Monthly Archives: June 2013

The myth of Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld, also prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend six months in the Underworld every year. During these six months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. (Exert from Wikipedia)

It seems early for poison oak to be turning red, but…

Imagine my surprise when Robbin reported a new double-yellow line on Dry Creek Road to match the ‘No Parking’ signs we were greeted with when we returned from Elko at the first of February.

We can’t help but feel a little violated as progress pushes up the road and past our driveway. But nothing like new paint to be misleading, especially for tourists and strangers to the area. Due to the ongoing and endless road construction on Highway 198 to Sequoia National Park, motorhome and fifth-wheel traffic is required to take alternate routes, one of which is Dry Creek Road. Last evening, we had to drive up the road just to see how far the County thought our road was wide enough to handle two lanes of traffic. After some intermittent spaces with no line at all, it came to a stop at the narrow bridge on Bear Creek, about a third of the way to Grant Grove and the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. We noticed that both ground squirrels and quail were afraid to walk across the new yellow line. We’ve never had to drive cattle across a road with a double-yellow line before, we’ll see how that goes.

Our pasture on Top is about 1,000 fairly flat acres of brush and rock ranging from 1,800-2,600 feet in elevation, country where wild cattle have all the advantage. A less desirable part of the ranch my grandfather purchased from Fred Ward in 1938, we have been running cows since the mid-50s where they used to run three year-old steers, often having to shoot the remnants they couldn’t gather. Up until the mid-80s, we’d brand the calves on Dry Creek and drive the pairs about five miles up from the 600′ elevation in December, then gather and bring them back down to Dry Creek in June to wean.

In the mid-80s, we developed four stockwater ponds on existing springs that provided enough water to carry 50-60 cows year-round. In that process, we also built some 4-wheel drive roads that allowed us to bring hay, salt and supplement to them in the wintertime. Utilizing the pasture better, the Top becomes their home for a lifetime, as older cows culled are replaced with proven third-calf cows. What was once a dreaded, brush-busting high lope to gather has now evolved into a tamer exercise for both cows and cowboys, the cows knowing the routine.

We will haul their calves down to the Dry Creek corrals this morning.