Hot Dogs, Automatic Locks and Broken Axles

We began the process of moving to our current home, this time last year. We had lived near a small farming community for 8 years. It was a rural area, the nearest town with a population of 1,400 residents. The convenience of a larger town of 40,000 plus residents, loomed only 20 miles away. Slightly different from where we live now. Our current home is located at the end of 11 miles of dirt road, with another 5 miles of paved highway to the closest town. That town boasts a population of 175 residents, varying on wether the local high school seniors have left for college or not. The graduating class fluctuates between 4-7 students each year. The school district has predicted it will not be able to supply a full 8 man team to play football, for the next 4 years. Most residents are retired from ranch work or have jobs at the local school and highway maintenance districts. We do manage to keep a gas station, convenience store, post office and if we’re lucky, one restaurant in business. Just a glimpse into our treasured, remote, rural community.

The trip to our new home is approximately 2 hours travel time, from our previous residence. It is a busy highway, starting at the Canadian border, ending at the Mexican border. The travelers are from every state imaginable, along with lots of semi truck traffic. It is a sagebrush desert for as far as you can see, with a few scattered ranch residences. The cell phone reception is almost completely void. There are a few spots that you may get a blip of signal, over a 220 mile stretch. A trip to the next largest town usually requires a bit of planning to assure you can accomplish as much as possible, while there. I tend to overpack for the occasion, bringing extra snacks, flashlights, etc. It’s always an adventure traveling with our crew.

Last year, our cows moved to the new location before we did. They were able to utilize some fall grasses, before the beginning of feeding hay. Nate would travel back and forth to check them weekly. It came time to move them to another field, 8 miles away. Nate decided he would leave early one morning to check the new field’s fences. The little cowboys and I would leave after preschool was through. We would bring the food, bedrolls, dog food, etc. required to stay a couple days. Nate loaded up his still-in-training horse, the pack of cow dogs and headed out. The little cowboys helped me gather stuff for our weekend stay. We completed preschool for the day, grabbed a few things at the store and headed home to load the cooler of food. In the excitement of the moment, the little cowboys ran back and forth, loading their treasures for the trip. With the last load to the awaiting vehicle, I realized the doors were locked. Every door on the SUV. There glistening in the sun, were the keys dangling from the ignition. The extra set of keys were safely in the pickup that Nate had drove off in that morning. I tried with no avail to unlock the doors with various objects. I took a deep breathe, counting my blessings that we were at home and not in a store parking lot. The little cowboys and I rearranged our plans, waiting for Nate to call after dark from the ranch house’s phone.

Nate called us when he got in the ranch house that evening. He made the quick decision to drive the 16 miles to the nearest convenience store, having not eaten since breakfast. The convenience store posts short hours of operation, only open for business during peak traveling times. The shopping was very limited, but he managed to find hot dogs, tortillas and processed cheese. This would fill the culinary void for both he and the hungry cow dogs. We were able to recruit my father to assist Nate, in the movement of cows to the new pasture, the next day. “Papa” happily agreed to take his horse, groceries and dog food, the next morning. All loaded up, Papa set out to meet Nate at the sagebrush field of cows. I received a slightly distraught call about an hour later from my mother. Papa was about 12 miles from home, just out of cell phone service, when he encountered vehicle problems. His truck’s axles and brakes had locked up, causing him to barely steer it to the side of the rode. It was a few thrilling minutes of no control, evidenced by the long black skid marks left on the highway. Thankfully it happened along a flat spot of road and not on a hill. Papa managed to walk until he received a blip of cell phone reception, a shorts ways back towards home. A neighbor came to the rescue, hooking onto the horse trailer to deliver the horse home again. A tow truck was enlisted for his truck’s transportation to a mechanic shop. We were all thankful no one was hurt.

Nate waited at the sagebrush field of cows for his promised helper, Papa. After a couple hours, not knowing what had happened, he gathered up the cows and started on the 8 mile ride. It was a long, slow, dusty trip. The cow dogs had went seperate ways, hoping to find a short cut back to the house. Nate’s still-in-training colt, Stan, was tired, making every step slower than the last. The only one that remained upbeat during the whole adventure was Rooster, our Jack Russell terrier. They all arrived at the new pasture, that evening. When Nate made it in the ranch house to call, I explained the unpredicted change of events. It had became late, so Nate decided to spend another night, returning home in the morning. For supper, he divided the remainder of hot dogs and tortillas among the cow dogs and himself.

Nate was home by mid morning the next day. He and the cow dogs were very happy to see the little cowboys and I. They all had a very hearty appetite, their hot dogs and tortillas having ran out. Who knew something so simple could taste so good when you’re hungry. Nate was able to unlock the vehicle, with the help of a wire fence stay and wooden wedge. He made it look easy, though I hope we don’t have to enlist these skills very often. Papa’s pickup was diagnosed with a broken axle, spending a week at the mechanic’s being repaired. The tire black marks on the pavement lasted for a month. We now make sure we at least send a healthy sized snack bag on every trip, no matter the scheduled time length. Because sometimes our overnight stays turn into long weekend adventures!