ABC Wednesday--C is for

What incredible timing that just ready for ABC Wednesday reaching the letter C in the tenth round I have:

A cowgirl

A cowboy

Cows and a cattledog

along with News Cameras to record

 

A Cattle Drive

I teased the two young reporters that if they were going to stand side by side to film the event, then their two competing stations would have identical images. They laughed, and said "Just don't tell the boss." The news car from the third local station came rushing up after the drive took its break and were off down the road again. That station broadcast pictures of the rear ends of the last of the cows going around the bend.

We became aware of the cattle drive, an annual event which takes the herd down out of one range area back to the ranch, by listening to the radio report from a traffic advisory sign the previous day. While most people hearing that report might plan an alternative route to avoid delays, my reaction was to get my camera and get going.

We found that we weren't the only ones choosing the Big Pines Recreation Area as a vantage point. It sits halfway on the route between milepost 7 Burbank Creek Rd. and milepost 13 Eaton Ranch.

I parked my sit-upon on one of those big rocks and checked out my view.  Nothing yet on the road.

 And then we saw them,  called out to the others below in the parking area--come on, here they come.

 Led by a pickup. An older woman in the back tossed out some hay from time to time if the herd was faltering. Ranch women do not retire--marrying a rancher is a lifetime commitment, not just to the marriage, but to the ranch.

 Riders ahead of the herd were checking out the best place to come down into the rest area. When we chose Big Pines, we didn't realize we would be sharing the rest and recreation area with the herd.

 The route selected, they turned to direct the cattle.

 This way.

 OK, here we come.

 All of us.

 "Hey, Elsie. Do you know where we are supposed to go now?"

 Here are some of the cars that did not listen to the traffic advisory experiencing some delay.

 "Hey Elsie, did you know we were going to have a picnic here?"

Time to move on.

Back up to the road and on to the ranch.