Playing Chicken

At home on the range.  By now you've all gotten to read about how we go about fixing fence in Northwest Kansas. It's not glamorous work, but it's something we all have to do to keep our cows in and other cows out. Being from a region in Kansas that makes a pancake look bumpy, it never fails to surprise me just how rough Kansas terrain can get.

Take this new pasture for example...they don't call it the Himalayas for nothing! We did most of the fence fixing on foot, normally we can "leap frog" of sorts with the 4-wheeler, but because of the steep hills and creek cutting through, we covered ground the old fashioned way.

Colin, by far more adventurous than myself, thoroughly enjoyed crawling down creek banks and shimming down ravines, I on the other hand peered cautiously over edges and made my way down slowly and surely.

The cattle will do just fine on this rough ground. Their footing is much better than our own, and unlike me, they are willing to use a little fancy footwork to get to water. 

Needless to say, they are much more brave than me. See that little speck up there? That's me. Too afraid to come down. Granted, there was a little safer way down about 50 yards away, but I was much, much more comfortable a good five feet from the edge. I'd watched Colin make his way down and I was not going to try my luck just for the heck of exploring. I'd been down before (there's a road on the other side of this creek and if we would have had my way, we would have taken our time, driven out and around and back up to the creek entrance and hoofed it to this very spot), but Colin had efficiency at mind and was not willing to burn the daylight. It's times like these that I say many Hail Mary's to remain sane and at home on the range.

-Alissa