Surf Wyoming

Wanting to show my priest buddy some of the highlights of Wyoming, we went paddle boarding in the Bighorns this afternoon.

Fr. Brandon Guenther, from the Diocese of La Crosse in Wisconsin, came through Buffalo for a couple days on a vacation out west.

So we loaded up the paddle boards in White Horse and headed up to West Tensleep Lake.

Beautiful fall weather.

West Tensleep is a good standby for an easy paddle board trip.

Sections of beach are hard to find in Wyoming, but this guy will serve our needs just fine.

So we blew the paddle boards up and hit the water. Great trip around the lake. Jumped a bull moose on the far end.

After all that work, we stopped at the cabin to grill some ribeyes. 

Before we could enjoy our Lungren Brothers beef, Brandon reloaded his camera. Old school. 

Then we left and headed back to town. 

Mom, Dad, and my brother worked all summer re-staining the cabin. Looks great. Fun time in the Horns, as usually. Great to have my priest buddy in town. We'll see what else we can find to do. On to the next one! 

Mother Mary

Happy Birthday!

           https://youtu.be/015JTEFeaRI         

 

Fraternal Correction

Different mindset. 

           https://youtu.be/sOWeFnLslkc         

Mom's Gate

Last but not least, is Mom's Gate. We have built more gates around this ranch than I can recall, and most of them have a name of some sort. From the Trinity Gate to Grandpa's Gate, all of the gates we have built have a specific function and are usually made with the particular person in mind. The thing with Mom's Gate is that it's not a gate. That's because Mom's home is always open. No one is a stranger on the Neiber Ranch. From the UPS driver, to a wide span of family and friends, to some random buddy that I drag home, Mom welcomes them all. 

There is a cattle guard at Mom's gate, which is fitting as well. Moms are a safe haven. What should stay at home, stays. And what shouldn't come home, doesn't. This summer we put a picture frame around Mom's Gate to tell her, Thank You. 

The first right off of Gooseberry Road is our place. The highway department owns and maintains the fence and the cattle guard. Anything on the other side of their right of way, we are free to play with. 

With a game plan in mind, we drilled some holes this past spring. 

I had picked up some 5 1/2" casing on an auction. Wanting to extend one of the uprights, we cut a 3' piece off of one joint and threaded it onto the other. This was my first experience with chain tongs. Dad gave me a lesson in wrenching pipe. 

Once ready, we lifted up the 20' vertical posts and set them in the 3' holes.

Having the cattle guard there made for a good place to brace the posts after we leveled them up.

Then we concreted them in. About 12 bags of sack-crete for each hole.

To get a level across the top, we took a laser transit and marked a level line on each upright at about 6'. Then we could measure from there to get our level up high on each pipe. 

On my next trip back home, we saddled the tops of the pipe posts. This jig came in super handy. 

Should work.

Putting this 3' section on there allowed Dad to see from the ground if we were heading in the right direction with the other post. Now was the time to tweak it verses while we were setting the big pipe. 

Before the sun set, we hauled the 40' joint down that would span the two posts and beyond. 

Bright and early the next day we got ready to set the top pipe. Not wanting to press our limits, our neighbor Rob Stuckey, brought his telehandler over. 

No problem getting high enough. 

He nailed it first shot.

Perfect. 

First thing up, weld the saddles into place. Our Blessed Mother in the background is digging it all. 

Then to cut and cap the overhang. With the largeness of this gateway, we over hung the top pipe 5' past the uprights. No sense in cutting it short when you have the pipe to work with. 

Pretty heavy duty caps. Thick plate is easier to weld on think pipe.

I get away with quite a bit. Not having a bench grinder or vise in the field, I just left the slag on the cut cap and welded the good side to the pipe.

Then just ground everything off at once. Like my cousin says, Bryce is a good grinder. 

Then the fun part, the sign. We built this sign last winter and gave it to Mom. After building two other signs with black letters that just don't show up well, we tried blue. On the front it reads, NEIBER RANCH. 

On the back it says, GO IN PEACE. 

Looking good! 

This was a big day on the ranch. In fact, I'd say this gateway project is the crowning jewell. I actually think all the heavy lifting might be done. Now just play in the barn and put some final touches on some fencing. There is always more to do, but the completion of Mom's Gate signifies a lot.

It's fun to call our place the Neiber Ranch. Bernard Neiber was Mom's great-grandfather who homesteaded this place before the turn of the 20th century. He and his wife, Mom's great-grandmother Mary Della Neiber, are buried on the hill just above the shrine of our Blessed Mother. 

From my understanding, Neiber is variant of the German word meaning Neighbor. Makes sense to me. Makes even more sense as Mom and Dad are so neighborly. From their perch on the hill, they are the watchmen of the neighborhood. When they see someone in need, help is on its way. When someone wants to visit, they come on up.

May all who enter this ranch experience the providential love of God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. May Mary, the Mother of God (Luke 1:43), behold us as we behold her (John 19:26-27). And when we leave this ranch, may we always Go in peace.

St. Gregory the Great

Pray for us!

           https://youtu.be/IFgI86Iq5IE         

 

Train Bell Repair III

The saga continues. Last Sunday we drove by the train and the wire we put on was broke. The bell wasn't upside down, but the method from preventing it to do so was done. Knowing that summer was far from over, Darin and I took time to fix things right.

After today, I'm confident that the train bell can withstand any force that the local hoodlums throw at it.

Once we crawled up the train to assess the situation and found the broken two-strand smooth wire, Darin remarked, "What kind of thirteen-year-old kids are we dealing with!"

To everyone's credit, when the bell would swing long each way, it would basically pinch the wire before it got tight. Eventually, it just broke without much force at all, probably. 

Plan B. This bracket over here would have been used for fancy steam engine trains that had an automated ringer. Which ran by a steam driven lever, verses the rope on the other side. The two of us devised an idea that could make this mount work as a stopper. 

Our rope guide on the other side was defunct also. Plan devised, as well. 

Back at the ranch, we scrounged up some scrap iron to make the brackets we needed.

Then hung them up to paint.

Should match.

Then went back and mounted the stopper.

The stopper has a rod on each end. Though it pivots and hits the bell too, its main stopping point is the opposing rod that hits the frame work, causing all swinging motion to cease. 

Same scenario on the opposite side. 

Then we mounted the new rope guide. Instead of the wire holding it to the fence, we installed some u-bolts that prevent any movement at all. 

Much cleaner than poly pipe and smooth wire. 

Functional, too.

Good stuff.

I should sleep better tonight. When working with teenage boys, you have to be one step ahead of them. Fortunately, I still think like one. Funny. I'm hopeful that this latest fix will allow the bell to rock and ring at its optimum, as well as prevent any unwanted horsing around. Today, we are ahead of the game. If tomorrow we have to come back, we will. But I don't think we'll need to. Ring on. 

Philip Henderson

Go get 'em, cowboy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQxBnUj5DQw&list=PLlerzPRygWYJ54Z44nrju1n3_xDJKz0wt

Mission of Faith

Jesus seeks believers in Him, not His miracles. 

           https://youtu.be/3ngg3u0foI8         

Spirit of Christ

Is the Holy Spirit.

           https://youtu.be/7orEtGwDFHE         

Creek Crossing

Crossing water on horseback is not an uncommon occurrence while ranching. Though horses have good instinctual judgment, is still good to train ourselves how to cross water well.

My buddy Philip is new to riding horses. Being his first time out, and probably last time for a while as he enters seminary soon, I wanted to give him the full experience of riding. 

Clear Creek is a good creek to learn to cross. Especially this year when the creek is flowing pretty slow. 

Judging where to cross is the biggest trick. I'm a rapid guy. If the water is rippling good, it means that there are rocks not too far beneath. This creek is pretty obvious where shallow water is. Rivers can be harder to tell. Calm water usually means deep water. Horses can swim, but it is usually not the preferable option in my book. I've been turned upside down more than once by choosing deep water with a horse that can't swim. That's a long walk home with sopping boots and wounded pride. 

Before you enter in, you want to have where you're coming out already in mind. This worn down bank should work good. 

Just follow the lead. On hot days, I've seen horse intentionally splash water around to cool themselves off. Not to be alarmed. 

It is also good to give your horse his head if he wants a drink. Never know where the next watering hole will be. 

After a successful crossing or two, we headed back to the ranch. Philip took the lead.

Good work.

Crossing water on a horse is fun. Because it adds an extra dimension of danger, it is good to plan your work and work your plan. Clear Creek is good training grounds. Gives the horses confidence and gives us experience. Ranch on.