Kenton Area Branding

 
Even though I put these pictures on Facebook, I want to share them on my blog as well.  Hope you like them. 

On 4th of July weekend Dad, Big J., and I went to Kenton, OK, to help brand. 
 
The first night: we unloaded our horses, fed them, and put them in their pen.  We ate supper and finally got to bed after ten o'clock.
Four AM comes around pretty fast when you get to bed late!  We got up, saddled in the light of the moon, and stood and talked in the kitchen until breakfast was served.  We left the Bed and Breakfast around six, the long line of pickups and trailers headed west.
The first gather was very easy since the cattle were in the closest corner.  Once penned, the cows were sorted.  Some had horns growing towards their skulls so those were held in the pen, roped, and then the horns were sawed off by Dad.  There was a little excitement during that and most everybody came out bloody, though not their own blood.
There were calves from little to big, thus there were flankers from young to older.  I got to flank some bit and really enjoyed it, as always.
We finished 35 head and went in for dinner. 
 

 
A handful of men and women napped in the lazy afternoon weather.  But the work wasn't done yet.  We headed east for a few miles, then drove through some canyons.  We arrived at the ranch house, one which had been built in one week and made from rock. 
It began looking rainy so we three tied our raincoats to our saddles.  Everyone rode out and began searching for 50 or so head of cattle.
After finding nothing in the canyon we were in, we turned back.  Not long after, huge rain drops dive-bombed us.  We had just enough time to pull on our raincoats before it really started to rain.  Seeking shelter from a tree, we watched the rain give water to the ground.  Our friends were less fortunate.  They had no raincoats and only the shelter of a much smaller tree.
The rain passed after a few minutes and we rode to our friends.  They were fine, but cold and wet.  The littlest was indeed changing to a blue color, so he was taken back to the ranch house to change and warm up.
When we had gathered all of the riders, we decided the next place to look for the cattle.  Now that the rain had come, all of the cattle's tracks had vanished.
Dad, Big J., and I rode off with three other men and continued searching.  The ground was rocky, cactus grew wherever it pleased, so the ride was slower than some, but safe.  We moseyed around, mainly enjoying the landscape and feeling more like we were on a trail ride.  Finally, we spotted some cattle.
We took them to the pens and since there was still daylight, we worked them. 
Got to the Bed and Breakfast around dusk, ate, showered, and went to bed after ten, or was it eleven?  It was another late night.
     

 

Day 2: we got up at 4:30 AM and repeated the day until we got in the pickup.  We drove to the pasture, stopped, and mounted the horses.  Because of the terrain, we couldn't drive to the pens; we had to ride the horses. 
The 1 1/2 mile + ride was pretty.  The cliffs rose high before us.  There were a few old sheep herders' huts made from rocks.  We also saw a rock fence.  The history those hills hold would be amazing to know about.  To think at one time there were Indians in them!  Or sheep and their herder.  It's amazing.
After sighting the pens, we had to then find the cattle.  We rode on.
We found the cattle and worked them. 
When through, we went to the house and ate.  We had to be back for church the next morning, so said our good byes, thank yous, and drove home.

At home, we sat in our yard and watched surrounding firework shows.  And got to bed late...again.  : )