and follow the water and hunt. This way they‘re killing all the problems and they‘re leaving the cattle and the populations are huge now, just as long as they don‘t cross the barrier. It’s been very helpful. You know, just in the last seven or eight years, I‘ve really kind of gone with that plan and it‘s really, really helped.” So, stop shooting your Coyote’s and it’ll fix your Coyote problem. Stop rationing the water to the point that it eliminates the farmers ability to feed the world and your water problem may be solved. I won’t take full credit for that idea. It was really Rick’s, but I did put it in writing. I think Rick should run for Governor, hell maybe even President. But, he tells me that he stays home for months at a time and doesn’t leave the property. It’s the only safe way for everyone…
The Journey Home
I stated at the beginning of this that Orange County was the beginning. Derek pointed out to me that LAX is in LA county, not Orange. I knew that. I was referring to our first stop on this trek: Flying M Ranches. Had it not been for my wife spending time there as a child, we wouldn’t have even known about the place. It was only fitting, well er manipulated (because I dislike LAX) that I fly out of Orange. Plus, I get to visit my mother-in-law, Kelli, whom I hadn’t been able to see since Christmas before the world went to hell. I was amazed when I got there how much her island home had changed since my last visit. She showed me her favorite house in Corona Del Mar. We visited the beach. I planted a seed about the possibilities of her visiting again at Christmas time and buying another ranch house…in Minnesota. We talked some more about her time at Flying M, which again took me back to the beginning. I thought about calling this the Big O because everything is circular. You always return home. But the OC is more fitting, and I didn’t think the majority would understand what I was eluding to with that. If anything, I believe life is full of circles. Even though Flying M was new to me personally, I’ve heard enough stories about the place that it felt like making a circle even if the start of it was with my mate. We made a big circle as we traveled, leaving from Derek’s house, and returning there briefly so I could say my goodbye to Val and their two Aussies that couldn’t come on this trip. The circles of life & the circles of family that I can see in Rollin’ Rock Angus & the futures for Kessler’s to the circle created by Rick Blanchard living in agreement with his Coyote buddies.
