My Time on The Drift - Day Eight

With over 100 years of history behind me, and hopefully many more before, this is our journey on the Green River Drift in 2020.

Wednesday, June 25 - Day Eight

What started as a short day from the Tyler Waterhole to the Cora Y (Intersection of East Green River Road and HWY 191) and ended with more back riding for cattle than we had expected. At this point in our cattle drive, most of the cattle move on without having to be pushed which is nice, but a few take their time to wander farther away (usually in the wrong direction).

Our neighbor called when we got home and said he found a pair on the desert we needed to load and then six more pairs on the Mesa were seen by my parents. In those areas the closest corrals are miles away, so we have mastered the art of trailer loading. We back the trailer up to a stretch of fence line, preferably in good shape, at a 45-degree angle or anything to make a wing with the trailer door (door against the fence). It sounds simple, but we've had plenty of times that my husband and I had to regroup. Luckily, we were able to load everything but two calves which I thanked God for repeatedly. By this time of the day, it was already 5 PM, the cattle still need to be hauled to the Cora Y and we still had quite a few chores left to do at home.

I should take this time to talk a bit about the Cora Y also known as the upper drift fence and sorting grounds. This large area is also home to the Trappers Point historical marker and a wonderful set of corrals many of us have used over the years. In the fall, all the gates heading south are opened in October and with coming snows, the cattle move out and head home. Once they reach the sorting grounds they are held and sorted accordingly. Our family ranch, Murdock Land and Livestock, along with the Wapika and Wardell Ranch are sorted and left to drift down towards our southern drift fence.

Each day is always different and tests you in many ways - horsemanship, stockmanship, quick thinking, problem-solving, and so on...I can remember learning how to post during our 4-H Horse practices. Our club leader would teach us, "rise and fall with the outside wall" as an easy way to remember when to stand in your post at a trot. It seemed so awkward learning how to post then and now we have trotted so many miles it would probably shock us. I thought about this as he and I trotted from Cow Camp on the Mesa to the East Green River Road to catch our ride.