And Only One Came
Jesse called the ranch today. “One of your big gray drafts is missing,” he said. An awkward silence followed. A spring snow storm blew outside, causing the telephone line to rasp. My gut cinched tight and I sat up in my desk chair, the conversation winning my full attention. I’d been scribbling something on a … Read more
Trout vs. Horses
My hometown of Ennis, Montana suffers from schizophrenia. Half the year, it belongs to the rancher’s (in winter), and the other half, to fly-fishing vacationers (summer). Until recently, only the ranchers bothered to decorate the place. But this year, trout statues have invaded Main Street. The Madison River once lured cattle drivers from Texas … Read more
In the Details: “A Dash for the Timber”
Frederic Remington’s A Dash for the Timber is regarded as his first masterpiece. Completed in 1889, at the age of 28, the young Remington had already collected a wealth of western experiences and artifacts that enabled him to create the action-packed painting. To learn more about the painting and the artist, I spoke with Ron Tyler, Director of the … Read more
Happy 1st Birthday
On March 1, 2008, Route 287 debuted on westernhorseman.com. One year, 40 entries, 8,519 words-worth of brilliant observations, 70 photographs, and countless trail and road miles later, Route 287 keeps blogging-on. To celebrate, I thought I’d share the exchange of e-mails between me and Western Horseman Editor A.J. Mangum that brought the magazine’s first-ever weblog … Read more
Elko Guide: 5 Workshops
Elko is as much a gathering of poets as it is a symposium on the skills of the cowboy life. The Western Folklife Center’s workshop series allows participants to try their hand at everything from rawhide leather braiding to the country two-step. Here are five workshops that will enrich your visit to Elko: 1. Rawhide Braiding … Read more
Careful What You Dally
There’s a Charlie Russell painting, “Roping A Rustler”, in which three cowboys are roping a grizzly bear. Riding in close enough to make a throw at a bear is impressive. But I wonder what they did once it was dallied to the saddle horn? Last week, I got a call over the radio from two … Read more
Elk Log Jam
The elk are on the move – finally. March and April are normally the months when elk (upwards of 5,000 head) graze their way from the Madison Valley to summer pasture in Yellowstone National Park. Here it is mid-May and their seasonal migration is overdue. The crux of their journey is to cross the Madison … Read more
Next Best Excuse to Jury Duty
With the outfitting season two months away, I dropped by winter pasture to check on the horses. Jesse and I bounced along in his pickup truck and made conversation between stops to open fence gates. He was summoned for jury duty that morning and had hoped the courtroom would give him a break from winter … Read more
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