Extra Weight In The Back

I am so happy that Mike was able to haul a load of animals over the mountain to Madras for the auction. He had me pulling up Trip Check several times a day to look at road conditions since they can change quickly this time of year. Back when I worked away from the farm, and before I had the opportunity to have the internet on my phone, Trip Check was and still is available in audio version by phoning 511. Plugging in the highway number and area information such as number 1 for Seaside to Portland, etc., the information can be accessed from nearly anywhere but Mike doesn’t care to listen through all the setup and details of extra trivia.

Also since Mike doesn’t rely on the internet, but only relies on the people who use the internet, I was requested to check the road conditions on the website often during the last week. Trip Check with the strategic roadside cameras, detailed road conditions and the 511 option had me looking up each wayside and pass often.

On the actual drive, Mike did encounter several areas of ice through the passes and by Government Camp on Mount Hood, but was able to navigate to the roads with his heavy load of five heifers and one bull.

Unloading the critters at the auction yard was uneventful with a smooth transition into awaiting pens. The crew at the auction yard deal with several hundred to thousands of animals each week and have it down to a science. The animals did well on the trip and unloaded easily.

Since Madras is close to Prineville, Mike wanted to stop at the farm where we purchase our herd sires and visit with the awesome Coleman family before heading back over the icy passes. He did have me check Trip Check one last time before heading back onto the highway to make sure there was no snowfall during the day that could clog the roads.

While visiting, Mike added some weight to the pickup and trailer for better traction on the way home. He purchased a couple of bales of hay. He only got two, which is a good thing since there would not have been room for any more. Each bale weighs over 1100 lbs.

Since I had done all the Trip Check checking and found that there was no moisture expected when Mike got home I didn’t worry about throwing a tarp over the bale that was in the bed of the pickup. He had pulled into the driveway after 9pm and I wasn’t wild about running out in the frosty night air just to wrangle with a tarp anyway.

Getting the bales out of the pickup and trailer would wait until the daylight. We are glad the animals made it safely to the auction yard, that Mike was able to visit with some dear friends and that travel was smooth an uneventful. Trip Check will be put on hold for quite a while since there are no expected travel trips planned.