Donkeys! Pull Over!

For three whole days we got away from it all. Being in Red Feather was amazing, as it always is. We didn't see any wildlife because they were hiding from the hunters but I saw moose tracks and the scent of bobcats was nearby. Very nearby. Like, under our trailer. That doesn't bother me. Not even a little bit.

A friend of mine reminded me that 'it all seems so much more real up there in the mountains'. She's right.

At 9,000+ feet in elevation, the negative ions really work their magic. It's like any weight is promptly lifted off my shoulders when I sit in the silence and listen for the owls. The air is clean up there in the Rocky Mountains. I've not seen any sign of pollution in the Roosevelt National Forest that surrounds the Silver Moonbeam and us. That land is my refuge. That land is what I live for. Besides the Mustangs of Wyoming.

Before we had to leave, I was replacing a new garbage bag in the wastebasket of the adorable outhouse when I stopped and said to C, "You can leave me here...I'll call in sick forever."

That's how strongly I feel about living there. Off the grid. No neighbors. Just a bunch of mountains, trees and birds. And an occasional bear. All that silence. Maybe just the rustling of a rabbit in the crawling juniper.

After being coaxed in to the car, we began our journey home. We followed the back roads through the Rawah Wilderness, where moose had been introduced to the area in the 80's. They are doing extremely well. They are protected there. We took our time driving to Woods Landing, past Guest Ranches with fancy yet rustic porches and corrals of horses, and tiny chinked cabins set so picturesque on the banks of the Laramie River.

When we crossed the Colororado/Wyoming border, all of a sudden the terrain looked completely different. It really did change. All of a sudden, we could see forever. Once again.

Then we saw something neither one of us had seen before. Donkeys. Eight beautiful Donkeys on the side of the road, just waiting to have their carpet-like heads petted. And to be talked to. And to be loved. And so that's what we did for awhile. Just hanging over the fence with them. We had a real nice conversation with Donkey Boy. And Jesse, Pal, Larry and Bud.

An older Ranch friend of mine told me they sometimes use donkeys to break in colts.

Well now, you know what's on my mind, don't you? I'm going to adopt a wild colt, get me a donkey, tie them together, and we'll all live happily ever after.