July 17, 2015 - Getting Work Done, Cowboy Style

Coy roping the calves. 

Yesterday we had our last, last branding (gosh, I hope!). We have been saying this is our last branding for quite sometime now, but for some reason, we continue to add more cattle and thus have to brand more calves. Right now some of the calves weight about 300 pounds, so we better be done!

OH gosh....he's a big one!

While watching the branding, some thoughts about being a cowboy (or cowgirl!) came to light. Being a cowboy requires you to be able to handle anything that comes your way and be able to adjust. At the ranch, we always joke that we start the day with a plan A but end on plan D or C, or Z for that matter. This way of being couldn't be more true for the cowboy life.

On this day, our day went like this:

1. The boss says, "Oh, by the way, we are branding today". We say, "uh-oh, we better get ready!". After shuffling through the leftover branding items including shots and ear tags, we had the material in hand to get the job done. You see, we thought we were done with branding season a month ago and put everything away!

Kyle says, "Austin, are we done yet"! 

2. We gather the cattle and sort off the calves. This is no problem at all, as we do this all the time. Ok...things are looking good for the day.

3. We go in to rope the calves and realize that not only are they big, but that all the green grass sticking up out of the ground isn't helping much with our ability to rope the calves two hind feet. So after many throws, we get our roping perfected and start bringing out calves...and the fun begins!

And the job is done and the cows head out. 

4. So the calves are HUGE calves (I mean really, really big) and it took everyone to get a hold of them! There was many words said and some ouches here and there but we found a way to get them held while they were branded. It took quite a few times and quite a few people to figure out the best way to get a hold of them, but we did finally succeed.

Though things didn't go as normally planned, we found a way to do it and got the job done. Lesson learned from the day - don't get stuck in plan A and always give it your ALL whenever you do anything.

Until next week....

July 6, 2015 - Summer time at Kara Creek!

Many people ask us what do we do in July....we are typically closed for guests as it gets pretty warm outside, but that doesn't mean the fun stops!

For July, this usually means rodeos, BBQ's and riding to keep an eye on the cattle to ensure they are in the correct spots, the bulls are with the cows and all calves are happy and healthy.

This last weekend, was an especially busy weekend. It all started with the Boss, Monte's birthday!

The new Kara Creek saloon!

The BOSS!

The entire Kara Creek crew rounded up and threw him a party. Shanna helped cook the food, Kris made sure the yard was in nice shape, Ernie put the final touches on the Kara Creek saloon and Kyle, Coy and Austin made sure the beer was cold. This was a pretty special birthday for the Boss too....he turned the big 60! Neighbors, friends and family gathered for good food, good company and a good party in the new Kara Creek saloon. We even had live music by Gregg Seim and Sam Hanzlick!

Following the birthday party, we all headed to Belle Fourche Roundup in Belle Fourche, South Dakota to enjoy the annual 4th of July rodeo. This is one of the best rodeos for our area and draws some of the best cowboys and cowgirls from all over the world where they compete in a variety of events, including bareback riding, bronc riding, bull riding, barrels and roping. Plus they have an amazing fireworks show after the rodeo.

Bronc Riding at the Belle Fourche rodeo

So though we may be closed for guests, we are all still here!

Though we truly enjoy our work and what we do on the ranch, it's nice to get away and enjoy some of our local activities in the area. It's a time for us to catch up with friends and family  and kick our heels up!

Stay tuned until next week!