Raising a 4-H Lamb

 Desert Boy decided to raise a lamb for 4-H again this year. At the conclusion of the fair last year, he was decidedly against it, but he changed his mind. The second year was definitely easier, as we knew some of what to expect. Sheep are social animals, so we bought two so they could keep each other company. One of our big changes from last year was a different feed. Last year we started them on the feed the buyer recommended, but then we couldn't find it again within a three-hour drive, and the sheep didn't like the substitute feed and didn't eat for awhile. This year we just started them off with IFA Show Lamb feed, and they liked it fine (except for the cottonseed part, that was always the last part they ate). We were able to get IFA Show Lamb feed at both the Delta and Ely IFA stores, which made it very convenient.

The lambs grew quickly. We've learned it's best not to give them names, so we just called them 141 and 144, the numbers on their ear tags.

We let them do a lot of browsing in the yard. They loved that.

The kids walked them every day to try and get them tamer. They walked well on a halter, but did not mind well when the kids held onto their heads.

I did a quick first shear, which was a lot harder than I thought, than my husband did a second shear. That helped them keep cooler in the summer.


They always look quite a bit different without their big coats on!

Here the kids are washing the sheep. What do you wash a sheep with? Why, Woolite, of course!

We had a sheep showmanship clinic in our yard with some of the other 4-H participants. It was great to get all the sheep together.

Gwendy had them go around in a circle.

And then line up for "judging." All the sheep looked good.

We still had the final shear to go. It turned out to be rainy, so we had to go into the shop. Desert Boy sheared most of his sheep.

It's hard work, so it was nice to have a bunch of helping hands.

Then we headed to the fair. Desert Girl didn't really enjoy the showmanship clinic there. She's still too young to show her sheep for 4-H as a market animal, but she could show the alternate in Cloverbud Showmanship and as an open class animal.

Melanie's an expert and had her sheep in tip-top shape.

Then it was time for the competition. First came the market class competition. Desert Boy's sheep weighed in at 140 pounds, the maximum allowed for the competition. Last year his was 101 pounds, so we did a much better job this year at feeding!

It took a while to get the sheep judged.

But Desert Boy and Larissa both got blue ribbons! (In the carcass competition, Desert Boy got fifth and Larissa got grand champion, showing that their lambs were excellent for eating.)

Next came showmanship, and unfortunately Desert Boy's sheep didn't cooperate. Neither did Desert Girl's. She was in tears. We took a break, went and ate, got a quick swim in at the nearby hotel pool, then returned.

She was in time for showing her lamb in open class and got Reserve Grand Champion. That made all the tears go away and a big smile come out!

The next morning was the sale. Desert Boy had a great smile on to show his sheep.

Until it threw him to the ground. Sheep look friendly, but this one weighed about double his weight and was a bit feisty.

It was a little extra excitement for the spectators.

Thanks so much to Gary Perea and the Border Inn for buying Desert Boy's sheep. And thanks to Sahara Motors, Simplot, and Suburban Propane for the add-ons. The money Desert Boy raised will go into his college account.

Later in the day, Desert Boy loaded his sheep onto the trailer to go to the butcher. He wasn't really sad this year because the lamb hadn't been particularly nice to him.

Desert Girl's lamb came home with us for a couple more weeks and hung out with the dog as much as she could. Then it was time for her to go to the butcher.

4-H has been a great way for the kids (and me) to learn more about raising market animals. Some of it's easy, but there are definitely tricks to getting the best market animal out of the group. If you ever want to buy some great animals, I highly recommend going to a 4-H auction. Those animals are so well taken care of, and the money goes to individuals instead of big faceless corporations.

Lexington Arch--Worth the Trip!

I had a hankering for some more outside time, and I wanted to take the dog. I hadn't been to Lexington Arch in years, so I decided to give it a try. A big fire burned through the area in 2013 and subsequent floods washed out the road. I had heard that the road had been repaired.

Along the way is this scenic old cabin, once home to the Woodward Family. They had several children and Mr. Woodward and the older sons worked at the sawmill up the canyon. 

I continued up canyon and found the road dramatically improved from the last time I had traveled it. Fall colors made for some nice contrasts.

I surprised a group of deer.

I parked at the large meadow area about 11 miles in from the highway. From there the road turned rockier and into a two-track. Four-wheel drive vehicles can go about another half mile up the wash.

This sign warns about snag hazards.

When I got to the end of the 4WD section, which ends at an old campsite (we camped there in 2012), I could spot the Arch up canyon.

The old trailhead sign doesn't say anything.

I wasn't sure how the trail would be, but it was fantastic. A new bridge had been made over a gully.

Skunkbush made for some very red leaves.

At the overlook, I found the bench had been reoriented to face Lexington Arch. The Arch is really a natural bridge, the remnant of an old cave system. I was hoping for snow on it, but the snow on the rock had already melted. There were patches along the trail, making it muddy.

Another view of the arch.

 I continued on the trail to the backside of the Arch, which has some great views.

I even did a timed selfie with me and our dog, Maggie. This is one park trail that dogs are allowed on--mainly because most of the trail is on BLM land. And it was the Forest Service who constructed the trail before the land switched to BLM. So it's certainly an interagency trail!

A view from the east side looking up.

I ran most of the way down the trail. The numerous switchbacks make for a gentle trail.

 And in three miles I was back at the vehicle and heading out. It was such a fun trip. I'd recommend 4-5 hours to drive out to the arch and hike up to it. It would be a hot hike in the summer, but it's perfect on a cool autumn day.

Of course you might want to take a little extra time to just enjoy the isolated scenery.

There's something about the wild that just feeds one's soul.

Dramatic Fall Lighting

I was coming back from a Parent and Teachers Association meeting when I realized that the distant lighting was amazing and would be fun to photograph. After checking in with my husband and saying good night to the kids, I grabbed my camera and tripod and headed out to the Baker Archeological Site. I  took multiple 30-second long photos. It seemed like the lightning always came between the photos! I persisted, and finally got some okay shots. It seemed like the lightning had slowed down from what I had seen earlier.  But then a different area of the storm became more active. I moved over, set up again, and started having more success. But the thunder was getting louder. I decided I didn't have much more time. I pressed the shutter release for another 30-second exposure and got some great lightning right away. And then some more just at the end, nearly in the same spot. The thunder boomed, and I ran to the car. Rain drops started pelting me before I got to the end of the road. But the resulting photo was great, a Lightning Woman, striding across the valley.

The storm brought some snow to the higher peaks.

 It's migration time, and we are seeing loads of birds down on the ranch. They fatten up on the leftover corn before they head further south.

 One morning while eating breakfast I peeked out the window and saw an amazing sunrise. I had the kids come out with me to witness the vibrant colors.

I was doing a happy little dance as I took photos. We live in such a beautiful world! There's nothing like a terrific sunrise or sunset to renew us.

Here's hoping you find some beauty in your day!

Johnson Lake-Snake Divide Ridge Trail Run

I guess I was getting kind of antsy to get out in the backcountry, but I had a limited amount of time. So I decided to do a trail run up to Johnson Lake, down the ridge to Snake Divide Ridge, and then back to the trailhead. Okay, more of it was not a trail than was, but that was okay. And the forecast was for clouds but probably not rain.

I packed some clothes, food, and drinks, and set off. It was beautiful driving up the Snake Creek Road. And as I started down the trail, the sun lit up the aspen leaves.

To be honest, I was walking more than running on the uphill. But I'd try every once in awhile to get some running in.

I didn't take my good camera, just my phone. It can shoot in RAW, which can be a lot of fun with more options for camera settings and more abilities to post process (I didn't do any for these except a little cropping). Even though my main goal was trail running, I couldn't resist taking some photos. I was also listening to an audiobook, A Man Called Ove, which I highly recommend to adults.

There is a new sign up by the Johnson Mill, so I had to stop and take a look at it. The sign explains how the tungsten ore was brought down and put through the mill.

Last year Historicorps restored the old stable (foreground). It looks like it will survive a lot longer.

I found another new sign up by the cabins near Johnson Lake.

This big building was the cookhouse.

Just a bit further I reached Johnson Lake, with clouds covering the mountains around it. The vegetation has turned color, indicating it won't be long until winter reaches this area.

I started up into those clouds, pausing by the old wheelbarrow.

When I got up to the ridge, the trail (more of a route than a trail) heads over to Baker Lake. I wanted to go the opposite direction, so I was on my own. I had hiked this ridge in 2005, so I knew kind of what to expect. But it had also been a lot of years! And now I was in the clouds. Plus my phone battery had plopped down to 5% because of the cold, so I turned it off, ending my route recording and audiobook.

The clouds were thick and I couldn't even see Spring Valley. But as I advanced to the Middle Fork of Snake Creek (Johnson Lake is in the North Fork), the clouds lifted briefly and I could see to the east.

 The clouds kept on floating by, and at one point I was tempted to follow a ridge to the east, but guessed I really should keep going south. That was good, because it took me to the Snake Divide Ridge and the amazing grove of bristlecones. I now knew I was going to be going mostly downhill. And I had to be somewhere in Baker at 2:30, and it was now 12:00. The countdown was on. Would I make it in time? Even though I was running, I paused to take photos. I couldn't resist the Quarter Tree (featured on the Great Basin National Park Quarter).

And at one point the clouds lifted enough I could see the ridge I had just been on with the great colors. That is a really fun part of the ridge.

The "trail" follows an old road for awhile. Then I was going cross country (I had hiked this part a couple years ago so knew more or less where I should be going.) Fortunately I eventually came across this scratched trail. The Snake Divide Trail was never finished (even though there's a big sign about it at the trailhead, and there's no notice on it that the trail isn't finished). This part was about six to eight inches wide.

The clouds kept flying by, and I enjoyed seeing the variety of trees and rocks. Bristlecones abound, but as the elevation gets lower, the trees get higher. Here's the view into the rugged Big Wash watershed.

From a cliff I could look out across the Snake watershed and see the splash of aspen that I had been in a few hours earlier.

The trail improved as I headed downhill.

And finally I reached the Shoshone Trail, which goes further south to Big Wash. I took the other direction and headed to the Snake Creek trailhead.

I found some more pockets of beautiful color. But the clock was ticking, so I had to keep running.

And finally I was in sight of the trailhead! It took about 5.5 hours to do the trail run/hike. A more reasonable amount of time, so that you can savor the sights and eat more snacks, would be about 8-9 hours or even a backpacking trip. If you lose the trail, it will take a little time to re-find it. Definitely know your route here, because there are a couple old mining roads that could take you down into North Fork Big Wash, and then you'll have lots of bushwhacking to do.

The total mileage was somewhere about 11-12 miles based on Google Maps (I guessed some switchbacks, not knowing exactly where they were, especially on the unfinished trail). Map My Run showed it exactly 4.0 miles from the trailhead to Johnson Lake.

Looking at the elevation profile makes me feel better about only going 2 mph. That route had about 3600 feet elevation change! And according to the Google calculator, I probably had over 4770 feet of elevation gain/loss due to additional ups and downs.


If you want to get into some of the rugged backcountry of Great Basin National Park, this is a fun loop, but it is high elevation, long, steep, and most of it has no cell service, so go prepared. There's also no water from Johnson Lake back to the trailhead along the Snake Divide trail.