Day 15: Denver to Rural Wyoming

Miles: 3,153

States: 14 (see Dad's comments on the last post for resolution of the Iowa question)

Kids: Lost count. One more very cute one today.

Current Elevation: 6,388 feet

The mountain pass from Laramie, Wyoming to Saratoga was stunning. The trip up and over the mountain was about 60 miles. There was snow everywhere, still thick from months and months ago and now a little dirty. People - more people than I would have thought - were fishing in the mountain lakes, hiking, some brought dogs for walks or picnics.

I'm pretty sure a golden eagle flew right in front of my windshield while I was on the mountain. I asked Lisa later "um this huge bird flew right in front of the car, I almost hit it, it was sort of goldish-brown and huge..." and she helped me out. This trip is throwing into sharp relief my total ignorance of the means of production of almost anything I've ever eaten, and of the livelihood of Americans living on and working the vast majority of the land here, and of any animals except dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, and deer. Total ignorance.

Lisa, my cousin, and her husband Eddie are ranchers outside of Saratoga. Eddie manages about 1,200 head of cattle each season. Lisa runs a guest lodge on the property where hunters stay to shoot prairie dogs, elk, antelope, and other large game. Their 10-month old daughter Dallie (named for the knot used to secure a horse's reins around the protruding part of the saddle... which I'm sure has a name as well...) is, of course, adorable and charming and a very happy baby.

I'm so glad I stopped to see Lisa. Not only did I get to catch up with a cousin I hadn't seen in six years, who had since finished school, been married, had a daughter, and became a cowboy, I also got a decent education in cattle ranching. I admitted my complete ignorance of anything related to ranching or the production of beef and asked Lisa questions for three hours. She was extremely patient and explained about steroids and antibiotics vs. organics, finishing on corn vs. grass feeding, registered vs. commercial cattle, commercial ownership vs. small farming, the impact of government policies and inheritance taxes, the continuing lack of female ranch managers due to the cowboy mentality (think good old boy network), and many many other actually quite fascinating topics.

Also notable: alfalfa, the crop, is a kind of grass. Cattle eat and or it can be harvested and dried to make hay, which is in huge bales all across the country. Alfalfa sprouts are eaten by humans. My ignorance is just astounding, but luckily everyone is nice and I'm learning.

Lisa and I had to stop on our way back to the house because Eddie was moving cattle across the road. Lisa loved it as I'm taking photos and videos of this. But it's remarkable to watch. Their dogs are so well trained, Lisa says one good cattle dog is worth two men. When I was leaving the ranch, Eddie was still moving cattle, and I waited for about 20 minutes for him to get them out of the road for me.

Lisa and Eddie both impressed me, and I think they're doing very well for themselves. My impression is they could be successful at many other things, but they've chosen this lifestyle and are very pleased with it. It makes me a bit jealous; I know very few people who know what they love and get paid to do it. If my life had turned out quite differently, if I were raised in rural Nebraska like my mother and her siblings and their children, and I were confident around cattle and on horseback and unspoiled by Starbucks and shopping malls and good restaurants, I could see myself being very happy with the life Lisa leads. But then, we're all on our paths for a reason.

I did feel very satisfied, driving two more hours on I-80 toward Salt Lake City tonight, with the sun setting ahead of me behind the mountains and the Union Pacific Railroad on my left. I've done many things today I set out to do - see the mountains, cultivate strong ties with relatives, learn new things, and change my perspective.