You've read my stories about the Sutherland gals, Virginia and Lynn, over to Moffat who run the VJ Ranch betwixt the two of them. They had set the first weekend of July to move their herd up to their summer range north and west of Saguache at the base of the Divide. Never one to miss moving a herd of bawling cows if I could help it, I volunteered to drive over and pitch in.

On Saturday July 8rd, I loaded up my Polaris ATV and tooken off early for the 3+ hour drive over to the VJ. Stopping in at a local auction in Saguache, I saw Lynn and she told me a water ling had blown in the trailer I usually bunk in, so I went over to help Virginia clean up. By the time I arrived she had all the water dried up and we set to trying to make repairs. Try as I could the water line just didn't want to cooperate. Looked like I'd be hauling toilet water by bucket and probably skip a shower. Been there, done that before!

Plan was to gather all the pairs late that PM and drylot 'en in the corrals, but a thunderboomer put the quit on that idea. So, with it raining lil green frogs, Virginia and I sat down and started drinking. Turned out it rained all night and it looked like moving cattle by big livestock trucks on slippery roads was iffy.

By 10 AM Sunday it cleared pretty good and Virginia rescheduled the trucks for pickup. First job was to gather from a holding pasture close by, so Virginia climbed in her new 4-wheel drive Tracker, Lynn saddled her trusty steed, I cranked up my Polaris, and off we went with mud flying every which way.

Moving cattle at the VJ, all orders come from Virginia in her Command Vehicle. Lynn went one way and I went another, with the plan being a big cattle surround and them, hopefully cooperating by going the way we pointed them. Worked like a charm! Within an hour we had them all herded into the corrals. Now the task was to sort out any interlopers that didn't sport a VJ brand, then separate babies from mommas.

'Bout the time we had most of the sorting done, the first big stock truck backed to the pens for loading. By 2 PM we had loaded all cows, calves, and bulls on 4 trailers for the 40 minute run up to the Hill Ranch loading docks. With all the dirt roads up to their summer ranch slippery as goose poo, the safe bet was to unload at Hill's and drive them down the highway to the county road up to the VJ ranch, about a 4 mile or so trip.

After the cows left, Lynn loaded up her horse, we loaded Virginia's Tracker, and my Polaris and took off up country. At the Hill's corrals we found all kinds of help. Locals Zoe Albert and Duane Flickinger arrived to help with the move, along with one of Hill's hands. Everybody readied up and we turned the cows loose, headed down the highway with Virginia acting as The Pied Piper in the lead with her Tracker. Lynn and Rob were horseback and took up the wings, along with Duane and me on 4-wheelers. Zoe took up drag to stop any traffic coming from behind us. Once off the highway onto county road, the cows strung out good, knowing they were headed to good grass.

By 5 PM they were all home mothering up from a hectic day. I said my "see y'alls" , headed back to Hill's to load up, then hit the road for Montrose. By 7 PM i was home, taking a much needed shower! Hopefully, next trip over to the VJ, Virginia will have hot and cold water running.