Saturday, June 14
As is our routine while camped on Nebo Loop Road near Nephi, Utah, the crew and I take off for town in the Perfect Tow Vehicle immediately after breakfast in order to pick up an internet connection.
After writing and posting on this blog, I drive over to Harmon Tire again in order to scope out where we will camp on Monday night. I was feeling such relief yesterday at having found a good mechanic for the Best Little Trailer’s wheels that I neglected to look where we will camp!
Across the street is a Best Hardware.
I bet they make keys! For several months — no, make that YEARS — I’ve wanted to have a duplicate set of keys made for the BLT. ( I have duplicates for the PTV.)
At the back of the store I find the key counter.
A gentleman successfully fashions two keys for me… the front door key and the key that opens the water tank, electric cord, and battery compartments.
Next he attempts to make the key for the hitch lock.
As you may know, he first has to find the dummy key that can be cut in the right configuration to duplicate my key. He looks at key after key from the circular rack. While waiting I peruse the display of key accessories and pick out a bright blue lanyard with matching whistle. I’ll try this whistle on Spikey!
The key gentleman calls in another gentleman to help. Together they search for about twenty minutes without success.
Hmm . . . Maybe I should forget about the duplicate key for the hitch lock I have. Maybe I should replace the hitch lock with a better one. Another item to add to my next Amazon order . . . .
I thank both gentlemen and ask where I might find rust remover.
The anti-sway bar has been accumulating rust ever since we visited the Pacific Northwest last summer.
(Note the time delay from conception of a project to initiating the project. Typical!)
I pick up a can of remover and a cheap brush with which to apply it. I wonder in what future year I’ll actually remove the rust from the anti-sway bar. Well, when that time comes, I’ll be ready!
Next we cruise on over to the other side of Nephi.
I stop at a thrift store and purchase a DVD ($4.00) of “The Iron Lady,” which is a movie about Margaret Thatcher. Can’t go wrong with Meryl Streep . . .
Sunday, June 15
“C’mon, you two! It’s time to go into town!”
I toss the nutcakes into the PTV and off we go. About a half-mile down the road . . . . Huh? What’s that up ahead? Oh my gosh, I don’t believe it . . .
It’s another cattle drive!
I creep the PTV forward and stop.
With camera ready I wait for the cowboys and their cattle to approach.
This is the third cattle drive we’ve encountered.
The last one was a family — mom, dad, children and others.
These cowboys remind me of the Cartwright brothers on the old television show, “Bonanza” . . . Adam (on the black horse, of course), Hoss, and Little Joe.
What beautiful, alert, well-trained horses!
I start up the PTV and grab this last photo.
“So long, Hoss! See ya’ back at the Ponderosa!”
Gosh, I do love the West!
rvsue
NOTE: Today is a special day for our friends, Rusty and Timber. They have been in their home for one year today, after sixteen years living “on the road” in their truck camper. Rusty emailed to tell me he signed a lease for another year.
Best wishes to you, Rusty, and to Timber,too, for a wonderful second year!
THANK YOU, RVSUE SHOPPERS!
Here are a few of the items recently purchased from Amazon through my blog:
Kenda Klever Tires
Washburn Acoustic Electric Guitar
Weber Q 1000 Liquid Propane Grill
Camco Flying Insect Screen
Sony Video Camera with 2.7-Inch LCD
Eccotemp Portable Tankless Water Heater and Outdoor Shower
Can’t go wrong with photos of men on horses.
Yes, now back to work for me. 🙂
P.S. Thanks.
Yeah, what is it about a man on a horse . . . ?
I don’t know but I like it. I’ll take a man on a horse over a guy in a sports car any day.
lol .. me to man on horse rather than a man in a sports car.. something about cow boys I tell you and of course love horses to.. Thanks again Sue for amazing pictures and story.. What does the crew think about the cows and horses, do they ever bark at them. My partner a golden lab now passed on, love to bark at horses, he stayed home when I went riding lol. of course he was as big as a horse so you never know what he was thinking.. Jealous I think .. take care ..
Spike is always ready to fight The Bovine Menace. A big black cow strolled past our campsite one day, all by itself… Spike went nuts. He wouldn’t stop barking until it was way down the road.
He hasn’t had a close encounter with a horse yet. He did bark at the herd of cattle as it passed by the PTV.
Awishin’ that was me. Gettin’ too old. The sorrel with the blue shirted rider with the chinks looks like a favorite horse of mine that is the last picture…..the 2 horse pic shows the sorrel and a black bay that looks like my last one, Smokey, last I heard a pack horse in the Sierras. Miss my horses…… Great pix and thanks.
I always love the cowboy photos, my dad was a cowboy on the H bar Y ranch in New Mexico, the first time I sat on a horse was in front of him!
Looks like you are off to another wonderful day!
Hi, Lee J,
A cowboy for a father. . . You remind me of those days in elementary school when kids were supposed to dress up as their father. You had an easy one!
Wow, I am either first or close to first. I love the West too. Someday, I will be out there too, just have to keep getting older everyday. Thanks Sue for the inspiration.
You’re welcome, Jean. Your day will come!
HAHAHAHAHA! I really had to laugh, Sue. Particularly at “Hoss”. The look on his face is priceless: “Wha’ the heck?” Jeeze! A tourist just takin’ pictures. Hope she isn’t thinking about rustling these cows.”
Or, could be the BLM gettin’ photos of cowboys before the next uprisin’.
Typical.
The less belligerent guys just ignored you and went about their business. They had it figured out pretty soon, I am sure.
Great photography.
Cattle are on the move around here, too. Branding round-ups are either finished and they are taking the cattle to higher pastures, or they are rounding them up for branding. The weekend just passed, so I am thinking the branding happened over the weekend and they are on to higher pastures.
You have inspired me to get the wheels on our trailer “re-packed” this year. Glad you found someone handy and honest.
Hi, Diann,
Seeing a cattle drive must be pretty routine to you, living in Montana. “Hoss” wasn’t being beligerant. He and another cowboy were laughing after he waved to me.
Thanks for the compliment on my photos!
You charmed ’em Sue!
More good service at the hardware store (he TRIED to find the key blank) and thanks for the cattle drive pics..good looking horses, forgot to look at the riders!! Well, back to selling our junk on Ebay — trying to whittle down the lifetime accumulation in this house! (in preparation to joining your lifestyle)
Still getting rid of stuff, eh? It seems endless at times. Eventually you will be done!
Yes, those horses are in beautiful condition . . . a pleasure to photograph.
That is a really nice area, our neighbors mentioned their last get away was at Ponderosa and they really enjoyed it and the fact it’s not so far from home.
Ranch life, so awesome!!
” I wonder in what future year I’ll actually remove the rust from the anti-sway bar. Well, when that time comes, I’ll be ready!”
I can soo relate, well stated 🙂
Hope it’s not too noisy in town for the night..
T~
Hi, Tawanda,
Your comment made me realize the coincidence of the Ponderosa ranch of Ben Cartwright and sons and also Ponderosa Campground up the road from here. It is a very well-maintained campground with a host on duty.
Coincidence? I don’t THINK so!! LOL And he did look like Hoss Cartwright. I loved the black with the white rear foot… looked like an Arabian to me.
Yes, I do love the west and can hardly wait to return at the end of July. We have been east way too long and I don’t care to come back any time soon.
I’m glad I am not the only one who buys items for projects that don’t get tackled right away! But like you said, we’re ready:)
Coming upon a cattle drive is so much fun! You feel like you are back in the wild west.
Hi, John and Pam,
I feel the same way about the East. I can’t see me ever going back.
Cattle drives do recall the Old West and the tv shows we grew up with. I wish these cowboys had on western hats. The ball cap look doesn’t measure up!
rvsueandcrew,
Please try your new keys to make sure they work. My husband has taught me, if possible, to always have keys made by a locksmith. Also, betting a locksmith will have the blank in stock to match you hitch lock.
Blue skies and happy trails to you and the crew.
Hi, Regina Lee,
Good idea… I did check the keys and they do work!
Love the photos. My mom grew up on a sheep ranch in Idaho. Back then horses were the mode of transportation! Can you imagine life without the internet or Amazon.com? I can’t!
Hi, Captain K,
Have I welcomed you to my blog? I can’t remember all the people who’ve commented here. At any rate,… Great to see you here!
I have a lot of respect for the men and women who boondocked without internet and without Amazon. I rely on both!
If you purchase a tongue lock made by Master Lock, it will have ordinary pad lock keys which are carried by all most all of the key making facilities…. And for the first time I have seen something I purchased by going to your amazon link listed in the stuff you get credit for… Yea, it does work….. LOL
Hi, Rod,
Sure, it works! Thank you very much for your purchase. It looks like the month of June will be very good for my Amazon sales. Do I have great readers or what? (Of course, I have great readers!)
Oh good… I don’t have to feel guilty for not ordering lately. I’ve been making big purchases for my new place… IKEA and new appliances from Sears.
Sounds like your freshening all your gear getting ready to go somewhere.Bearings packed with grease,spare keys done,sway bar prep handy because you expect to put it through a lot of use…hmmm.Are your maps still warm from a lot of handling lately?
Funny,when you post photos of food-nothing,today I think”Yummy,photos!”That’s what it is about a man on a horse,Sue 🙂
The project waiting for any action since last year made me laugh with you,and at myself.It’s around a year since my husband passed away.Finishing projects planned for two by myself is hilarious.Replace door handle and repair door jam correctly with a plane,chisel and level with no one to hold the other end up…OR-remove the part that sticks and call it a day-done.Multiply innumerable times adding my excuse for weird methods “just make it work-this ain’t no beauty contest”,followed by patting myself on the back as though I invented the wheel every time.
Little wonder that I let somethings wait.I’m just glad everything still works!
Hi, weather,
It is an adjustment, I’m sure, going from two people on a project to one. Very often I wish I had another hand or bigger hands. I’ve learned not to start something (like putting on the spare tire cover) that I’m not strong enough to finish.
Yeah… “just make it work…” It’s duct tape, super glue, or the phone to get someone else to fix it…. 🙂
Good morning Sue,
Hope shopdocking in the heart of Good Family Values City afforded you a restful night.It must have felt good to connect with your blogorinos last night!
Knowing people on his white board sometimes show up late,I’m glad for Trent that your waiting for him there made sure his valuable time wasn’t wasted.
.
Your reply about not returning back east made sense to me this morning as I thought it over a bit.Traveling and moving has always been a part of my life.If I had been on the east coast until retirement age, I too,would have had more than my fill of it!Each part of the countries and states I’ve experienced has qualities that offer unique benefits,yet,being stuck in just a few of them would have felt suffocating to one as full of life as you are.
That’s why, knowing how refreshing your current life style is for you,I’m sending up a smiling prayer of gratitude for His gift of it to you.
I was very disappointed in The Iron Lady. Rather than emphasizing Margaret Thatcher’s leadership and strength, it focused on her dementia. How sad!
I thought the same thing, mockturtle. I don’t prefer movies that use the flash back in time structure. Lil’ ol’ pedantic me likes the story to start at the beginning and go on from there . . .
I enjoyed the parts that showed how principled Margaret Thatcher was and how unwavering, able to stay the course according to those principles.
My favorite line was in regard to her refusal to negotiate with Argentina regarding the Falkland Islands. She said “they started it” and then went on to say “They will RUE THE DAY!” Meryl Streep put a lot of power and emotion into those few words.
I was also disappointed in Iron Lady but I guess Meryl is allowed a clinker once in a while.
I thought the same thing I was really disappointed in the movie Margaret Thatcher (regardless of your politics) deserved better.
Sue I have one of those hitch locks that Casita puts on the trailers too. I wanted to have a duplicate made and I went to a key shop where all they do is make keys. Even there it took them 10 minutes to find the right kind of key. They did successfully make the duplicate though and it works!
Micky
Hi, Micky,
I’m glad you were able to get your duplicate key. I may order a better lock, given that I leave the BLT in isolated places.
Well we watched Bonanza so much Ben was my male role model… he was like my daddy since my own wasn’t really around that much…now the man that could set a horse better than any I saw was my idol John Wayne! He was my main man and I still love him…”daylights a burning” is one of my daily quotes. I grew up riding horses, so to me it was the horse under the man that caught my eye.
Enjoyed the cowboying photos!
Hi, Sondra,
“The horse under the man”… so true! I didn’t grow up with much contact with horses, but I know a good-looking horse in fine condition. The horses in these photos are well cared for. I love the sheen of their coats. . . . The alertness of the black horse in that vertical photo shows its intelligence.
I’m glad you had these good tv characters to help you develop an idea of what a good man is like. Ben Cartwright always wanted to his sons to do what was right.
Makes one wonder what children (especially those lacking a father’s presence) learn from the men in media these days. Seems like a lot of them are either dumb and silly or self-centered and evil.
How true…it scares me of the way “society”is turning…I’m not sure I want to turn that way with them!!
I just love the National Forest font on those signs. Nothing like it to make me want to hit the open road and camp. : )
Oh also, Adam Cartwright — what was it with him and the black outfits? I mean, he was a good guy — right??????
The actors had a LOT of input with regard to their costume. The all black seems to have worked!
“In the case of Adam Cartwright, there was another approach that Pernell Roberts had in mind and it would turn out be a great costume design on his behalf. He kindly suggested that he wanted Adam to dress in black garb, so it would generally define his character for greater audience identification for the Bonanza viewers.
This would also break the stereotype mold associated with villains who wore black so frequently in filmed productions. The first time Adam wears all black is in “Desert Justice”, from the first season. Prior to the start of the 1961-62 season, the cast was fitted again for their new stock costumes. Adam was now appropriately dressed in all black garb for the series.”
Interesting, Ed. I suspect Pernell Roberts knew that dressing all in black would give his character more mystery and sex appeal. It worked for me! Haha!
Interesting factoids, Ed. Thanks for the back story!
Another factoid, or trivia may be more correct. I watched an episode of Bonanza while on R&R in Bangkok, Tailand in 1968. It was a rather ‘other world’ experience to hear the Cartwrights speaking Tai.
Ha! I bet it was! I wonder what the people of Thailand thought of the Cartwrights and their 600,000+ acre ranch.
Hi, Linda,
I love those National Forest signs in ANY font because when I see one, I can start looking for free campsites!
Nice photo’s Sue ,,,,,,,,,,,,,Timber
Thanks!
Timber and Rusty, congrats on a one year anniversary! I hope all is well with you two!
Yes, Timber and Rusty congrats on the aniversary. I have always thought it was important to celebreate the milestones on the path. So great to hear you are doing well, how is trainland coming along?
Glad that you showed up so that we could congratulate you on signing the new lease. The two of you have made a comfortable home for yourselves.
Rusty has been having some computer problems lately. I know he appreciates the congratulations.
Yay! The keys are made….
Cattle drives are neat to watch. I too smiled at Hoss!
My favorite was Little Joe and his horse. But…. My all time favorite was Heath Barkley on The Big Valley.
WOW time flies….it seems like just yesterday Rusty and Timber were moving in. Congrats!
The Barkleys and the Cartwrights, wow does that take me back! How fun.
Sue, another great post. Love the cowboys.
Hi, Applegirl NY,
Thanks. I’m happy you enjoyed this post.
I loved the Cartwrights. I remember being heartbroken when Hoss (the actor) died. I think I was probably a teenager at the time… Oh no, Hoss DIED? That can’t happen! He’s too good to die!
My late wife and I were at the Ponderosa Ranch when they suddenly announced that Hoss had died and they were closing the attraction for at least the rest of the day.. The folks that worked there were crying. He was loved by all of them and the stories they told were heart felt. A sad day.
Hi, Cinandjules…
Oh, yeah.. Little Joe… loved those curls and his boyish grin. Michael Landon, a good man.
I never saw The Big Valley. Must not have been on the one channel we received with our rooftop antenna. One channel! Can you imagine the deprivation?
I’m sorry I didn’t keep up with replying to comments these past few days. You and many others are such loyal commenters!
Sorry? This is your blog….heck I can hardly keep up with you!
The Big Valley was kind of the same story line as Bonanza.
Wealthy ranchers in CA. Barbara Stanwyck was the widow mother. She was full of piss and vinegar. Her children Richard Long, Lee Majors, Peter Breck (dressed in all black) and Linda Evans.
Ya know….now that I think of it….I really liked their horses..little Joe’s and Heath’s.. 🙂
I wanted Joe’s horse BAD.
The line forms to the left…..
I loved all the Ponderosa horses and I had a crush on Adam’s horse, a deep liver chestnut, his white face got me! I think it was watching them when I grew up that made me fall so in love with horses, and I went on to have many in my life…now sadly don’t have any but There is still time, my ship is on the way!! Hope all was well for everyones Tuesday!
As always, Sue, enjoyed the photo journey and all today!!
Thanks for telling me, Elizabeth. You have a wonderful evening!
This morning we got to Skype with our NC grandchildren (a VERY rare event) and one grandson was saying it was 95 degrees there and just as humid (one reason we LOVE the NW summers!!) and we said well, it was in the 50s so we had to sleep under our blankets…poor kid…he said he WISHED that was the case there!! I hated the humidity there…it is humid here too…but not like THAT!! I know you are likely not missing that either…so yes, the West certainly has some benefits!! Every summer back there the decade we lived there, I wondered HOW anyone lived there in such heat without AC…how our ancestors would have had to do???? How did women in long multi-layered clothes manage? I guess that was why they had fainting couches maybe??
Not only were the dresses multi-layered, they were cinched tight. . . at least the dresses the plantation women wore to sit around and do nothing but fan themselves in the heat.
Hi Sue,
Another great post and awesome pictures! Those horses were sure pretty…obviously we’ll cared for with bright, shiny coats. Oh, and the cowboys were nice to look at, too. Thank you for the eye candy! 🙂
Sweet dreams tonight…horses, cows, and cute cowboys, oh my!
Congratulations to Rusty and Timber!
You’re welcome, Denise. I like to share eye candy wherever I find it, in whatever form. 🙂
Forgot to ask did the whistle, did it work on Spike, I have an eight year old miniature schnauzer who I think is going deaf, and if it worked with Spike might try something like that on him.. My friends just say he is ignoring me, but I don’t think so.. Thanks Sue.
Gee, I haven’t tried the whistle yet. Forgot about it. I’ll report in a blog post how it works with him… 🙂 …. or doesn’t. 🙁
Sue,
We have a whistle to call Riley. We live on 2 acres and if he is in the far corner barking he cannot hear a call or my weak lip whistle. Two sharp toots on a metal whistle, and he will come running. We usually reward him with a treat to reinforce the whole idea.
I do have to confess that he doesn’t always respond, it depends upon how “important” his mission is! At least it works enough to reinforce our behavior – hah.
Beautiful horse and rider pictures. How wonderful it is that in the hidden West you can still come upon these scenes of another way of life.
Glad you found someone to do your hubs/axles. Ours get done every year. Now you can check that off the list, one less thing to remember to get done.
Enjoy!
Kitt
Wow…..memories comine flooding back… I used to watch Bonanza every Sunday night! Loved those Cartwright boys…..Hoss being my most favorite. I think I was in the 6th-7th grade. Great photos of the cowboys and horses. I love the one of him waving at you.
Congratulations on Rusty and Timbers first year in the house. So happy for them.
Wonderful to see that you received credit for my purchase of the Sony Video Camera. That means that I am doing it right!
Happy Days!
What a nice purchase, Deb! (and what a nice commission, too!). Thank you very much. Thanks also for the compliment on the photos
Remember how Hoss was so shy around girls? And you just knew that Adam was a master with the ladies . And, of course, Lil’ Joe… every woman wanted to mother him. I used to get mad at the young girls who would play hard to get with Joe. For heaven’s sake, go for it! Not only will you have that darling man, you’ll get a third of that ranch some day! I was “doin’ the math” way back then. Haha!
You used to be able to visit the Ponderosa ranch..tourist attraction near Lake Tahoe. The house was there, and they had stagecoach rides, saloon, etc. I still have my tin cup with a photo of the Cartwrights on it. You can google it and read about it’s history.
You have a Cartwright cup? Really? You are sooooo lucky. 😉
Hah! I have the same tin cup!
We rode the horses!
AAACCCKKK!! I thought I’d lived a full life… until now!
Hmm… I wonder what those Cartwright cups would get on eBay….
$4 to $40 depending on what I don’t know.
I’m not a Meryl Streep fan but I am a Julia Roberts fan so I watched “August: Osage County”.
That was in my opinion a terrible movie, I like happy endings but I saw nothing happy in that movie let alone the ending…. Maybe my gender has something to do with it but after it was over I was genuinely sorry I watched it.
I do like the cattle drives you’ve been finding! Once up in the Yellowstone area we saw a guy pull up in a truck to a bunch of sheep that were by the roadside, he whistled and two dogs jumped out & started herding those sheep back to where they belonged. It was neat to see!
Hi, Rob,
I’m not a big fan of Julia Roberts. Where would she be without those teeth? Back in Atlanta, no doubt. (Meow)
Grandpa used to say “I have to go see a man about a horse”……………Hmmmmmmmm
A saying I never understood… or maybe that’s the intent?
ah hem…not the most polite of expressions, according to my hubby….an old sailor!!
Another wonderful day full of stories and photos. I’ve loved horses all my life and at 45 was finally able to buy my first one, then came the truck, trailer and farm…LOL
But as a horse lover I do have my pet peeves, I hate to see horses in tie-downs, it means they weren’t trained right and my biggest peeve is lack of helmets, since there’s no kids on this blog and the riders are adults – it’s not so much of an issue, but I’m an every time every ride kinda person, I actually lost a friend because I told her if she wanted to ride my property she had to wear a helmet. I’ve been riding horses since the late ’50’s and helmets have come a long way, they are light weight and comfortable and some are designed to wear underneath cowboy hats.
OK so rant over…LOL
I do love the photos Sue and thanks again for another wonderful blog day! So glad you are multi-tasking greased bearings, keys and I also can’t wait to hear if the whistle works. BTW, they do make those dog whistles that we can’t hear if that one doesn’t work and they have them on Amazon!
Hi, MK,
It’s your property and your liability… The “friend” should’ve respected that.
I doubt Spike would hear a dog whistle. I want to try this whistle with him but we’re presently camped at the garage . . .
Happy Anniversary to Timber and Rusty!!! YAY!!!
So excited to see your adventures from day to day.
Hugs from Hoquiam,
Barb
Hi, Barb,
Rusty has been having computer problems . . . . He appreciates the Happy Anniversary wish.
And from me, thanks for the hugs, as always…. 🙂
That chestnut with the short tail is a stunner! Those boys really take good care of their horses – they’re all as shiny as sports cars :-). Great to hear Rusty has renewed his lease! It must truly feel like home for the two of them now. Your projects will eventually get done, with more to take their place on the list – ’tis the case no matter the size of the home.
Hi, Jodee,
With all the projects I have lined up and all the places I want to see, I’ll never run out of things to do!
But there’s this crazy weather the West can throw at us. I hope you’re down out of the Nebo Loop now, because you might get snow up there. SNOW! In June!
West? Ya forgot to include the East!
We are JUST getting the pollen that is normally here April/May! And the ducks /geese just had their ducklings.
Corn should be knee high by the 4th of July and they are still sprouts!
Same in south central MT. Farmer’s Almanac predicts this for this area. Snow on high passes tonight. Burrrr
Yes, we DO love the west! Lived there for a few years before coming back out on the road. Have been east of the big river for the last 4 years and the desert is calling us, so maybe our plans will have us out west soon. We’ll see.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Rusty & Timber. I feel like they are distant cousins I want to hear all about. So glad all ls well with them in the world!
On behalf of Rusty and Timber, thank you for your kind wish! Cousins… I like that!
I love your blog and I love your pictures. These modern day cowboys are so cool!
Thank you, Michelle. It’s nice of you to drop in to tell me that.
Hope your keeping warm looks like it’s as cool and rainy down your way as it is here, and snowing just up the canyons out of Salt Lake City.. We have had dark cloudy rainy skies all day, great to get the rain, the weather guessers say by the weekend it will be in the 90’s, oye vey!! No complaints about the cool…
Also hope the BLT’s wheel job went well and without a hitch (so to speak) 😉
T~
Hi, Tawanda… The weather this week is weird! Cold, dark, rainy and by the end of the week, hot and sunny. . . .
The BLT is doing great after her surgery. Thanks!