[ I originally posted this to my FB page, but thought you guys on the BMW MOA site might enjoy the story as well. ] My friend Pete Wright and I took a ride up South Grade to Palomar Mountain and then down East Grade to a turnout overlooking Lake Henshaw today. As were were standing there taking it all in, a guy drives up, gets out of his vehicle and walks over to where we were standing with binoculars in his hand and starts looking out over the valley. I asked him what he was looking for and he replied my cattle. You mean those ones down there...I said, pointing off in a southeasterly direction. He smiled and said thanks!. Since I like talking to people and my curiosity was peaked, I asked if this was his land. Oh no, Im just the foreman of the ranch and I needed to know where those cattle were. Coming up here with binoculars is easier than saddling a horse and looking for them on the ground. Made sense to me. Ive always wanted to know about this area so I started asking questions. The answers were... The ranch is 42,000 acres. We run 3000-5000 head of cattle here. Right now we have 1500 head. My boss owns the grazing rights. The city of Vista owns the water rights to Lake Henshaw. He was as sharp as a tack. Digging a little deeper I learned... He was born in 1932. Came to San Diego in 1957. Was in Naval Aviation in the late 40s and early 50s. Married a gal out here, has children, grand children and great grand children. As we were standing there I mentioned the lake looks a little low....Oh its very low. See that mound over there covered with rocks...with the trees around it...thats Monkey Island errrr...well...Monkey Hill...water doesnt reach that far since they lowered the dam...so we call it Monkey Hill...but it used to be called Monkey Island. Not many people know that. He knew every hill, road, bush and tree and also noted that the stream you see down on the valley floor is fed by wells...there are 80 wells on the property, but occasionally we get runoff from Palomar Mountain...which can enlarge the lake pretty quickly. I remember when it went all the way around Monkey Hill but in those days it was an island. He proceeded to tell us again the reason for calling in Monkey Island. I didnt stop him, I enjoyed listening to him. :) Where are you originally from? I asked. I was born on a farm southeast of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Hey, I was born in Missouri too...up near Kansas City in a little town called Excelsior Springs. He smiles....been there a couple of times...they have mineral water there dont they? I then said with a grin...Youre one of those old hillbillys from the boot heal of Missouri Nope, he smiles...but I know some. I go back there every once in a while...I have 16 brothers and sisters...13 still living. WOW! 16 kids...guess there wasnt much for your parents to do down on the farm. :) He pauses a moment...has this cowboy of a grin on his face and says to Pete and I.... My dad had a piece of property down there that was divided by a railroad track that ran right near our house. Every morning at 4am a train went through. Made quite a racket. Now if youre wondering why there was so many kids in our family...my dad used to say...it was too early to get up and to late to go back to sleep....and thats why there are so many of us. I wasnt expecting that answer....it made me Pete and I laugh and it made my day. He said that one of his sisters died when she was 22, and two brothers were also gone, just like a bunch of his old friends around here. What he missed the most was talking to his friends about the old days and the things they had done as young men. I told him my dads Aunt Cathleen told me once the bad thing about living into your 90s is all your friends die off and to keep going you have to make new friends. Well, our new friend is named Art...he lives in a house near the corner of State Route 79 and County Road S2, which was the original Great Southern Overland Stage Coach Route coming out of the Anza Borrego Desert. Art is a spry, in shape, real life cowboy that was our honor to spend a half an hour with. As we departed he invited us to come see him next time we were out that way. We promised to take him up on that because from time to time, everyone needs new friends.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 04:09:19 +0000
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