After my stay at Hamilton Farms, I headed back to my Canadian ‘home away from home’ at John and Tracy Buckley’s Quarter Circle X Ranch near Calgary. I’m into my final week in Canada but what a way to end it!!! This time of year is really busy with everything happening at once - trying to get hay made (not the easiest when the weather isn't that cooperative), pulling bulls out of the breeding pastures; and then – the HIGHLIGHT! - trailing the cows and calves to the summer pastures at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. 
On the first day, we went and gathered all the cows & calves - the pasture they were running on is set with a creek flowing from the Rockies in the middle with thick timber areas, steep banks and pasture land. Once we had 'found' all the cows, we trailed them closer to home ready for the big cattle drive the next day to the summer pastures, and cut the bulls out and brought them home. I then spent the afternoon raking hay while others were baling, trying to beat the rain! Then came all the excitement of the next day when the drive really began. It was fantastic!!! Got up bright and early at 3.45 in the morning (practice for the shows when I get back!) and saddled our horses and headed out. Only just light when we left the barn at close to 4.45am. Went and gathered all the cows from the pasture - passed a herd of elk grazing on the hay fields along the way - then started them up the road and on the way to the lease.
We went under the Calgary Banff Trans-Canada Highway overpass and took them southish along the road for 11 miles. Beautiful scenery & a gorgeous day - warm (23degrees) and sunny. Just something very 'right' about moving cattle this way! It took us close to 4 hours to get to the corrals where the lease land starts and give the cattle a rest and us a coffee break.
Then the best part began! Had to take them another 4 miles through all the pines and trees, green meadows, down a very steep edge and through a gorgeously clear creek that runs straight from the Rockies and up what they call the "wall" – literally, this very steep path up from the creek flats! So much fun!! Some parts you just held on and let the horses take you! The bush was really dense in parts - made it fun trying to work out a path and get all 205 cows and calves through it! Then we came out on top of the mountain onto this stunning mountain meadow! It was fantastic! We’ve got a couple more trips to do up to the summer pastures with other cattle, so can’t wait for what’s in store over my last few days.Oh, have also been busy getting the haying done - getting to become a pro at raking hay and now also baling. This is a bale I made myself!
