achieved a great sense of accomplishment, gained confidence and had so much fun!
A Sight To See
After our time sorting the cows, we herded them downstream. People in cars pulled over to watch us drive the cattle past. Children playing in the river stopped and stood in awe at the spectacle of a dozen cow pokes driving 40 head of cows to a lower meadow on the southern slope of the Sierras. If ever I felt like I was totally in my element, this was that moment. I was talking to the cows, singing to them to find the trail ...”Keep moving” I would croon. I was reassuring my mare, as she was now watching the cows, her ears sharp, anticipating the fat steer that wanted to break off from the herd.
The day was as perfect as I ever could have ever imagined. We sat around the campfire and reminisced about an era gone by. We talked about the cowboy code and a western heritage that is all but unreal to most folks today. The only thing that would have topped it would have been to look over and see John Wayne himself mounted on a beautiful buckskin.
That night as I lay under the stars, tired from
a full day, I thought this is probably as close as it gets to re-living life as an authentic cowboy in the Old West. I spent the day in the saddle; we drove cows down mountain trails through thick forests and across mountain streams. Then, back at Cow Camp, after we put our horses away for the night, the group sat around a campfire eating delicious BBQ, and home made peach cobbler prepared in Dutch ovens and talked and laughed. Both my horse and I made some terrific memories on this Cowboy Bucket List Adventure. Even more, I have charged my cowboy battery and am as dedicated as ever to the lifelong pursuit of being a better horseman. I have a new appreciation for ranchers and cowmen and I love that I have learned a few tricks of their trade. I got to see new trails and meet like-minded horsemen and women that live here in California and share my passions. Now that this adventure is off my bucket list it has moved to my yearly vacation list!
Author Joanne Peterson lives and rides in East Bay Area’s Bay Point.
www.dawnaaris.com
www.specializedsaddles.com www.ridingmagazine.com | March 2014 | California Riding Magazine 35
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