Four Country Gals

With the stable and corral finished, it’s time to move the little “foster horses” north from Enterprise to Beryl.

Dusty and Kid are just yearlings who either will never see the race track, or who need a temporary home until time to go to the trainer.

In Dusty’s case, he’ll never see the track as he has a slightly crooked cannon bone on his right front leg. He still needs love, and training, and he can become a very good pleasure riding horse, just not a race horse.

Kid is “track material”, but not ready to go to the trainer for a while. Cindy and Bev will nurture him and Dusty will provide other “horse company”.

What are the goals? Since Dusty will be here “long-term”, Cindy will work with him, and eventually saddle and ride him. She’s never done this, so the two of them will be learning together.

Kid is “just visiting”, so he’ll be loved and nurtured, but not trained. That is a job for the professional trainer.

As you can see, Dusty really admires his new keepers. Both Cindy and Bev are taking an active role in socializing him.

He’s got his issues. Some days, he’s a brat. Some days, he’s pushy. Some days, well… he’s just a total love… not the least bit well-behaved, but a total love.

Part of our dream has been to have more than just dogs… we really would like to again have a horse or two.

Cindy was a really good rider, participating in barrel racing all through high school, and Bev helped her Grandfather a lot when he was raising “sulky horses”. For years, they’ve had to set aside the desire to own, train and ride horses.

But, they’ve got some hurdles. They don’t really know any one yet… and they sure don’t have a barn. Oh, and it’s still winter here… and they’ve got no idea when it will be spring.

Never mind, since Bev is in town regularly, she often stops by the local hardware store… Bracken’s. They have a “local ad board” where she finds a request for “horse rescue center volunteers”.

What the heck… they go check it out.

Cindy and Bev head into Enterprise to visit. That’s all, just visit… well, maybe we could volunteer some hours feeding and cleaning.

Turns out, the gal is starting a “Thoroughbred Horse Rescue Center” as her father-in-law and grandfather breed and raise Thoroughbreds for the racing industry. You know, only a very small percentage of horses ever actually make it to the track… so she’s thinking setting up a rescue would be a good idea.

Within days, it’s really winter again, and thoughts of horses are far from their minds. First, what to do with all this snow! It seems like no sooner is it here… then it is gone… and then back again.

From the middle of February, until the end of March, we’ve had at least four distinct snow storms, leaving as much as 8 inches or so each time. Even our birds are tiring of the routine. Poor little things, they’re just so cold.

Finally, with a 10-day dry stretch, they begin thinking again about the horses. Deena’s having a hard time getting volunteers and she’s thinking maybe it would be better to find “foster homes” for the “racing rejects”.

You know… we’ve got this old shed out along the north property line. Wonder if we could do anything with it? Wonder how much work it would take to modify it for a horse or two?

Oh boy, it’s full of tumbleweed. What’s with all this “heavy metal”? They must have kept something pretty big in here… cows maybe? Hey look… we’ve even got a frost-free hydrant. That will make things really easy… we can just hook up a hose and fill water barrels from here. No time to see if it’s operational, the ground’s still pretty frozen.

Hmm, even if we do get this area cleaned out, we don’t have a corral, or anything to make a corral. We’ll need posts, a way to dig the holes for the posts, fencing (including electric), and God only knows what else.

Electric fence? Now, that’s gonna be fun… we don’t have any power! Oh, wait, we’ve got plenty of sun… we’ll get a solar powered fence charger.

They were tired of unpacking, and had found a reason to go to St. George.

When you leave their house you go southwest to get to Enterprise. At the north city limits, there is cut-off to St George. It takes you over a 6150 foot pass and then drops you into the heart of “color country”.

Enterprise is a cute little “country town”. It has a grocery store, a general store, a senior citizen center, a True Value Hardware store, a bank, Post Office, a couple of auto/truck repair places, a beauty salon (at one of the auto repair places), two LDS Churches, and a full school system including an elementary school and high school which serves most of the valley.

St. George is the largest city in “color country”, and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the US. The weather makes it a magnet for retirees, with most being “snowbirds”. They arrive in the fall to enjoy the incredibly beautiful winter weather and then leave in late spring just before daily temperatures go to 100 degrees or better.

The drive to St. George offers breath-taking views of the massive red rock mountains, cliffs, and ravines. On the way “up the hill” from Enterprise you have to keep a sharp lookout for deer on the road. It’s not uncommon to see at least three or four of the critters.

About half-way there’s a little village called Veyo. The little country store there has some of the best pies you’ll ever eat… and the price is reasonable, too.

About half-way between Veyo and St George is the new golfing destination/community called “The Ledges”. Several well-known entertainers are purchasing homes in this community. From the highway, you can see several new homes that are built in the “adobe style” with flat roofs and “pole beams” extending beyond the walls.

St. George is just a few miles north of the Arizona border and is within about 30 miles of Zion National Park. You can see some of the peaks on a clear day.

St George is a “shoppers delight.”

Mom’s room was really ugly. The walls were “chocolate milk brown” and one wall was fully wall-papered. Bev and Cindy thought they could help with re-decorating by gathering paint chips and then sending her pictures as well as the chips. After all, her room would be redecorated espeically for her.

Bev and Cindy’s bathroom didn’t have a “medicine cabinet”. It had a full mirror firmly attached to the wall. Now, they knew better than to purposely break a mirror… but hey, when you’re trying to get a great big (24×36 inch) mirror loose from a wall (it was glued)… stuff happens.

First item on the list… a nice three compartment medicine cabinet.

Remember, Bev had set up the computer in Mom’s room. There was more than one reason for that… She didn’t get to bring her computer desk. At the price of computer hutches, it was smarter to leave that one and buy a new one. They looked all over but didn’t find one Bev liked, so that would wait for a trip to Cedar City.

Cindy had also left her computer hutch and is now using Mom’s, who won’t be getting a new hutch any time soon.

They pretty much made the rounds, going to WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and any other place that looked interesting, including Costco. They’d been in Sam’s Club’s while in Ohio, but once inside Costco, Cindy’s only comment was “Boy, with a membership here, we could get into serious trouble!.”

What did they actually come home with? Well, they got the medicine cabinet, and the paint chips. And, they didn’t get the Costco membership.

Left all alone with only their boxes, their dogs and each other, Bev and Cindy set about unpacking. Now, I don’t know about you… but unpacking is almost worse than packing.

They had lots of expectations about where things would go, and what they’d have to buy. Time to rethink a few things.

Good thing Mom wasn’t joining them until about six weeks later. They’d have time to get her room “just right”. Remember, the kitchen really belongs to Mom, too… so no matter how they set that up, it would most likely get major adjustments.

Yesterday, they’d had the big pieces moved directly to the proper rooms. Even though Mom’s room would get a paint job, they’d have to cover everything… better to have the moving guys move the big stuff up the the two stairs and around the hallway corners.

Some rooms were pretty straight forward. How many places can you really put the entertainment center when one wall is a fireplace/woodstove, and the other is a 12 foot sliding glass door?

As they were unpacking Mom’s stuff… well putting her stuff into her room, they also set up their computer there… just temporary so they could keep in touch with Shari.

The dogs? Where are the dogs?

Well, they’re settling in. Missy wandered from room to room until she found her favorite spot. Mindy staked out Mom’s bathroom and the tile floor in front of it for her “cool spot”. Koda was perfectly happy anywhere she was… give her a toy and a comfy bed and she was happy.

Monday morning, bright and early, the United Van Lines moving van showed up, complete with an “unpacking” crew. Oh boy… this would be like Christmas, opening boxes, some of which they hadn’t seen for nearly a year.

Where to put stuff?

Fortunately, the house didn’t require a lot of painting or other serious stuff. It was pretty much ready to move into, aside from cleaning out the dust. There were plush new carpets throughout. The only room that would be re-decorated, would be Mom’s room, and that would have to be done after moving things in.

Thank God for a pretty good sized single-car garage. Along with the overhang of the combination back porch, carport, they’d have enough room to put boxes outside and furniture inside… well, almost.

The “off loading” took the entire day. Little time to contact Shari and let her know whether or not they’d have room for all they brought.

Now, this home is about 29oo sq feet, so it’s not small. It has a full basement, although there were virtually no improvements beyond the laundry area. The main floor has a living room/dining room combination, a long narrow kitchen, three bedrooms and two baths with a hallway connecting the bedrooms. There are two doors which open directly to the walled-in back yard and patio. The front door has a small “mud room” so you can get in out of the weather first, then remove any wet clothing, before stepping into the entryway.

At the north end of the kitchen there is a door to the outside which puts you at the foot of the driveway, just in front of the garage door. The door to the basement steps is also at that end of the kitchen, just inside the door to the outside. In some cases, that is a blessing, and in others… well, let’s just say it’s always a good idea to keep the door to the basement closed.

So, back to unpacking… they would get the big stuff in the house in at least the right room. If a box was obviously marked as something they needed right away, it went in the house, and hopefully to the right room.

The rest of the boxes went to the garage. They tried to maintain some order, but in the usual chaos of unloading a truck, they can safely say there are still things they’ve not found, two years later.

After nearly 10 hours of unpacking the big moving van, it was now about 6PM, the van was empty, and the day was done. You could’ve put a fork into both Cindy and Bev, calling them “done”, too.

After getting that call from the real estate agent letting them know the house is theirs, it wasn’t long before the previous owner showed up with all the keys they needed. Since she had moved just down the road, it was much easier for her to bring them the keys, than for the agent to drive all the way out.

Keys in hand, they quickly got into the house so they could get their beds unpacked. At that point, the beds were more important than food… can you believe that?

With a few hours of sunlight, no problem getting enough done before dark.

Jimmy had TONS of work to do… You see, he wasn’t just an extra driver, he came along to do those all-important “guy things”, like make sure the electrical was in working order, and the furnace, air conditioning and heat pump worked properly, as well as make sure the plumbing worked.

Within a few hours, he was more than happy to crash on the living room floor in his sleeping bag.

Everyone was up early Saturday as they had lots to do… more lists were made and off they went to Cedar City to pick up stuff like cleaning supplies, air filters, etc.

In addition to all the inside work, figuring out where they expected things to go, cleaning the dust out, they also took time to “survey” the outside. Note this overgrown hedge… it plays an important part later on.

Bev had to take Jimmy to the Cedar City airport Sunday morning. Cindy couldn’t sleep (still on east coast time), so she was up washing windows before daylight, as well as recording one of the most beautiful sunrises.

Within a few hours, Bev returned home and they continued to unpack what they could. Jmmy had a more exciting adventure, going to Columbus Ohio by way of New York City, thanks to severe thunderstorms throughout the mid section of the country. He finally got home about 11PM, after thinking he’d be home by 2PM or so.

It’s now Friday… they’ve been “homeless” since Monday, when they left Put In Bay, Ohio, bidding farewell to a long and storied past.

They had enjoyed the trip, and the adventure to discover their new house… but frankly, living out of the Avalance and Blazer with three people, three dogs, and all that stuff was getting pretty old.

With their new beds and dining room table loaded into the trailer, they again headed over the last mountains to Beryl, and that little patch of sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Mom had gotten her end of the paperwork completed earlier in the week and had personally seen it to the ferry from the island… As of Friday morning, the packet still hadn’t arrived in Utah, so the house wasn’t theirs yet.

The seller gave them permission to work on the outside area. After all, it had been quite some time since the grass was cut, and the weeds “whacked”. Between Jim and Cindy, both the front and back yards were mowed and whacked. I can’t really say there was any grass… more like drought resistant weeds.

Bev was busy making lists of everything they’d need right away. After all, the big moving van wouldn’t be here until sometime Monday. There was the Internet connection to figure out, the TV to get connected, phone service, etc. On top of that… there was all that sand and fine clay dust.

They all pitched in to shovel the sand from the bottom of the driveway area as well as on the walkway adjacent to the house. No time yet, to even think about what to do with the acreage.

Shortly before 5 PM, the all important call came in… the paperwork had been approved. The financing was all settled. The seller had been paid. The house was now their new home!

Awesome! Tonight they’d be sleeping in their own beds, under their own roof.

Upon checking into the motel Wednesday night, the Inkeeper suddenly realized they had three pretty good sized dogs, and saw an opportunity to extract a higher rental… Well, the girls got all undone. After all, they were pretty much exhausted after the very long day.

They soon struck a deal. No extra charges unless the dogs damaged the room.

The next morning, with Bev and Jim having packed everything, and gotten the three dogs into the vehicles, Cindy stood for inspection in the room… no problem at all. Therefore, no extra charge. However, the shoddy treatment by the proprietor has led Bev to put that place on her “do not recommend” list… to the point of not even providing me the name.

Knowing they’d be staying in Cedar City for at least one more night, they went across the street to the Motel 6, where the folks were very dog friendly, even providing them a first floor room near the door.

After a quick breakfast, it was time to “go exploring”… that means go west on Hwy 56 and find their new home. All that stood between them and their home was one more mountain pass… elevation 6455 feet. Lot’s of history here… but no time to stop and investigate.

Within minutes they crested the summit and began their decent into the Escalante Desert Valley. My God, you can see forever!

They pass the little burg of Newcastle. Significant as this is the home of their local Post Office; that and a Phillips 66 station and convenience store. A couple miles further there’s a sign to the Beryl Rural Fire Dept and a community “dump box” area… oh boy.

About 7 miles down the road, they come to Beryl Junction. Where’s Beryl?

What’s at the junction? This is where Hwy 56 and Hwy 18 intersect. You’ll find the “El Rancho Restaurant”, a small Mexican place, as well as the offices of the local power company, “Dixie Escalante Power Cooperative”. There’s an elementary school, a small community center, the “old school”, and a couple of houses. Oh, there’s also a road maintenance shed including some fuel tanks, and a little roadside picnic area.

A few hundred feet south on Hwy 18 is one of the busiest Goodyear Tire stores in the west… they marvel at that…

Turning right (north) on to Beryl Hwy (no longer officially Hwy 18), they soon find themselves in very unfamiliar territory.

What’s this big dairy? How come everyone looks alike? More about that later.

What was once desert is now a huge patchwork quilt of irrigated circles. Folks are growing alfalfa, hay, potatoes, and corn. There are a couple of “cubing” operations on their right about 4 miles up the the road.

Just past a sign that’s had more than it’s share of bullet holes saying… Blowing Dust, they turn west (4800 N or Antelope Springs Road) and see a fair-sized group of locked mailboxes.

Heading west for about 1/2 mile, they pass a couple of mobile homes. Other than that… nothing but sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Right on to 400 W and they’re new property is on the left of the truck… an expanse of tumbleweed, sand, a couple of pinion trees, a couple of sagebrush bushes… and their new house.

I say “house” as it’s not yet THEIR HOME. With the “double closing” and Bev and Cindy on the road, paperwork had to be “overnighted” to Mom. Yes, she’s on the deed. This process proved to take a little longer than they expected. Mom had done everything correctly… so it wasn’t her problem.

A quick call to the seller confirmed that although they could unload the trailer and store the stuff in the garage, they wouldn’t be able to put anything in the house. That was the advice from her attorney… as long as she was carrying the insurance, the new occupants couldn’t have any access to the house.

No problem… with the trailer unloaded into the garage, they’d have room to haul some new furniture. You see, they’d left their old beds on the island, planning to purchase brand new beds when they got here. Hey, if you’re gonna make a change… you may as well make a big one!

Trailer unloaded, they take time out for pictures… gotta show Shari how far away from “civilization” they really are. From here you can see over 40 miles west, about 40 miles or so north, about 25 miles east and about 20 or so miles south. What a view!

Ok, time to get back across the mountains to Cedar City, a distance of about 45 miles, and do some serious shopping. In addition to the new beds, they add a dining room table and four chairs, spending nearly two grand in the process. At least they’ll sleep well, and have somewhere to eat.

Having arrived at Dad’s barn, they set about gathering the many boxes and other items they’d been moving off the island for the past six months or so. Originally, they’d been packing and storing the boxes in the basement of their island home, but the Realtor insisted they move things off and put an end to any clutter.

So, they moved things three times, from the upstairs to the basement, and then back upstairs out the door, onto the truck, to a rented storage building, out of there, back onto the truck… across the lake to Dad’s barn.

By the time they had stuffed the moving van and 12 foot trailer, all available extra space in both the Avalanche and the Blazer, it was nearly 11 PM. Yikes, and they were still in Ohio!

On the road… no matter they’d been up way before the sun. They must press onward.

They convoyed back to pick up the I-80 Turnpike, and head west.

Somewhere west of Toledo at the Swanton Rest Area they pulled off for much needed sleep.

Every time they stopped and started again, Cindy called Shari. It mattered not that there was a time zone adjustment, or that it might be the middle of the night. So, Shari was called after the vet stop, and then again very late, as they left Dad’s barn.

Very early the next morning, with fresh eyes, they again started their trek… Utah or Bust!

Bev and Jim did most of the driving, with Cindy filling in for short stints. On long boring straight highways, Cindy tended to get drowsy (or is that mesmerized).

From just west of Toledo, they put the pedal to the metal, soon heading into Indiana, through Illinois, Iowa, and into Nebraska. They’d be on I-80 until they got to I-76 just west of Ogallala. Even though they had well over 1900 miles to go, they felt like they’d be there in no time.

The towns and cities became a blur as they raced westward, stopping only to fuel the rigs, themselves, the dogs, and to provide a few minutes “out” for the dogs and themselves.

By the time they stopped for the night in Kearney, Nebraska, they’d gone through most of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and half of Nebraska. That’s also four update calls to Shari, who was tracking their progress, as well as keeping an eye on the weather for them.

The found a “dog friendly” motel and crashed for the night, knowing the most challenging section of the trip was still ahead… the drive across the Rockies with the Avalanche pulling a 12-foot trailer.

Up early again and fueled by coffee and a McDonald’s breakfast, it was time to load the dogs, and point their convoy westward.

From Nebraska into Colorado and another call to Shari, they could almost see the mountains now.

With Denver just ahead, the Rockies were in plain view. From Denver, they were just 60 or so miles from the famed Eisenhower Tunnel…

the highest vehicular tunnel in the world at over 11,000 feet. This would officially take them through (rather than across) the Continental Divide.

Now they were on the western side of the Continental Divide, where all the drainage would point to the Pacific Ocean.

Just west of Denver, the weather had turned quite sour on them, with “slushy rain”. That terrible stuff stayed with them all the way through the higher elevations. After that, it was rain clear into Utah. Who’d have thunk you’d run into this kind of weather in August.

Somewhere along the Glenwood Canyon, with Bev driving the Avalanche… the trailer got in a huge hurry to get to Utah. As she was watching the trailer skid along side her left rear tail light, it was all she could do to correct it’s path.

After a quick underwear change at the next rest stop, it was someone else’s turn to drive as Bev took time to recover from her near disaster. Just as soon as they had a cell signal, Cindy called Shari to let her know they’d nearly lost the trailer.

Time out for fuel, refreshments, and a “doggie out” in Grand Junction before pressing forward to Utah… just twenty miles west.

Cindy, who’d never seen much in the way of mountains was in total awe of the beauty and mass of the Rockies. With each turn and slight change of scenery, she’d take another picture.

Would you believe that within less than 180 miles, they had dropped from the “top of the world” at the Eishenower Tunnel into Grand Junction at less than 5,000 foot elevation. No wonder the trailer was in a hurry.

With only 340 or so miles to go, they once again pointed the convoy west, towards I-15 and Cedar City. There they would spend the night at yet another “dog friendly” motel.

As if the drive hadn’t already been tortuous, I-15 was under construction most of the way. Here it was, dark, rainy and now they had the “orange barrel brigade” to keep them on their toes.

It was late, very late when they reached Cedar City. Luckily they had called ahead for reservations. No time for anything but to fall into bed, totally exhausted from the marathon drive, yet anxiously anticipating the next day.

Remember, they had never seen their new home in person.