As the 90 degree plus weather is among us, and summer is in full swing, I think this post is more than appropriate. Now coming from Northern California and 100 plus degree summers, I can honestly say the heat is no biggie. But the DESERT has other nuances too offer, many this California girl has come to learn the hard way. But I must say, this is my favorite time of year. Long days, early mornings, late nights, rodeos, ropings and an exhausted feeling only horse, ranch, and rodeo people can appreciate. Days start before sun up, and if we are home before 9:00pm, we are probably doing something wrong. And you can forget about weekends- wait what are those……. Since the start of branding season, the last weekend of March, I can’t remember the last time I was home on a Saturday or Sunday. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Growing up as a show brat, spring and summers are made of all of this. The smell of the fairgrounds in the morning, freshly watered arena dirt, and the humming of a tractor is simply music to this girls ears. Now with this all being said, I have compiled a list of Desert Cowboying Essentials. Now these aren’t just for cowboying, they are essentials for summer ranch rodeos too. Trust me, I used every single one of these at the Ranch Rodeo we went too over the 4th of July. This list could definitely be a mile long, but I tried to keep it narrowed down to those things we can’t live without.
1. Chapstick– and not just any old chapstick, the kind with SPF. This is by far a must. I only made this mistake once. Being 4000 feet closer to the sun, and on some ranches 10,000 feet closer to the sun, your poor lips take a beating. After a gather in Bodie and a souvenir of blistered lips I will never leave home without my SPF chapstick. Stick them everywhere, cup holders, ice chests, trailers, medicine bags, you name it. And buy in bulk!
2. Sunscreen- Same goes for the rest of your skin. You need it out here! I hardly ever wore sunscreen before, but once I moved out here, its coveted like that chapstick.
3. Bug spray– you wouldn’t think bugs and mosquitoes are bad but some places it feels like they can pack you away. I wear it 24/7. I layer on my sunscreen and finish her off with a little bug spray. One might think of the desert as dry, well your WRONG! With hay fields, and meadows, and BOGS, its like a feasting ground for bugs. And rodeoing in lovely Bridgeport, trust me you need it. Keep a bottle in every pick-up, trailer, and travel bag!
4. Ball caps- the desert is a lovely WINDY place. The baseball cap is not just to shade you from the sun, but really for the wind. You never know when Mariah, what we have named the wretched four letter word- wind, will show up. It can be a beautiful day and all of a sudden, someday says “hey its not even windy today”, and before you know it she’s blowing with vengeance. I’m not sure anymore what my hair looks like with out a hat. Buy a hat or 4, maybe even 8. You will need it. Pop-ups are nice too for rodeos, but be ready to catch it as its blowing by you in the grand stands. So just make sure you have a ball cap!
5. Sweater or Jacket– I know you are thinking why would I need that, you just complained about the sun. Well friends, the desert is like a unsatisfied customer. One minute its sunny and the next its pouring down rain. Trust me, you will thank me! I’ve seen four seasons in a matter of hours out here. Just throw one in each pick-up or car and you will be glad you did.
6. Ice Chest/Lunch Bag– and pack it full of plenty of water and snacks. Remember how I mentioned those long days….. and if your man friend is anything like mine, he doesn’t stop for lunch. Or there is no civilization for miles. I have this awesome little green lunch box/ice chest deal. I NEVER leave home without it. Even if he says we will just be a minute. Don’t trust those words, nothing with cows or the desert takes a minute. Keep the bag well stocked with drinks and snacks and you might survive! Heck, I even shove water and snacks in medicine bags. Its a must! OOOHHHH and my bag has all these little pockets where I keep extra chapstick, sunscreen, a ballcap, roping gloves, dally rubber, toilet paper ( I will get to that), and even essential oils! Yup, all of the above go every day and everywhere!
7. Toilet paper- need I say more………. long days, no lunch breaks, and wide open spaces. Throw a few pieces in your pocket and you will make it! And porta- potties run out at rodeos. Your TP will be a hot commodity. Heck, you could even charge by the square.
8. Roping gloves– this is like getting caught without toilet paper. You never know when you might need to rope something. And trust me, sometimes you just need to. Or enter a roping, or rope the dummy in the parking lot. Stash those babies everywhere. Saddle gullet, lunch box, glove box, pocket, etc. Buy them fancy pink or orange ones in a pack of 20 and you will be set. Never leave home without them.
9. Long Sleeve Shirts– It goes along with the chapstick, sunscreen, ball cap! Believe it or not, the long sleeves do keep you cooler when you are in the sun. Buy one or a few. Heck buy one for the rodeo you enter. You get the drill!
10. A Sense of Humor– this is last but definitely not least. You will need a TON of this. Some days nothing seems to go right. You get the side-by-side stuck, then bury the jeep trying to pull out the side-by-side. You have to walk who knows how many miles to the pick-up, with holey boots, through a rushing river. The cattle don’t want to go through the gate so they tear the fence out. Not just any fence one that runs through a bog. So now you are thigh deep in mud and water. Your dog quits you mid gather, your horse sucks a shoe off, and all this happens before 10am! Yes this seems to happen more often than not. But it is all worth it my friends. It builds character and gives us humor. It’s the makings of a great story to share with friends.
Because when it all goes right, there is no better feeling. You can’t beat the smell of summer rain, or fresh cut alfalfa. The crispness of a cool morning and checking baby calves. Doctoring in beautiful meadows and ranch rodeos with dear friends. The smell of sage brush and watching a doe and fawn walk across the field. As long as you have the above 10 essentials, you won’t be surviving the storm but rather dancing in the rain. I say pack that snack bag full of the essentials, head down the rodeo road, and build a little humor!
