Soaking up the Sunshine

That is pretty much what we did on today’s outing, soaking up the sun.  It was 63 degrees shortly before noon when we arrived back home so the warm sun felt good in the chilly air.  The boys just wanted to enjoy the scenery and stopped often just to look and relax.  What a great way to end the first week of September driving.

Yesterday we saw a lone cow that was checking out our drive.  Today that cow is back with the herd only now she has a newborn calf with her. I took this photo of them from on top of the ridge line.  They were in the bottom of the canyon a long way off but the photo still kinda came out okay. Once again I split up the videos to keep them short for easier loading.  The first one has a walk around the cart and the boys just before heading out. http://youtu.be/kX23fuXPclg

Part Two is out in the hay field.  No deer and definitely no drama just lots of beautiful vistas. You’ll find that video here. http://youtu.be/yWjgIgM1ruQ

Our photo of the day shows the boys intently watching a pickup on the gravel road off in the distance.  Perfect for an ears up picture.  Be sure to click on the pictures to bring them up to full size. The tip of Merlin’s right ear shows the Butte that caught fire, wasn’t that nice of him to point it out?  See you next week.

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Merlin and Galahad’s First 2014 Drive

Yesterday Merlin was begging to go driving.  Today he was the first to stick his nose into the halter, nope he had not changed his mind.  Then Galahad stepped up and waited for me to slip his on.  How great is this, the other two were just fine with staying home.

We drove back to the oat hay field again and here’s today’s video!

The first photo was early this morning with the sun warming our back sides, Merlin is on your left and Galahad is to your right.

At the edge of the field lies a series of canyons.  The boys wanted to check them out and see what was moving around but today the canyons just gave us beautiful scenery.

Here is our home place from the top of the ridge line, click on all the photos to bring them up to full size.  In this one you can see Luc waiting for us in the corner and the pens of the bird farm behind the house and the pastures.  The unharvested wheat fields are ours, harvest begins tonight on our farm.

Check back in tomorrow for the next segment of driving Marshall, will he get to come up to the hay field with Merlin or is he staying closer to home?

My Kind Of Shoes

 

Oh Yes, I would wear these shoes!  🙂

The End of July 2014 Drives

Amazing…June and July’s driving totals were almost identical with the same amount of hours and miles I don’t believe that has ever happened before.

We started out this morning at 65 degrees at 7 am and ended at 74 at 10 the cloud cover was wonderful to keep the sun off. In the last two weeks the fall crops have ripen and are close to being ready for harvest .  We did see some crop damage from the recent rain and winds, these are photos no farmer wants his fields too look like so close to the end of the season.

 This is our version of a crop circle.  Click on all the photos to bring them up to full size.

Luc and Galahad had a brief rest stop at the crossroads, just long enough to snap this photo of them checking out the countryside.

It was a wild life drive with does, fawns and even bucks could be seen everywhere.  It’s been a long time since we have come across a coyote but this morning we watched as one was hunting mice in the hayfield near our house.  The boys didn’t seem to mind him at all.

I’ve noticed Luc’s collar is getting tight and more importantly at times he seems uncomfortable, I think that is why he keeps putting his head down which catches the lines under the neck yoke.   I fitted the next size larger on him which is a 19, that one is a little long but the draft fit perfectly so I think we’ll try it on Thursday which is out next outing.

Driving totals to date are 560 hours and 36 minutes, and over 1,044 miles.  See you in August!

Here is part one of todays video drive.  http://youtu.be/wy8yVD2dP0k

Part two can be found here. http://youtu.be/UGsBW2fXd-Q

Running Cows, Deer, All kinds of Fun

Burr, it was a long wait for it to warmup enough to head out this morning, but we finally made it!  We had lots of excitement that generated some quick moving donkey boys.

Bachelor Whitetail Bucks were a long way off, I still managed to get several photos of them.

Wild Sunflowers have completed taken over this un- farmed hill top

Click on all the photos to bring up to screen size for better viewing!

Now for today’s video and here she is:

Today’s stats:

2 hours and 18 minutes of driving bliss

Total of 5.12 miles

Our fastest trot was 7.4 mph

3.0 mph was our moving average

 

Set OFF The Fireworks and POP the Cork!

Looking at Winona Butte just above Reservation Line Road Luc and Galahad June 2, 2014 Click to enlarge the photo

We have arrived at over One Thousand LOGGED Driving Miles, the key word being logged!  I knew I had surpassed that goal of a thousand miles long ago, but there was no way to prove it and now I can!  So can these guys as they are our witnesses and they don’t lie… according to them!

In the bottom of Day Canyon these cows were enjoying the coolness of the early morning.

Luc and I started driving in 2004, then on July 26, 2006, I started keeping track of miles and time driven through the Recreational Driving Yahoo list.  Eve Dexter has been logging of all of this for many folks for a very long time.  A huge thank you Eve for all the beautiful certificates to remind me every time we log 100 hours!

Here are Teamdonk’s latest official stats as of this drive:

Total Logged Miles Driven this morning: Seven!

Total Logged Hours this morning  2 hours 50 minutes

Our Maximum trot speed was 8 mph.  We had a 3.2 mph moving average time.

Total Driving time is 542 hours of me sitting behind them.

To recap the Teamdonk boys past and present go to:

https://2014teamdonk.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/counting-down-to-one-thousand/

As always stay right here at www.2014teamdonk.wordpress.com for more driving adventures, pictures and videos!  Hit the follow button for an email notification each time a new blog is posted.  Thanks to all those who have followed along with Teamdonk for the past eight years!

Jack and Helen Eden of Montana were instrumental is getting Luc and I started driving right, thank you both!  Many others have been helpful on the internet and on the phone to help me sort this driving thing out… to all a huge Thank You!

Here is a video of today’s monumental drive.

Drive On Mammoth Donkey boys, Drive On!

The famous Luc and Galahad pose! Click to enlarge the photos.

Take Two..

Cottonwood Butte in the distance. Photo was taken from Longhaul Road looking through Day Canyon on a telephoto Landscape setting on a cloudy day. That Mountain is about 20 miles from here! Click to make the photo screen size.

Here is another short video clip, completely uncut, from our May 27th drive.  Enjoy!

May 2014 Trailing The Sheep

It is a common spring time happening in Idaho.  Sun Valley is promoting their sheep industry now with all available media and featuring festivals during the year.  The sheep industry seems to be doing well in Idaho.

Rather than trailing many operations truck their herds long distances but for drives of one hundred miles, give or take, it makes sense to let the sheep hit the trails.  The Bronson’s do a combination of both.  The sheep leave their winter quarters with their new babies April first in trucks and trailers, their destination is the Raft River area of southern Idaho.  On May first they hit the trail to Black Pine Mountain and their summer home in Utah, moms and babies both.  This has been going on for generations in my family and now it is up to Nik L. and Sean Bronson to continue the traditions.

This was the first day on the trail and the young ewes knew exactly where they were going and took  point on the run early in the mornings.  They had been on this trail as young lambs and again in the fall on their return trip so they know where they are going and how to get there.  A few of the weaker lambs get the honor of a pickup ride, this is what Nik is doing with the cane in the video.

You can find the video of the first day of our travels here:

http://youtu.be/xPNmz-q6s3o

Day two the herd went underneath the Interstate that runs along the south part of the state at daybreak.  Later in the journey they will cross the North/South Interstate to Utah again by going underneath both highways.  Much of that Interstate takes the same route my Great Grandfather took when trailing the sheep to Black Pine. They crossed the Old Oregon Trail the Mormon pioneers carved in the desert on their journey west later in the morning of day two. There is history plus a love of the land and Bronson family traditions tied to these trips of trailing the sheep.

Their destination is a beautiful summer home on Black Pine Mountain where they will stay cool and grow their lambs.  Later in the fall the ewes will make the return trip back trailing the entire distance to have a new crop of lambs and so the cycle continues.

See another short video clip and photos here: http://youtu.be/G80hASPbTGM

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Wherever you go and
Whatever you do, may
The Luck of the Irish
Be there for you.

Wherever you go and
Whatever you do
May the Luck of the Irish
Bring a donkey or two.

(or a Mule or a Horse…whatever will do.)

Thank you Elaine Anderson Wood for adding to this Irish Blessing and to Mary Anna Scannell for typing it out!

May your Irish Eyes be smiling today and everyday!