Until the Cows Come Home

Until the cows come home

Hopefully, the cows do not come home too soon and they enjoy the cool summer mountain meadows. Every July, I have the privilege to follow cows up to the mountains with my Uncle. I would say chase, but the cows are excited to go and they know their way. So, really it is a chance to ride my horse and follow the cows up the trail to their summer home.

This is always a family affair with three generations working together for a common goal. It is one of the things we value in agriculture, our time we get to spend with our families. Kids and adults spend days with each other. I would say parents are teaching kids but I seem to learn just as much from my kids as they learn from me.

Trailing cows makes me feel nostalgic, like I am a cowboy following cows from Abilene to Kansas City in the Wild West days. But I am grateful for the chuck wagon and at the end of the day I get to go home to a soft bed. My Aunt is the chuck wagon. She loads up lunch in her SUV and drives up the bumpy narrow roads to deliver us a piping hot lunch. She miraculously is always on time. The food is delicious and hearty. We sit alongside the Pacific Crest Trail and share our lunch with the long distance hikers. They are always appreciative of fresh food and cold drinks. We share our stories and then head our separate ways.

The cows remain in the mountains until October. Every couple weeks we return to move them to a new meadow. When October comes we will go fetch the cows if the weather remains warm. If the snows come early the cows will start to wander home. Yes, the cows will come home.