For our second day in Utah, Herb took us to Calf Canyon. It is a beautiful area of sandstone rock and boulders, and more “classic Utah” scenery. I loved this giant split rock. Looks like it got struck by a lightning bolt. This old dead cottonwood tree had a lot of character. Shade was a … Continue reading Clamber up Calf Canyon →

It’s easy to think, as we observe our goats bashing each other at the feeders, bumping one another out of the way, and smacking their heads bloody, that they are generally selfish and hostile creatures who lack compassion for other members of their own species. It’s also easy to underestimate their intelligence. Yesterday, our goat … Continue reading TinCup to the rescue! →

Saturday Phil and I went to the Weld County Goat Extravaganza in Greeley to give a talk on packsaddle fitting. The class went well and I felt very prepared, but unfortunately only one family showed up. Finn and Sputnik were model citizens as I whisked saddles on and off of them, but any time we left … Continue reading Packsaddles, Pirates, and Neon →

We’re covered up in girls this year! Jezebel delivered two fine, healthy doelings this afternoon! First one is all dark chamoisee like her mother. Second is chamoisee with a blaze face and a white splash on one side. They were four days overdue and good-sized. Both weighed about 8.5 lbs. They’re very strong babies and … Continue reading Girls! Girls! Girls! →

We’re still having fun letting these kids be “inside goats” from time to time. They love prancing around and “skating” on the hard, slippery Pergo floor in the office, and they love bouncing on our various soft surfaces like couches and carpets. Skeeter’s never seen an udder this big! Is there milk in there? Blackbird investigates a … Continue reading Indoor adventures →

Last weekend my friend Jordan was home from college and we took Sputnik and Geronimo for a walk, along with Jordan’s little brother, Rodney. Jordan got some funny close-ups of Sputnik. Close-ups are usually Finn’s specialty, but Sputnik is getting more accustomed to taking the spotlight as time goes on. He was very clingy to me … Continue reading Ride that Big Ol’ Goat! →

Our last day in Arkansas was more exciting than planned. We looked at our map and found “Goat Bluff Trail” near the old ghost settlement of Erbie. It sounded like an easy, scenic loop. So far our National Geographic Trails Illustrated map had not let us down (I’d consulted it constantly on Tuesday’s long trek). The map … Continue reading “Goat Vacation” Day 9 – The Ghosts of Erbie, Arkansas →

Tuesday’s long hike had us all tired and footsore. Phil and I slept  late the next morning and so did Finn and Sputnik. When I opened the trailer door at around 10:00 Wednesday morning, both of them were curled up in nests of straw and didn’t look as though they had moved all night. They … Continue reading “Goat Vacation” Day 8 – Magical Rivers and Unicorn Forests →

And the fun didn’t stop! Goat Trail was only a there-and-back detour from the Centerpoint Trail, which we continued down for a couple more miles to Granny Henderson’s homestead, reluctantly abandoned when the Buffalo National River was established. Poor Granny. She was kicked out by the National Park Service even though she and her husband had built this … Continue reading “Goat Vacation” Day 7 Continued: Adventures along the Old River Trail →

We decided that our second day in Arkansas would be our “Big Day”. I had read about “Goat Trail” and obviously had to take our packgoats there. It looked like there were several other interesting trails that connected to the same area and I chose about a 10-12 mile route. We woke up to a … Continue reading “Goat Vacation: Day 7 – Bugs and Spiders and Goat Trail →