Cider Bend: September

Fall is definitely in the air at the farm. Everyone is starting to get their winter coats, the days are getting shorter, and the mornings are crisp and cold. I have a feeling our fall might be short, and I am really not ready for winter.

Cats:

Floof and Michem are doing great! Stormy is starting to hang out more in the hay barn now that the weather is cooler at night. We've had to run a couple other cats off, so they don't try to take over her warm winter area. 

Floof lives a pretty stress free, cushy life. 😄

Goats:

I got in a rut and didn't get the goats out much this summer. I'm back to starting to take them on walks and I've been letting them out in the pasture during the days to hang out with the cows. 

Chickens:

The chickens are still as fun as ever!

I let Tillie and Fern out to wander around the barn while I do my morning chores. One morning I was out cleaning corrals, and when I came back in, Tillie was in the donkey's stall. She's never done that before! Good thing the donkeys were eating and had no idea she was in there. I'm not sure what they would have done. Tillie couldn't figure out how to get back out, so I had to rescue her. 😅

I clean the coop out once a week, and Harriette comes in to visit me every single time. She just wanders around chatting at me. 😃

Here's Meatball sitting on another chicken. She's a total weirdo!

We get an average of a dozen eggs a day during the summer. I'm sure that will slow down once the cold weather hits, but right now it's hard to keep up! We sell some, and come up with every creative way we can think of to use up eggs, and I still end up with tons of them sitting on my counter.

Cows:

Opal and Ace got to have corn husks for the first time this month. it took a while for them to learn how to eat them, but now they are huge fans. 

I'm usually out doing chores in the morning right as the sun is coming up. I've been able to get some really good pictures of the cows with pretty sunrises.

I love this one!

Ace

Opal

Donkeys:

I feel like the world went a little crazy in September. So much heaviness, meanness, and negativity. I made a reel about how grateful I am for my farm. It's my little slice of peace while the world is busy using social media to hate on each other. All my little critters help keep me grounded and away from all the ugliness of the world. Nothing can calm my soul quite like an animal can.

Mark, Sawyer, and Amanda let the donkeys out in the dry lot so they could work on some stuff in their corral area. Clover was full of cute sass. It's my favorite thing!

Clover and Willow had their annual vet check up. They got their vaccines, and got their teeth floated for the first time. They gave them a light sedation for the process, and it was funny watching drunk donkeys. Floating their teeth is a process where they file down any teeth that get sharp. If you don't do it, eating becomes hard for them because their teeth poke into their gums. I could tell Willow needed it done, because I was finding little tuffs of chewed up food that she would spit out because it was getting painful for her to chew it up. She also had a few loose baby teeth that were hanging on, and also pushing into her gums. The vet removed a couple of those from Willow and one from Clover. The girls were so good during the process. Clover is a fighter if she is nervous about something, so even under sedation, they had to back her into the barn wall so she wouldn't have anywhere else to go. She's a tough little thing.

I added fresh bedding to the donkey's stall, and Willow helped me through the whole process. She is so dang smart, and so cute!

Random Stuff:

Our fruit trees kicked butt this year! The plum tree was so loaded! We picked them, and Mark made lots of plum jam, and fruit leather. Next year we'll have a freeze dryer, so we'll be able to process the fruit in a fun way.

Every branch looked like this!

So many plums!

I thought my garden was about done producing, so I ignored it for a week. When I went out, I had so many squash and zucchinis. 😂

We finally started picking our corn!

I was cleaning the donkey's stall on a rainy morning, and found a cute salamander walking through the stall. I got it out so it wouldn't get stepped on, and let it go on the canal road. When I went back in the barn, I found another one! The cute little pair must have come in the barn to get out of the rain. 

Cutest little smile!

Here's the second one!

I captured this beautiful picture of my barn with the sunset.

I was down in Utah one weekend pacing my friend at the Bear 100. Mark, Sawyer, and Amanda spent a Saturday working on the farm. Amanda painted a couple of our spindles, that we use as tables. I LOVE how they turned out!

So cute! We leave this big spindle outside the pasture gate to put halters and stuff on.

This is a half spindle that I use as the table to weigh the animal's food. It looks so much better than it did before. I love it!

That's about it on the farm for September. The next month should be spent getting everything prepped for winter! I can't believe how fast this year is flying by.

September Adventures

 Delta Lake

A group of us went and hiked Delta Lake in the Tetons. 

Getting started!

Looking back at Bradly and Taggart Lakes.

Cute little Pika.

Mark at Delta Lake.

Tricia at Delta.

The whole crew! Steve and Jamie's kiddos are great hikers.

On our way back down.

Tablerock:

Cris and I took a trip up Tablerock on a smoky day.

Bear 100 Preview:

I drove down to Logan to run the first 20 miles of the Bear 100 with Michelle. She took a few weekends to preview the majority of the course. She is gonna kick butt on race day!

I've never run any trails down there, and it's very pretty.

This is the sign of a great day in the mountains. 😆

Circles of Love:

Mark and I attended our second Circles of Love event in Blackfoot. This time we were walking/running for a little boy in the community that is battling leukemia. Mark and I did about 13 slow miles.

Kelly Mountain Trail to Lookout:

Ashlee and I ran from the Y Junction, up the Kelly Mountain Trail to the lookout. We had a nice, drizzly rain for a few minutes, so that was nice.

Cranky Cowboy:

Hadn't done Cranky in a while, so Mark and I made the loop and added the fun out and back connector trail.

Mount Idaho:

Mark did his second 12er, and this one was big! Mount Idaho is a tough one. It was my least favorite of the 12ers because of the route finding, but Mark, Jenn, and I did really good. We found a way better route than what Joyce and I did. The ridge line had a lot more exposure than I remembered, but Mark handled it like a champ! It was even a little bit out of Jenn's comfort zone on parts. We made it to the top and it ended up being a great day!

We covered the first couple miles in the dark.

There are a few boulder fields to cross before the climb to the saddle.

Our first good glimpse of where we were headed!

We made it to the saddle!

Climbing over the first section of the ridge.

Came to a clearing where we could finally see the top.

We were almost to the top when two hikers came up on us. They were FAST! Turns out it was Brianna, one of Bailey's good friends from cross country. She was a freshman when Bailey was a senior, and we just loved her. Her hiking buddy (boyfriend ?) had just set the FKT on Diamond Peak. Crazy that we were see someone we know way up there on a peak that not a lot of people climb.

Looking back at the ridge line we crossed.

Almost to the top!

Last push to the summit!

We made it!
This was Jenn's first time up this one too.

Mount Idaho is not for the faint of heart, and Mark did awesome! Conquering his fear of heights one peak at a time!

It's so fun doing these with him! I didn't think I'd be hiking the 12ers again, but I'll do whatever ones he wants.

Kelly Canyon:

Ashlee, Ashley, and I did a nice 10 miler in Kelly Canyon. I've been hiking so much, my running isn't great right now. It's all I can do to keep up with these gals. I'm dedicating October to getting myself back in running shape.

Fall is starting to hit Kelly Canyon.

We saw a pretty moose.

Bear 100 Pacing:

I had the privilege of pacing Michelle at the Bear 100. It's a 100 mile race from Logan to Bear Lake, with over 21,000 feet of vertical gain. It's no joke! The course is so gorgeous with the fall colors hitting their peak. Just driving up the canyon to the aid station was making me giddy to get out in those colors. The race is run so well. The aid stations were amazing, the course is spectacular, and they seem to have the logistics down really well. 

Ashlee and I left Rigby at noon on Friday to head to Logan. Each runner could only have one crew/pacer vehicle at the aid stations, so we met up with Alex and Will, transferred out stuff to their vehicle, and set out to meet Michelle at the Temple Fork aid station, 45 miles into the race. Ashlee and I split up the pacing duty, and Alex and Will were her crew. 

I ran a 6.2 mile section from Temple Fork to Tony Grove. It was so pretty! Michelle was in great spirits, and was glad to finally have some company on the trail. She was moving great, and still had a lot of run left in her legs. She was power hiking the uphills at a good clip and still able to run the flats and the downhills. A few miles in, she got sick to her stomach and puked. From there, she dry heaved her way into the next aid station. This was something she ended up dealing with for the remainder of the race. She was super tough, and just dealt with it as best she could.

Mile 45!
 Taking care of her feet because she could feel some hot spots forming.

Here we go!

This was a gorgeous section!

We ended that section in the dark and Ashlee took over pacing for the next 10 miles.

Michelle & Ashlee

My next section was Franklin Basin to Beaver Mountain. It was 14.7 miles with a lot of climbing. This whole section was through the night. I love pacing people through the night. There is something very peaceful about being out on the trails in the mountains with only the light of your headlamp. I could tell the miles were stating to catch up with Michelle. Her uphill was slowing a bit, but she was still doing great at running the downs.

I passed her off the Ashlee who paced her for the longest stretch of 16 miles. They were in the dark for a couple miles and then the sun came up. This was a tough section for Michelle. She was approaching mile 90, and really feeling it. Her stomach was still bad, and the dust was making her throat close off and it was really hard for her to breathe.

My final pacing section was Ranger Dip to the finish line, an 8 mile section. Michelle had one brutal climb left that was a mile long. I knew she was struggling, and I knew this was going to be tough! I was feeling all the emotions right along with her. I knew how much she was hurting. I remember the feeling of thinking 8 more miles was insurmountable, and thinking it would never end. I tried my best to say encouraging things and talk to her to keep her mind occupied. 

This was her final check in! Off to the finish line we went!

We were finally reaching the top of the final climb!

Look at those colors!

It was a pick me up to finally see Bear Lake. That's where the finish was, and once you could see it, it probably felt a little more doable to her.

Bear Lake was gorgeous! This was my first time being there, and I totally want to go back!

This was an exciting moment! She worked so hard for this, and it was so rewarding seeing it all pay off for her!

Tricia-Michelle-Ashlee
It was an honor to be a pacer for Michelle!

Will-Tricia-Michell-Ashlee-Alex
Will is Michelle's coach, and Alex is her fiancé.

I truly know this feeling!

I ended up pacing for a total of 29 miles with just over 7000 ft of vert. I loved it all! Congratulations Michelle, for a huge accomplishment.

Dunanada Falls:

Dunnanda Falls was the perfect way to end the month! Things have been really heavy and sad lately, and this is just what my heart needed. My good friend lost her teenage son, another friend lost her husband, our sweet prophet passed away, and all you have to do is open a news page to get depressed. There is nothing that can calm my soul quite like a day on the trails with amazing people. I'm so grateful I surround myself with women who lift me up in all the areas of my life!

Cris, Britta, Tonya, and I thought we were going to have a day with crappy weather, but it ended up being perfect! Man, we lucked out! We had great temperatures, and no wind or rain, despite an angry sky on our way back. Right when we got in the car to head home, the rain started.

The fall colors in Yellowstone are amazing right now! the whole trail was spectacular!

Look at those reds!

Lots of water crossings on this one!

😍😍😍

Dunanda Falls

There is nothing quite like soaking in hot pools at the base of a giant waterfall.

Cris-Brita-Tricia-Tonya

Look at that sky! This was 17.5 miles, and we never got rained on!

This little cutie was at the end of our hike, and was not one bit scared of us. She slowly moved off the trail as we came by, and then just stopped and watched us.

Like always, a great month of adventures!