Pictures from the Ranch

I usually don't take that many pictures around our ranch because I see it every day.  But my nephew, Joel, was out visiting this summer from Ohio and before he went home I took some pictures of him.  

The Cabin - Joel stayed here and Scott's family stays here when they are visiting.

The Shop

Joel on our four-wheeler

Copper

Copper and Dakota with Mickey my little miniature horse in the background

Moe, my small mule

Joel sitting on the round corral fence that we built this summer

The round corral can be used to break or train horses.

Dakota and Scott

Zoe, Joel, and Bear

Our dump truck, John Deere 2750 tractor, and truck and trailer

The garage and back of the house

Herman (named after Herman Munster) a 1964 GMC Jimmy

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Bear Lake

This is my second attempt to go to Bear Lake.  On the first try on July 2, 2010, I was riding Duster with Bear and Zoe with me.  We got to within a half mile of the turnoff down to Bear Lake and there was still too much snow and the trail became impassable.

On this trip, I actually saw a bear!  It was the first one I have ever seen in the wild other than from a vehicle.  Dakota saw or smelled him first and then I looked to see what Dakota was looking at and saw the bear peeking out from behind a bush.  He was small and looked young and was different shades of light brown.  He ran away immediately.

The trailhead for the Grizzly-Helena Trail that leads to the Bear Lake Trail

There is an old miners cabin and a mine dug into the side of the rock mountains.  I thought I had a picture of the cabin, so I didn't take another one.  I don't know if the miner died there or just gave up and left, but it has always felt like a spooky place to me.

I don't know what kind of bird made this nest, but I thought it was cute.

The trail continues past the turnoff down to Bear Lake up to Ute Pass.  

Bear Lake

It's not a very big lake, but pretty cute.  I almost turned back because I thought I had gone far enough from the turnoff and the trail was getting very difficult with downed trees blocking it.  Then I heard some running water and kept going and we were only a short distance from the lake.  I'm so glad that I kept going because that would have meant a third attempt at some later date and I would have kicked myself when I found out we were that close.

Zoe

NOTES:  Rode Dakota, went with Bear & Zoe, saw two older male hikers together, weather cool with a little sprinkles, but then sun, parked along the road in front of the trailhead and was able to turn around in the Lake Katherine/Bighorn parking area because there were no vehicles parked there

Seven Lakes

The little burg of Pearl, elevation 8405, on the way to the  Beaver Creek Trailhead.

Pearl used to be a thriving town with a copper smelter.  Now it is a collection of summer homes and a few ranches.

The Beaver Creek Trailhead.  It took me an hour to drive here.

This is a cairn which is a heap of stones piled up as a landmark.  Parts of the Buffalo Ridge Trail that goes to Seven Lakes were very hard to follow.

An alpine meadow

Dakota at our lunch spot

Looking south towards the Sawtooth Range

At the intersection of the Buffalo Ridge Trail and the Big Creek Trail

Seven Lakes - not sure if there are actually seven lakes, but there is a collection of small alpine lakes

NOTES: These pictures were taken with my old Canon Powershot.  Zoe and Bear went on the ride too.  Easy to turn around and plenty of parking at the trailhead.  The weather was very pleasant.  Two of Red Feather's truck and trailers were there, but never saw anyone on the trail.  
The Buffalo Ridge Trail from the intersection with the Beaver Creek trail was in very bad shape with a lot of downed timber.

Douglas Creek TH to Devils Gate TH

I drove to the Pelton Creek Campground at the end of FSR 898 at the border of Colorado and Wyoming.  I started the ride from the Douglas Creek Trailhead.

Douglas Creek

Fireweed

Dakota was moving around a lot (notice his ear) but this is the sign for the intersection of the Douglas Creek Trail and the Platte River Trail.

This is the sagging roof line and chimney  of an old cabin of Edith "Bobbie" Thompson who lived here in the 1950's.  She was known as the "Angel of Keystone" for being a nurse, post mistress, cook, and teacher to the tie hacks and their families that lived in this area.  Tie hacks were men who lived in the forest, chopped down trees, and cut them into railroad ties.  

Dakota - this was after we had gone about 61/2 miles and ridden into a bog.

Zoe and Bear, two worn out dirty dogs.

Finally - the Devils Gate Trailhead!  Now all we had to do is ride back to the truck and trailer the way we came which consisted of 8 miles. By this point, I really wanted a helicopter to swoop down, pick us all up, and fly us home, but all you can do is keep going.  At about 2 miles into the return trip, I noticed that Dakota had lost his front right shoe, but he made it the whole way back without limping. 

NOTES:  Pictures taken with my Canon Powershot, didn't see anyone on the trail, weather was overcast, rained a little but not heavy, the Devil's Gate trail was hard to follow at the creek crossing and had downed timber, the Douglas Creek Trail was in good shape 

A New Horse

This is my new horse, Dakota.  He is a buckskin but is a registered paint.  Dakota is 15 years old and 16.2 hands.  I bought him in Lander, Wyoming.  He was the 6th horse that I went and looked at and test-rode.

Thunder Pass

My nephew, Joel, on Copper and my neighbor's horse, Blaze

We rode on a Saturday and there were so many hikers, mountain bikers, and other horses on the trail.  Glad that I didn't bring my dogs.  They aren't allowed off leash here. 

  

American Lakes is in the Colorado State Park/State Forest but the other side of Thunder Pass is in Rocky Mountain National Park.

One of the American Lakes in the background

Aqua Fria

The Grizzly Trailhead.  This is the start of the Grizzle Helena Trail that stretches north along the east side of the Zirkel Mountains.  I rode Copper and had Bear and Zoe with me.

Aqua Fria - it is very low because it is being used by ranchers to irrigate their hay fields

This is the dam at the west end of Aqua Fria.

Bear coming out of the lake

Beautiful little valley to the east of Aqua Fria