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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Deer Hunt 2012

Tucker, Trent, Brinley, Colbie, and Porter all went on the deer hunt 10/20/12.  Trent and Tucker both got 3 spikes just 5 minutes apart from each other and about 100 yards away.  They were both very excited.  Tucker was very excited considering this is his first deer and it is much bigger than Trent's.  Tucker said he is really a man now.  Enjoy a video and a couple pics.







Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Columbus Day and 2,000 views

It has kind of been a tradition the past 3 or 4 years to go the ranch on Columbus Day since I work at a Credit Union and get the day off.  This year Jared and Grandpa both went along.  We went to water the grass and also to dig up all of the potatoes.  We were able to get all of the potatoes out of the ground, it was a very dissapointing year.  We only got two small bags of red potatoes (minus what we have eaten when we go up there) and we did get 2 large bags of russets but they were mostly odd shaped and a lot of them were really small.  Due to the dry winter, spring, and summer it really affected our potato crop. 

We also watered our grass seed which we are now proud to announce does have some actual grass growing.  We have been going up there twice a week to water the area and we have just been hoping for some grass to start growing in.  We finally saw some results on Monday.  It was just a little bit but it was a welcome surprise to our trip.  Look close below and you will be able to see just a couple blades of grass we planted. 


We also reached 2,000 views this week!  Thank you to all who have been reading the blog.  Please email any suggestions to ranchw8@gmail.com

Friday, October 5, 2012

Midweek Trip

Jared and his family have been trying to get to The Ranch twice a week to water the grass seed we planted.  We hope to have a nice small field of grass up there by next spring.  Jared, Dustin, Toby, and Libby all went up on Wednesday and watered the future grass.  We noticed 4 head of cattle in the cottonwoods and we spent the entire morning getting them out of the property and found the part of the fence they broke through to get in.  We fixed the fence and then watered the grass again.  To keep the Libby and Toby entertained we went on a rock scavenger hunt.  They walked around picking up rocks and putting them in a bag to be used for future projects.  They really enjoyed it and it helped them stay entertained while we were working on getting the cattle out of the property.  Morgan (Tricia's daughter) and Brinley (Trent's oldest daughter) often search for Nature's Jewelry.  They look for odd rock, snail shells, acorns, or random looking sticks and collect them as jewelry.  There are many things to do up there to help keep the children entertained and enjoy the property as much as we do as adults.  Remember, the kids will get very dirty up there.

We also saw a flock of 16 Turkey crossing the Flat Iron from South to North.  It was a really cool site and we have seen a lot Turkey this fall.  Look close in the picture below and you can see them running away from us.


Monday, October 1, 2012

Fix a fence, disk, logs, and gril pad

Saturday 9/29/12 Jared and Tucker set off for the Ranch bright and early.  They got up there in the morning to find 20 head of cattle roaming around the fields.  They quickly went to work to get them out of our property.  As they pushed them out they found some pretty big breaks in the fence between our south border with the Child's property.  They fixed that fence and then Dustin, Valerie, Libby, & Toby showed up with lunch. 

We then went and fixed the fence on the old road.  Someone keeps repeatedly cutting the fence down and opening it so they can drive their four wheelers through or for whatever reason.  We fixed the fence a little better this time and even put up a 2x4 to make it more difficult.  Hopefully the fence will be in tact next time we get up there.

Valerie then had to leave but Jared stayed with the rest.  Jared disked up the field next to the cottonwoods.  Tucker and Dustin along with the kids went to clear out some old logs that are sitting north of the fence by the pavilion area so we can make that into a parking lot.  We will eventually try to level it out a little so people can park their cars up there out of the way.   They then went to continue working on a grill pad and cooking station which is just above the trailer pad and grass area being planted.  We picked away at the dirt to create a large flat area big enough for a 3 man tent.  (it will not be used as a tent site though).  We will have a BBQ grill and a Camp Chef Stove there on either side of the area.  Then along the back portion we set up an area to cook with dutch ovens.  It is lined on the bottom and sides with rocks.  It is big enough to sit 2 camp chef stoves side by side.  We also made a retaining wall and made steps from some of the larger rocks around the area there.  It was a lot of work but it was very fulfilling when we finished.  It will make for a very nice area to cook and prepare our meals up there. 





Anytime you get a chance to go up for family home evening go check out all the progress being made right now.  We have big plans for the future and we hope to finish a little bit every year.  The days are getting shorter though so hurry up there so you can get a chance to see the end of the leaves and get there before snow comes.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Family Home Evening 9/17/12

Monday night Jared took Valerie, Tucker, Kerri, Dustin, Libby, and Toby up to the ranch for family home evening.  The goal was to go up and water the new grass that was planted.  We also had an amazing dinner which Kerri prepared.  We had shredded BBQ Chicken sandwiches with cantalope and grapes along with a delicious pasta salad which Valerie made.  On our way up we made our traditional stop at Gas 'n' Go on old Highway 89 to get drinks.  When we got up there we could not believe how amazing the colors of the leaves were.  They were all a vibrant red color and mixed in with the remaining green trees it made for quite the dinner view.  We were able to water the the grass seed, which has not sprouted yet but the seeds are swelling which means it is close.  Hopefully by the end of the month we will see some growth.  We also walked around the fences around the fields to check where we needed to repair any breaks and also make sure all of the gates were closed, all of them were closed.  All in all, it was a very nice family home evening.  The summer has come and gone and fall now leaves us with shorter days so try to get up there soon to catch the amazing colors and experience everything before all of the leaves turn yellow. 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

8/27/12 with Valerie's Family at the Ranch

Valerie took all of her siblings up to the ranch to show them the ranch.  She has never had the opportunity to take them up there but did and had an excellent tour of the property and then had a fantastic dutch oven dinner of potatoes and chicken with a peach cobbler dessert.  Very fun evening and wish we could have more of them.


 

Tucker Emptying the Dam


Trailer pad with grass seed, a new bench, and a nearly empty pond


This weekend Jared and his family spent the weekend at the ranch again.  There was a very clear goal to finish a large area where Jared can park his trailer and have a couple other tents to camp out where it can be level and have a little bit of grass.  We were able to finish the last portion of the retaining wall, which looks very nice.  The entire area is level and just has a slight slope towards the South to allow water to drain that way.  We also planted a Tall Fiscue grass seed there and we watered it quite heavely during the few days we were there.  We also planted that same seed on the field above the pavilion and we hope it will grow this time, it never took in the spring due to how hot and dry this year has been. 



Per Valerie's request, we built a very nice bench looking over the fields to the ranch.  It is made out of an old power pole from Springville.  The bench itself is perfectly level but the back rest is a little uneven, it still works great though.


Right before dinner we were sitting around talking about how to get the upper field of new grass seed some water.  We know we have plenty of water in the dam to do it we just have no way to move it down to the field right now.  We know we need to fix the dam and get it a little safer before we can start to work on the project of getting the water out of the dam.  We all grabbed shovels and picks and headed up to see if we could do any work by hand (it costs a lot of money to get any construction equipemnt up there to work on it).  We surveyed the area and then decided we need to empy all of the water in the dam so there is not any additional damage this winter and spring to the remaining dirt holding back the water.  Tucker was the brave volunteer to dive in and figure out how to unplug the pipe.  He jumped in the water and found that the pipe was clogged with an old pot, it was pretty funny.  He easily pulled it off and then it took just about an hour for the entire water to be drained.  Our plan is to now fill in some of the dirt by shovel or with small equipment we can borrow and then fix the spillway/overflow section.  We will need some supplies.  We need a couple shut off valves and some 4" or 6" pipe, whichever we can get our hands on.  Let Jared or Eric know if you know of anywhere we can get it for cheap or even someone throwing it away. 


Tucker finding the pipe in the pond
Nearly Empty Pond
It was a great weekend and we all enjoyed ourselves.  It was nice to know that we had an issue and we just took care of it.  We are on our way to greatly improving the property and making it more useable for everyone.  Jared and a few others will be going up Thursday evening if anyone else wants to join just let us know.
Also, if you go to the ranch let Jared know so he can get you a key to get into the main fields.  Also we caught someone taking some items off of the property which we plan on using and so if you see anything strange going on while you are there let Jared and Eric know about it. 

Monday, September 3, 2012

Labor Day 2012

One of the best ways to spend Labor Day is to go to The Ranch.  This is a tradition I have had to opportunity to participate in for the past 5 years, since I have been in the family.  It is an amazing time of year as the leaves are beginning to change color and the temperature begins to be a little more comfortable.

Jared and Valerie took Brinley & Colbie (Trent's daughters) with them and Tucker also tagged along.  Dustin decided to take his kids to the ranch at the last minute, Kerri rode up for the evening but had to be to work by midnight so left early and came back the next afternoon for lunch.  We had a lot of plans for the next morning.  We wanted to re stack the wood pile from around the fire pit and move it so we could actually sit all the way around the current fire pit and get the wood off the ground so it wouldn't keep rotting.  We also needed to fix a fence which was cut open by someone who let their cattle into our fields to eat the hay and then lastly we wanted to keep working on the new West fence putting in more dancers.

During the evening it rained a little but the temperature was very nice and it was no longer raining when we got up around 7:00.  Tucker and Dustin quickly got started on moving the fire wood.  We took some long logs and put them parallel to each other and then we stacked the wood on the too planks.  This way the wood will stay off of the ground.  Hopefully it will stay upright and if anyone else cuts any wood then please stack it on the remaining space there.  If you use any of the wood on the existing stack then please either cut wood to replace it or pull out old fallen logs and put them close to the wood stack so someone with a chainsaw can cut it into burnable logs.
Since there was rain the previous night Jared wanted to flatten out the area where he always parks his trailer, this way we would not have to fight with the dust.  We kind of got caught up in the project and flattened out the entire area and then we made an executive decision to build a retaining wall to keep any of the dirt from falling or washing down to the newly improved area.  We also made steps going up to the area behind the trailer pad.  We have one portion we still need to finish but we should get it done pretty quick.  We put down a railroad tie and then nailed in 2 pine poles.  We then pushed the dirt down behind the wall and it seems to be hold up pretty well.  We added some support in front by planting some small posts to help hold up the whole wall.  Here are a couple of pics of that fun project we completed.

At lunch Brenda and Rhonda brought their families up to the ranch with Grandma & Grandpa.  It was a lot of fun to have everyone up there.  A bunch of them went on a hike up to the spring above the ranch.  Valerie mowed the alfalfa field and made it look a lot better and got rid of the thistle up in that field.  Tucker and Dustin also fixed the fence that had been cut with the help of Grandpa, Grant (Brenda's son), and Toby (Dustin's son).  Overall, it was a fantastic Labor day which I hope we can improve and build upon it next year.



Monday, August 20, 2012

Fires break out in Daniels, Diamond Fork canyons

A fire broke out yesterday very close to the ranch.  Jared spoke with firefighters up the canyon this morning and they told him it was started by someone using a chain saw.  This is quite dangerous for the area and everyone has been evacuated and no one is being allowing in right now.  There are several people trying to push cattle out from above the property.  Keep the ranch in your prayers and we can all just wait and hope that none of our property is hit.  If the crews can keep the fire from going over a ridge then the ranch should be safe.  If the fire crosses over that ridge though the entire area of Wanrodes will be at risk.
A fire broke out Sunday afternoon in Diamond Fork Canyon near Spanish Fork.
The fire is about eight miles up the canyon and had reached about 300 acres by Sunday night. It was reported at 1 p.m.
No structures are threatened, but mandatory evacuations are in place for Diamond Fork Canyon and the Balsam Campground in Hobble Creek Canyon.
The evacuations are in place as precautions in case the fire heads toward Hobble Creek Canyon.
Multiple ground crews and one helicopter are on scene. There is no estimate on containment.
Whiskey Springs Fire
Crews that had been battling a blaze near Jordanelle State Park were shifted Sunday afternoon to a new wildfire burning in Daniels Canyon.
The human-caused Whiskey Springs Fire started just before 1 p.m. Sunday in Daniels Canyon. Helicopters that had been on standby for the Fox Bay Fire near Jordanelle State Park are attacking the blaze from the air, and more air support is on its way, said Janet Carson, Wasatch County Fire spokeswoman.
"We have flames shooting 60 feet in the air," Carson said, adding that an air attack may be the only way to fight the fire because of the steep terrain.
"It's in an area that goes straight up the hill," she said, "and it's moving quite rapidly."
Carson said the fire was started by human negligence, and those responsible reported the fire to officials.
Stay with ksl.com, KSL TV and KSL Newsradio for more information as it is made available.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Plowing and Signs

Saturday, Jared, Valerie, Tricia, Morgan, Kerri, Dustin, Libby & Toby all went to The Ranch to start plowing the big field East of the Cottonwoods.  We were also able to remove a wire gate and just made it a strait part of the fence.  This is the part of the fence right by the old road and was leading to the big field and by Peter's Bees.  We planted a post right in the middle of that part of the fence line so no one can drive through it now.  We did this to try to keep out unwanted trespassers or visitors and to protect the fields which will be used to farm again.

We also saw Peter up there with some of his kids.  He let us all try some of his fresh honey which was absolutely amazing.  He was also teaching one of his daughters to drive as they were leaving on the dirt roads.

This is a picture of the new fence and not a sign we put up to Keep people out.  Several other signs were put up around the property.

Comment on this post if you first drove or learned to drive while at the ranch.

Valerie has become quite the pro on the tractor.  She mows the fields better than anyone.



Monday, August 6, 2012

Tire swings & Dancers on the West Fence

This past Saturday Jared, Tucker, Kerri, Dustin, Libby, & Toby went to the ranch to work and to have fun.  First we installed 2 new tire swings.  They are just for small children, the ropes are not strong enough to hold anyone over 80 lbs.  There is a tire for 3 kids to sit on together and then another vertical one for just one kid to use.  It was a lot of fun and a little bit of work to get it done.  We had to drill holes in the tires to drain water and also to attach the rope.  It was quite the work getting the rope over the tree limb as well.  After multiple throws from Jared, Tucker, and Dustin we finnally got the ropes attached to the tree so the kids can now play on the new swings.  They are located in the cottonwoods just at the bottom of the 'Flat Iron'.



After we finished the swings we finally went up to try to work on the West Fence again.  We were able to get about 1/3 of the dancers cut and installed on that fence line.  There is still a lot of work to do but we were able to get a lot of what we needed to do done.  It was a great Saturday up there, no rain either.

We also appreciate everyone not having any fires up there.  The state has removed it's ban on fires in the area.  The area up there does look green and nice but it is still pretty dry.  We are asking everyone to still refrain from any fires up there!!!  Thank you!!!

Rainy Saturday 7/28/12

Jared, Tucker, Dallas (Tucker's friend), Dustin, Libby, and Toby went to the ranch 2 Saturdays ago.  We were able to do a lot of weeding around the potatoes and get them all cleaned up.  We borrowed a tool from Doug Weight which we hooked up to the tractor and then pulled along the potatoes.  It would mound up the dirt around each plant in the row so the potatoes can have more space to grow and come in thicker.  We were able to see how well some of the potatoes were growing and we even took a couple home for our Sunday dinner.  It was really nice to see some of the fruits of our labors.  Jared then took the tractor and plow over to the big field by the cottonwoods and started to work there.  Toby took a nap in the truck while Libby played in the trees and explored some of the area at the bottom of the flat iron.  Tucker, Dallas, and Dustin then went to shoot targets with a 9 mm and a .38 Special.  After realizing time was running out for shooting due to bad weather coming they started shooting clay pigeons.  After a 2 year hiatus from shooting, Tucker was not very good.  He missed most of his shots but vows to come back and do better next time.  Dallas and Dustin agreed to a tie though.  Right as they decided to finish and clean up the rain started.  We hurried and hid under the trees in the cottonwoods at the bottom of the flat iron.  We stayed pretty dry for about 30 minutes and then it really started coming down.  We decided to try to at least get down to the cabin where we could stay dry.  Kerri and Valerie were supposed to come meet up there with lunch.  We saw them right at the cabin as we were coming down.  The road was wet and muddy.  We got all the way down the hill though and past the cabin and then realized the ground was too wet to go any further.  The rain had let up a little but we still needed to let the ground get a little more dry so we stopped and ate lunch right on the side of the road.  The ground was then dry enough for us all to drive right out of there.  It was an amazing Saturday and it was a lot of fun to see where all of the rain goes on the road and to just be there during a storm.


Nice eye patch with that tree leaf Tucker!!!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Independence Day

Hopefully everyone was able to enjoy their holiday this week and remember the freedoms we enjoy due to the sacrifices others have offered.  This is really a great country that allows us to own property and specifically for our family, the ranch.  Try to really enjoy it this summer and remember how lucky we really are to have it.

This was a fairly slow week at the ranch this week.  Randy and Rhonda Carr were able to go to the ranch for part of Randy's family reunion.  They used the zip line and just had a good time there.

Dustin took his young men/boy scouts on an overnighter and they all slept out under the stars around the cottonwoods.  We stayed dry and had an amazing time up there.  Without any fire we were able to see just how clear the night sky is.  We  had a miniature lesson given by one of the leaders and he taught about the correlation of light and our saviour and how he is the light of the world.   He also taught us about how when things are the darkest we can actually see the furthest.  The stars we see at night are much further away than the sun we see during the day.  Sometimes, when things seem most difficult in our lives we can actually understand the gospel and receive guidance from the holy ghost much more clearly if we just listen.  The spirit was very strong and everyone appreciated being able to use the property to have that experience.

The boys scouts were running a cub scout day camp the next day and it was great.  We were able to build 2 flag poles right by the cottonwood trees, if you want to use them do so quickly, we don't know how long we will leave them up there.  The cub scouts were able to hike to the damn, shoot bb guns and wrist rockets, learn knots, learn first aid, play Native American games, earn their whittling chip, and their favorite the zip line.  They also did a service project for us.  They helped cut back and clean out some of the trees on the road to the zip line.  We were able to do about 100 yards of work.  Many hands make like work and we certainly were able to get a lot done up there. 

Thank you to all for not having any fires at the ranch this year!!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Fires

With several hundreds of fires in the state this year burnt or burning and many of them very close to our home there will be an indefinite ban on any open fire at the ranch.  You only need to go look in a couple of the fields at the ranch to see the ash that has fallen on the dirt to realize how much of our forests have burned this year.  Thousands upon thousands of acres are now just a black mark on what used to be beautiful green and yellow forest.  We want our 160 acres to remain lush and green so please avoid having any fire up there until we are instructed otherwise.  Fires include any briquets for dutch oven  cooking or any coals as well as an open flame.  Pass the word along and also if you see other people up there please let them know that fires are not allowed.  Be careful shooting or participating in any activities that might entail any fire or flame to keep the area safe.

Hay

This was an extremely busy week at The Ranch.  Wednesday evening Jared, Tucker, Karlee, Kerri, Dustin, Libby, & Toby went to The Ranch and primarily spent time at Doug Weight's place.  We worked on some of the machinery to cut and bail the hay, which he is allowing us to borrow.  We were only up there for a couple hours but got everything ready for the next day when we would swath (cut) the hay.  Thursday morning Jared and Dustin went up early and were able to get the whole thing cut in the morning.  We also mowed some of the other field to keep the weeds from growing and spreading.  Here are a couple of pictures of the field ready to bail.



Saturday at 6:00 am Jared and Tucker went to bail the hay.  They were able to finish it by early afternoon.  Tucker also was able to mow the flat iron.  We have over 100 bails of good hay.  Here is a picture of the field and all of the bails of hay.  



We are hopefully going up on Monday to bring all of the bails down.  We will have to find somewhere to keep them before we can get them sold.  Trent and his kids, Valerie, Karlee, Dustin and his kids, Tricia, and Morgan all met up there in the early afternoon.  Dustin had a rapid leak in his rear driver side tire but luckily Tucker was able to help Dustin get the tire changed quickly.  After everyone was up there we all started pulling weeds on the potato field.  Trent was quoted as saying "I think we are doing this for a greater purpose."  He meant that we may need to return to farming someday and we are developing the skills to do that now.  Trent left after helping with the weeds and on his way home he got a flat tire.  Two flat tires in one trip, luckily it was on two different cars.  Everyone else stayed for an extra hour and sat in the shade or shot a .22.  It was a very nice day but also very hot.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tucker Returns

Saturday June 23 Tucker was able to return to the ranch after his 2 year hiatus while in Guatemala.  He seemed to enjoy it a lot and a lot has changed in the past 2 years.  We have 2 new gates, a new road, a new fence as a boundary (almost complete), a hay field planted and ready to harvest, and the cabin being torn down.  Tucker was able to work with Jared, Trent, Dustin, Karlee, Tricia, Valerie, and Kerri to put up the wire for the west fence.  We were able to string all 4 lines about 3/4s of the way down the fence.  It was a lot of work but very fullfilling.  We still need at least 2 more rolls of wire to finish the fence.  We will probably need more staples as well as a few T posts.  We still need to cut and staple dancers between all the posts but we are getting close to finishing the fence.  Valerie, Trent, and Jared also worked on mowing down the thistle that is growing around the road and field by the cottonwoods. 

We also had an amazing dutch oven lunch up there.  Cheesey potatos, beef stew, dutch oven rolls, salad, and fruit.  It was awesome.  It is extremely dry up there and as we have seen on the news there have been fires everywhere in the state.  We are asking everyone to be very careful with any fires they may have.  Have a bucket of water nearby and only have a fire in the fire pit.  Thank you for your cooperation!!!

Upcoming events:  July 5th Randy Carr will take his extended family up to the ranch to spend the day on the zip line and have a BBQ.  July 6-7 Dustin Moore will have a young men campout and then on Saturday Cub Scouts will be doing their day camp up there, it will be run by the boy scouts. 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Tucker

Not much was done last week at the ranch but this Saturday Tucker will make his grand return to the ranch. We will be meeting up there Saturday 6/23/12 to do some work and play. Come joing us for a great time. More pictures will be posted soon and hopefully I can learn how to create a picture portfolio for the blog. Kyle and Chad surfing on the trailer.

Monday, June 11, 2012

West North Fence, New Gate, Tractor, and Hammocks

Saturday June 9, 2012 several members of the Jared and Eric Weight families went to the ranch to do work. It all actually started on Friday night when we installed a new gate. The gate goes from the water spigot road up to the dam. Now we won't have to mess with the barb wire fence since we have been traveling up that trail a lot lately. We had to plant a railroad tie post and then another cedar post on the other end and then attach the new gate, then boom, a new gate is in. Saturday morning we had about 13 workers. We were able to string the barb wire on this fence and attach the dancers. This was a lot of work but with a lot of help we were able to get it all done by 10:30. Eric and his family had to leave to a family reunion at that time. Eric and some of his family then continued working south. We were able to plant 20 T Posts in the morning. We then took a much needed lunch break and some of us even took a nap in the hammock, played frisbee, or just relaxed with the family. Trent and Valerie were even able to weed some of the potatoe field. Trent, Dustin, and Jared went back to work in the afternoon and had a lot of work to do. We had to finish planting the cedar posts in a very rocky section of the south west portion of our boundary fence. We were able to plant 10 cedar posts in a few hours. We finished by dinner time and then right at the end had an amazing view of a lot of the surrounding properties with some of the cabins and fields. We could also see some of the hikes to take which we hope to enjoy later this summer. This next picture is what we have left to work on for this fence. We just have to plant about 5 more t posts and then on the wire goes with the dancers. Libby and Colbie loved playing on the old tractor together as many of us have over the past years.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

North West Boundary Fence

Saturday 6-1-12 the Hobble Creek Spring Camporee was held at The Ranch. Randy Carr was in charge of it and lead several groups who all camped right around the cottonwood trees and the swing. A couple weeks ago Eric, Clint, and Dan all cleaned out the old trees and brush that were cluttered in that area, thank you, it is a much cleaner and safer place to play now and made it possible for the scouts to spend time there. Jared, Valerie, Eric, and Christine all spent the evening in their trailers in order to start working early the next morning. They all started on the North West boundary fence with the help of the scout groups that were there. The scouts were able to dig holes and plant posts and planted about 10 posts including a very large corner post. It was a lot of help and they did it all by hand. The boys had to go and do some of their Camporee requirements and so they left Jared, Valerie, Eric, Christine, Dustin, Kerri, Libby, and Toby to finish the work. We were able to plant the rest of the cedar and metal T Posts on the North West boundary of the property by 12:30 and then we were able to take a lunch break. We were back at work by 1:30 and now we had to string the barbed wire to the posts. We were able to finish that entire portion of the fence from the previous North West corner to the new, actual, North West corner. It was about 100 yards of fence we were able to finish. Most of us probably don't know the whole process of building a fence. It is actually a lot of work and takes a lot of planning and preparation. Several years ago the family found out that the boundary we had was actually 100 yards short of the actual boundary (some places it was even more space than that). Jared went to the property with some county surveyors and found the actual corner of where the property should be. They used satellite coordinates to get the spot exactly where it should be. Eric then took a bobcat (small surveying equipment) and forged a trail around the property where the boundary should be. Supplies then needed to be gathered. Several of us went down to Mona several times to cut cedar posts a couple years ago. We were able to get over 150 posts by doing that. Those posts cost about $7 each if purchased at Cal Ranch. We were able to buy a $50 permit to cut all of ours. We were able to save a lot of money by doing that. We also needed barbed wire. We have collected some of the wire from old fences in the past which has been sitting at the ranch for awhile. We also went and collected the wire from the old west fence and also pulled up the remaining T Posts there. Jared bought a roll of wire a couple years ago and Kendal helped get a roll this year. Hopefully it will go to the end, we may have to get more later. Jared also had to get some staples (not your normal paper stables, these are much large and look like a double sided nail bent in the shape of a 'U'). Now everything is ready to start building the fence. Man power and proper tools are now our greatest ally. An auger, a large tool used to dig holes, is very helpful and can reduce the time spent digging holes by up to 90%. We were able to have some help with that along the west fence. A group of scouts and a leader that owns a fencing company were able to help plant most of those posts with the help of an auger. If an auger is not available or able to get to the location then shovels, bars, and post hole diggers, along with a lot of elbow grease, will be needed. After a hole is about 2-3 feet deep we need to plant the posts. To plant a post we put the post in the hole and then put a little dirt around it and use the back end of a shovel to 'tamp' (or push down and compress) the dirt around the post. We do this 4-5 times until the post is stable and does not move. Some places need a T Post and then we use a post pounder to get that done. After planting all the posts we need to string the wire. We are putting 4 lines on this fence, it helps keep the cattle out better then just using 3 lines. It is easiest to start from the top line and go to the bottom. You start and tie off the top line to the corner post and one person will walk it to the opposite post or direction. You then pull the line tight and then tie it off to another post. You do this for each line and then you staple each line to the posts. After all lines are stapled to the posts dancers are needed. A dancer is a shorter post that is not planted into the ground but it is just stapled or tied to the barbed wire and is just there to help keep the lines separated and keep the cattle from poking their heads through the line and stepping through the fence. We get the dancers from surrounding trees and they are about 4-5 feet tall and 2-5 inches thick. Once this is done the fence is all finished. We now just have a couple hundred more yards of fence to do along the west boundary. It should be faster and easier due to the fact that all we need to do now is string the wire and cut and attach dancers. We will hopefully be able to finish it this Saturday after the Springville Art City Day Parade. Anyone and everyone is invited to come help.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

1,000 Views

Wow, we just reached 1,000 views on this blog. Thank you for all checking this out. We all love The Ranch and hopefully this helps us all appreciate it a little more. Please let me know if there is anything you want posted on here. Email stories or pictures to ranchw8@gmail.com!!!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

West Fence

Last Saturday we were able to put in the fence posts for the West Fence.  They are nearly all the way complete now.  We had 3 young men groups up there helping do the work and so it went fast.  One of the groups had a Brother bring an auger and we were able to get over 100 posts planted.  The auger began at about 8:45 and at 9:15 the boys were up on the trail working.  Kyle Weight helped lead the group and taught them how to plant the posts.  Some of them may be a little lose but, for novices, they did a pretty good job, Kyle was a great teacher as well.  We filled the bed of  a truck with posts and started driving down the fence line.  Several boys would unload the posts and pull the lose dirt out of the ground with post hole diggers.  They would set the post in the whole and then a group of 4 boys would come up and push the dirt around the post and 'tamp' it down tight.  We did this for nearly 1/2 mile of fencing and it worked out to be a pretty good system.  Now we just need to go back through and check all the posts and then put up the barb wire.  It is still a lot of work but it will be worth it when we are all done.  Hopefully the unwanted cattle will stay out of the property when we get this fence up.  It was an amazing Saturday and there were a lot of people from the family there, mainly from Jared and Eric's families.  Thank you to all who helped us get this work done.  Pictures will be posted in a couple weeks when we are able to get up there with a camera.

Monday, May 7, 2012

New Lock & Chain

There is a new chain and lock on the gate at the flat iron leading to the fields. Jared and part of his family went up tonight and chcked out the property and also put the chain and lock on that gate. The reason for the lock is to keep out trespassers and keep the asset safe and protected from vandelism (four wheelers and hunters have been driving through the fields without permission to be on the property). If you are going up to the property please contact Jared or Eric, they will both have several keys to that lock and it is possible to get a copy if requested. We saw a lot of deer and just had a nice family home evening drive. Cross our fingers that the grass seed planted this weekend will germinate within 2 weeks.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

New Grass Field

Saturday Jared, Trent (and his daughters Brinley & Colbie), Karlee, and Dustin went to the ranch early in the morning. Jared and Trent started plowing the old hay stack field while Karlee and Dustin went to the old west fence to pull the remaining T Posts there and also were able to collect two of the old barb wire lines to now move to the new fence we will be building May 18-19. The field was being plowed, disked, and prepared to plant grass. We were able to spread a "Tall Fiscue" blend of grass seed that is drought resistant. This grass should grow with little water and mowing needed. We are hoping the grass grows quickly so we can begin camping in tents on that field and also have a field for kids to use. Please stay off that field until we have the grass growing in thick! Valerie and Tricia brought Grandma & Grandpa up for an awesome lunch as well. All around, a great Saturday, just a little short but pretty productive for the few hours we were able to spend there.
Karlee and Jared with the Tractor
Some of the rocks gathered from the field
Grandma & Grandpa Weight hanging out at The Ranch

Monday, April 30, 2012

Potatoes 2012

Jared went up with his entire family (except Tucker of course) and met Peter and his daughter Brooklyn up there. We were able to plant both red and russet potatoes up there and the entire field was planted with potatoes. You will see in a picture bellow how the planter broke, it can be fixed with a few simple welds, which is good. We also started pulling posts on the old west fence so we can begin doing the new west fence in a couple weeks. We started plowing the field east of where the pavilion will go so we can get it ready to plant grass to have a comfortable area for tents and recreation. If anyone knows of a field grass that requires little water and maintenance but will stay on the ground and help keep the dust down please let us know ASAP so we can plant it soon. That was all that happened other than a delicious hot dog dinner around the fire which Valerie, Tricia, Kerri, and Karlee started. We will be sending a notice of the next work day up there soon.
Hanging out watching the potatoes get planted, the girls all loved playing in the dirt.
Trent and Jared preparing to plant the first row of Potatoes.
The broken part on the potato planter. Pictures courteous of Peter, thanks for the pictures Peter!!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Saturday Jared & Eric went to the ranch with their families. Eric dropped off the cedar posts that have been cut over the past few years and will be used to make the west property line fence, this will enclose the entire property and keep all of the unwanted cattle out. The area for the pavilion and bathrooms has been decided and the plans for the construction are being done right now. We ate lunch and just enjoyed the time there and looking forward to a very fun summer. Plans have been set forth to improve a lot of the property this summer and prepare for the pavilion and bathrooms and possibly allow larger groups to spend time there. We will also be preparing for the Family Reunion next summer and the work done this year will help us have a great time next year and for years to come. This coming Saturday 4/28/12 we will be meeting at The Ranch in the afternoon to plant potatoes and pull steel posts from an old fence. May 18th a large group of young men will be staying at The Ranch and will be doing a large service project Saturday morning in exchange for their night on the property. Anyone is invited to help with the work on either of those days and we would love the help.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Ranch in January-Impossible

During an unussually warm and dry winter Jared, Valerie, Kerri, Dustin, Libby, and Toby tok a trip up to the ranch. We were able to drive all the way up to the flat iron gate. We got out and walked down the road there. There was a thin layer of snow over parts of the road and fields. The ground was mostly dry and the weather was pretty warm. We went and shot some targets and just checked on the property. It was pretty amazing to be able to be there so early in the year and not even need a snowmobile. Included bellow are a few pictures of the area we walked around.