Amazing Stories from the USA (Arizona: Part 2)

 

Something like a good old friend who every now & then gives you a hard time well you know below the tire you're going to blow a tire am not the first one I changed I'm sure this am not going to be the last just got to get Into Tucson & get another one now uh haven't heard about David he got locked up yesterday for the failure to pay his child support & all this guy's laughing thought It was just so funny his wife left In such a hurry she never even stopped to ask for money she never even called just once to tell him where junior was so last Friday not driving back to his lonely home he started thinking I I'm not going to leave Arizona I don't think I mean I want to travel you know I'd like to see the whole rest of the world really tell you the truth & I'm going to try to see as much of It as I can I mean part of the biggest thing about being a musician Is It's kind of can be a tool for that you know maybe you're going to make any money there but you're going to get to see some places you know & It's a vehicle like that you know It can be If you're you know If that's your Intention you know but I always want to stay here you know I got a nice little circuit I do you know around the state different gigs I've been doing for some years different towns I've been playing for a long time see old friends when I play there & It's nice I never want to lose that yeah little yards say baby closing dishes for sale hallelujah baby clothes & dishes for sale Wyoming Is a l& where people still get around on horseback a land of breathtaking landscapes crossed by the rocky mountains that peak at over 4 000 meters It Is the least populated of the united states here not far from Yellowstone national park Richard fox has his ranch It's the end of May & normally at this time of year the grass Is growing & all the trees have leaves but this year as you can see It's still snowing at this time of year so we're facing some challenges feeding sour horses & our cattle & we live by nature's rules here Richard fox runs his family ranch perched at an altitude of 2 300 meters & Isolated from the rest of the world In this region the temperature can sometimes drop to minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius Wyoming Is a wild country land of wolves grizzlies beavers & the Imposing elk this morning Richard Is riding along the edge of the forest he's tracked down a stray cult that ran off from the herd that's a good boy from the day I was born I've been around horses um you know I started riding In my father's arms when I was six weeks old so really they're like family members to me & my whole family feels the same way we treat them very gently & uh you know have a lot of respect for horses are wonderful because um you can go so many places with them you know It's a little bit like a dog except you can also ride them the horses & the cattle I love the animals you know It's always you always feel at peace when you're around them they're uh you know very pure animals you know you can go any direction on the horses & we're very lucky because we're In the middle of the wilderness so we don't have any highways we don't have fences you know that block us off so we can go any direction both physically & I think mentally because we have these wide open spaces when the sun sets the mountains around the bitterroot ranch echo with a particular sound that goes way back to Richard’s childhood great once spring Is well underway they let the horses loose at sunset so they can spend the nights roaming freely In the mountains so I was born & raised In Wyoming & I spent my whole childhood growing up here & then I went away for university so I saw some other parts of the country & I experienced you know different lifestyles & realized how wonderful my lifestyle here In Wyoming Is & I think that's part of the reason that I love It so much you know I've seen other things & I've seen how lucky I am & my family Is to be here but I was lucky because I was born Into this lifestyle so I think many people have to search you know for something they love & you know for a passion In life & for me It was just natural after a long hard winter the spring thaw has begun the ranch Is coming back to life today Richard’s entire family Is pitching In with the work they have to drive a part of the herd up to the grazing lands recently freed from the snow these vast expanses they ride over these planes hills & mountains all this Is their home & they protect.

It um you know we do things the way they've been done In the west for over a hundred years um we you know we rely on the natural world the grass growing & the cattle having their calves just like the cowboys did In the old days this Is uh not a very decorative saddle this Is a real cowboy saddle for work It's designed to sit In for a lot of hours you're comfortable In this saddle all day It's uh It's like my office chair that I sit In every day as long as It's looked after & you know I keep loving It should last for you know generations actually my parents got this saddle for me when I graduated from high school so I've had It for many years & maybe I don't know I'll give It to my son when he graduates from high school I like to come up just by myself to get away from It all & see what's going on up here It's very peaceful very nice companionship with the horses you know you always have to pay attention to what the horse Is doing & so they keep you thinking you can't fall asleep & I can't drift off & think about other things I have to focus on the horse & on our relationship um It's a little bit like a dance & you have to pay attention to It or you'll step on your partner's toes or they'll step on yours I came up here this morning to see.

If we can bring our cattle up Into the mountains each summer we bring them up you know high Into the mountains for uh for the grass & I've discovered that there's a lot of snow up here so It's too early we are going to be able to bring our cattle up yet but frankly It's also kind of a nice trip to see you know just me with the two horses & we get away from It all & we can explore....To be Continued.