Chapter 2: A Girl All Grownup

Bowie—I am now 20 years old and a trusted employee of the ranch. Rowdy lasted one semester in the states, moved home, met a girl and is planting coffee on the side of a mountain.

Today finds me leading four mules up to the line camps with all the supplies that camps #1and #2 will need for the next two months. Camp #3 is stocked by the people living in the northern pastures. It is a 4 day- 3 night trip which I have done a couple of times. I love being by myself, just me, a horse and four mules. As I leave Camp #1 and head north for camp #2, I think how lucky I am, being able to do what I really love, this is not work. This is fun!

I made good time and arrived at camp #2 around 3pm. I unloaded the mules and stored the canned goods, long life milk and bottled water. I had finished stabling and feeding the mules and my horse when I heard them. It was Cholo and Jane, the couple who live up in the northern pastures with their two kids. They were heading south, driving what looked to be about 200 head of steers. I had met them numerous times when they brought steers down to the corrals to be fattened for slaughter or cows to be bred. I had not seen their kids in years. They hardly ever accompany their parents on these trips.

I was coming out of the barn when this rider approached me. She was a girl! Using the left side of my brain, I made the quick decision that she must be Makeda, Cholo and Jane’s daughter. (Contrary to what my dad thinks, I did not sleep through all those science classes in school!) She reined up in front of me and jumped down off her horse.