JOHN KERR PEAK, GILA NATIONAL FOREST. May 27th, 2007. Day 21.
Erin and the gang made 23 spectacular miles plus a few extra for an unintended side trip when the rock cairns marking the trail were misleading. For most of the day she did "Ride The Great Divide"; for this segment, the trail and the ridge that is The Divide are almost the same. They rode through ancient juniper forest, then Ponderosa and Douglas Fir forest, then upland oak savanah. The animal for the day was the Hooded Oriole. So far no wolves. At dark they turned off the trail to find water at a tank at the southern foot of John Kerr Peak (elevation 8868 ft). Yoakum behaved today.
3 comments:
Erin, this is for Yoakum.
The farmer was sweating to keep up with his plow behind his mule as the mule surged forward through the field plowing furrows straight, deep and true.
His neighbor, walking along the lane, stopped and leaned on the fence to watch. As the farmer and his surging mule came back around along the fence, the neighbor waved him down to set a spell and talk.
The neighbor, very much impressed with the mule, offered the farmer a generous price for the animal. After some dickering over price, the deal was made.
A week later the farmer, walking along the lane spotted his neighbor and his mule standing in his neighbor’s field. When the neighbor saw him, he hurried over. “You sold me a defective mule!” He said. “I can’t get the danged animal to move!”
The farmer studied the situation, then said “Neighbor, what we have here is a failure to communicate.”
The neighbor protested that he had tried everything from reasoning with the mule to threatening him. There wasn’t any way to get him started!
With that the farmer climbed over the fence. He cast about until he located a stout tree limb lying on the ground. He picked it up and strode out to where the mule stood gazing off into the distance.
The farmer went around to the front of the mule and looked him straight in the eye, then hauled off and whacked him a good one up along side of the head as he said “GiddyUp, Dubya!”. The mule took off down the field plowing a furrow straight, deep and true.
As the neighbor raced to catch up with his receding mule and plow, he hollered back “How come he listened to you and not me?!?”
As the neighbor climbed back over the fence he hollered back over his shoulder “He’s a stubborn mule. You jest gotta git his attention, that’s all.”
Take care and keep your powder dry.
Mick N.
Erin! We are so proud of you and excited to read this blog on your trip. Yokum is being a dweeb and Rua is certainly coming through! You are doing an awesome job. Glad to hear LeDeoux is staying out of snakes. As Jerimiah Johnson would say (according to Ryan) "Watch your Topknot"! We are thinking of you and wishing you well.... Happy Trails!
The "Landlords" Ryan and Kylee and gang :)
Hey Erin--Wow, I am impressed! Keep on trucking and take care.
Dustin
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