The Passionate Farmhand!

Fri. - Sun. 20-22 May:  Spring, Spring, Spring!!

Across the Rockies and back in three days.  And, in the middle, a full day of laboring down on the farm! 

We had been looking for the right opportunity to drive across to central BC to pick up our beef and lamb from our close friend A, but since our last serious attempt last November was foiled by the winter weather, there had seemed little opportunity.  It’s an 830 km drive in each direction, so you need to be fairly sure that the Passes are open and drivable – which was often not the case during the recent long winter.

This time we chose the long weekend in May, and apart from a few heavy rain showers, we had picked a good time for this trip.  Leaving the city very early on the Friday, we made steady progress across the Mountains, enjoying breakfast in Canmore, lunch in Revelstoke, tea in Kamloops and finally supper with A. in Lone Butte!  A gastronomic journey across the Rockies! 

As we sped down the western side of the Rogers Pass, below mountains still covered in snow, we stopped at the Giant Cedars.  Although the access road was still closed, we walked past the gate and enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the boardwalk, through a forest of towering trees, many of which were over 500 years old.  One smaller tree had fallen across the trail some time during the past winter but had been cut up and removed.  Snow still lay on the lower part of the boardwalk. 

Our other “major” stop was at the British sweet shop in Sorrento, called “Conkers”, where we stocked up on essential supplies such as English fudge and fruit drops.

Although the traffic was generally free-flowing, we witnessed a mini-rush-hour in the tiny village of Cache Creek while filling up with gas.  Camping trailers and large semis, racing northwards, all came together for about two minutes to make the village centre seem like downtown Calgary.  Then just as quickly it all evaporated.  Climbing up onto the high Cariboo plateau, we stopped for a wander around the huge junk store in the village of Clinton (called the “Clinton Emporium”).  Here you can buy just about anything from tins to tractors and wrenches to wine glasses.

We arrived at our destination in time to enjoy a nice supper with A. at her local restaurant in the village, a few miles from the Ranch.  The modest exterior hides a superb restaurant inside.

Saturday at the ranch is no different from any other day.  Things start early, with feeding of sheep and goats and chickens and dogs.  After a hearty breakfast, a team gathered, consisting of A. plus two knowledgeable local colleagues and the hired hands for the day (L and myself).  Jumping into tractors and trucks we headed down the road and along a muddy track into the fields beyond the lake.  Here a herd of about fifty Angus cattle and their calves were grazing. 

Soon, by clever tactics, including erection of temporary fencing, we had corralled these animals into a smaller corner of the fields, where they could be more easily handled.  Now the real work could start.

The plan for today was to figure out which calf belonged to which cow, and then to tag the ears of the calf and give it three injections.  Luckily A and her colleagues did all the smart work, including figuring out who belonged to whom.  I have no idea how they did it, but it was done very efficiently.  The job of the passionate farmhand was to open and close various gates and contraptions which allowed animals to either pass through into an enclosure, or to be pinned into a sort of clamp where the tagging and injecting could be safely done.

For a while it seemed that we might get soaked by a heavy shower, but we stayed dry, and the cloudy skies kept us from getting sun-burnt as the hours passed quickly by.  This is a methodical job, and not one which can be rushed.  By about 5 pm we had completed about half the stock, and it would be another day’s hard work for the relief crew – since today’s hired hands had to leave for their comfy city home across the mountains.   If you really want to enjoy a picnic lunch, try working for hours outside in the open air, wrestling with ornery cattle.

Returning to the ranch, it was a joy to wander around the farmyard and to see that Spring had really arrived here in the high Cariboo.  It was not just the noisy sheep and lambs, it was also the clucking of the hens, and the call of the many varieties of wild birds, including the Canada geese, and several colorful smaller birds nesting by the lake.  It was the swallows circling the flagpole, and the buzzing of the wings of the hummingbirds as they sipped from the feeder on the deck.  Spring was in full flight here on the farm. 

That evening the three of us swapped our muddy boots for some clean clothes and headed into the cosmopolitan town of 100 Mile House for a superb meal in elegant surroundings. 

Early the next morning, with the ice boxes full of our meat, we sadly said goodbye and turned east across the lonely lake country and down the steep, long hill, through the clouds and into the magnificent Thompson River valley.  Traffic was still quite light, despite this being the long weekend. 

For old times sake, we stopped briefly to take a photo at The Enchanted Forest, much loved by the girls on summer holidays in the Okanagan.

Just beyond the BC-Alberta border, on the Great Divide, we saw one unfortunate young man, who had been stopped by the police, and was busily emptying out his beer cans onto the ground!  Here we ran into heavy rain showers, and heavier traffic heading east from Banff.  But we made good time, and were home much earlier than we had expected – having packed a lot of driving and a lot of cattle tagging into three days!

BC Stats.
Outward: Dep. Home:     6.15 am Arr. CH:          8.15 pm Time:   14 hrs. 0 mins. Distance:         845 km via Cache Creek	Return: Dep. CH:         9.10 am Arr. Home:      7.30 pm Time:  10 hrs. 20 mins. Distance:         821 km via Little Fort (all times = Mtn. Time)