Moving to summer pastures

[slackjawed]

I am currently moving stock up to the high country. As you can see in the pics, the snow is almost gone, with some drifts remaining above 8000 feet. I have a few bulls, a couple cows and 11 horses. I follow the grass and it's a late winter, time to get out of town.
I stay at Big lake Camp all summer, 30 miles south of Springerville, AZ. If anyone comes up to camp, hike or fish, stop by the Big Lake General Store and ask about slackjawed.
Because of the fact that there is a poor cell signal, you guys will start seeing less of slackjawed, just like last summer.
google big lake ARIZONA, there is a webpage, but itis a commercial site and I can't post a link to it here. Big lake also has a facebook page. there are several pictures of slackjawed on both the big lake web site and the big lake facebook page.
See if you can guess which one is me.........
The following are some pics I took in the last few days;

 

[boedicca]

Wow! Gorgeous! Hope you have a fabulous summer.

 

[Samson]

How come there's no illegal Mexicans in the pics?

 

[slackjawed]

How come there's no illegal Mexicans in the pics?

because they stay in Springerville, life is easier in town. the roads are still closed for another week, but we get illegals in the forest in the summer.
I might be able to get pics later of the pot farms later, last few years they were manned by illegals.

Right now there are just a few of us in the forest, and it sure is nice.

 

[Samson]

How come there's no illegal Mexicans in the pics?

because they stay in Springerville, life is easier in town. the roads are still closed for another week, but we get illegals in the forest in the summer.
I might be able to get pics later of the pot farms later, last few years they were manned by illegals.

Right now there are just a few of us in the forest, and it sure is nice.

Make sure you get them to sign a waiver before you take their pics.....you don't want the ACLU coming down accusing you of violating their Rights to Privacy.

 

[slackjawed]

How come there's no illegal Mexicans in the pics?

because they stay in Springerville, life is easier in town. the roads are still closed for another week, but we get illegals in the forest in the summer.
I might be able to get pics later of the pot farms later, last few years they were manned by illegals.

Right now there are just a few of us in the forest, and it sure is nice.

Make sure you get them to sign a waiver before you take their pics.....you don't want the ACLU coming down accusing you of violating their Rights to Privacy.

I am going to do what I do every summer. I am going to move and mind my stock, work down at the store a little, teach folks how to fly fish, play a few gigs, fish a lot and keep the smoker fired up.
Politics takes 2nd, or even 5th place to all those things.........

 

[Zoom-boing]

How gorgeous. You live in a pretty, pretty part of this country! Is that you on the FB page standing next to the "Warning, Keep Off Dock" sign? Cause that's how I picture you.

 

[johnrocks]

I visit my Brother 3-4 times a year who lives in Farmington N.M., I noticed this is in Apache County Az. which is the first County from Farmington, I plan on coming there in August; just left a couple weeks ago; might have to come over, that is some pretty country and we want to do some fishing;perhaps some fly fishing.

 

[Coyote]

Nice pictures Slackjaw - what gorgeous country

Do you use stockdogs to move your cattle?

 

[Toro]

Cool.

 

[Truthmatters]

Have fun SJ

 

[slackjawed]

How gorgeous. You live in a pretty, pretty part of this country! Is that you on the FB page standing next to the "Warning, Keep Off Dock" sign? Cause that's how I picture you.

Yes, that's me in the red jacket next to the keep off the dock sign. A snowmobile hit it and I was fixing it, my wife told me to wave and took the pic.
Yes, i use the dogs and horses to move the cattle and horses.
The fishing will be good at the lake until the middle of july, then it falls off for 3-4 weeks, and then is good again til the snow flys.
Fly fishing opportunities are plentiful in this area in the lakes, rivers and streams. This place is about 3.5 hours from Farmington. I hate to say it, but the Animas north of Farmington is some of the best fly fishing in the SW.

I have one more group of stock to move, and then I am ready to move my motorhome. The wife says no water&power, no move! lol

I can be found all summer by asking for slackjawed at the general store.
An alternate way to find me is to get yourself in trouble out on the lake or even in the forest. Slackjawed takes exception to folks trying to drown in the lake or being lost in the forest and finds them pulls them out. I haven't lost anyone in 3 years on the lake.

Thanks for all the comments! Hope to see some of you soon at the lake.

 

[Truthmatters]

same hat?

 

[slackjawed]

same hat?

Just to avoid confusion, I will post the pic zoom-boing was reffering to. The wind was so bad I left my hat in the truck. This pic was taken last Thursday, by Friday the ice on the lake was gone. Ther wind had blown it over on the eastern shore in piles 4-5 tall.
ADOT opened the road Today, May first. It is now legal to drive up here.
Depending on what I am doing, I either wear a big lake ball cap, or a black felt cowboy hat with a turquoise and quill band.

 

[slackjawed]

Some of the funniest questions from customers thus far this season;

customer;"When is going to stop raining?"
slackjawed's response; "2:15"

customer; "If the campgrounds are full what can I do?"
slackjawed; "You can camp in the Apache National forest outside the recreation area anywhere you can legally pull off the road and set up camp at least 1250 feet from the marked forest road."
customer; "What if the forest is full too?"

customer; "Do you rent boats?"
slackjawed;"yes"
customer;"Are the boats you rent on the lake or do I have to bring it with me?"

customer; " Are there bears in the forest?"
slackjawed; " " (speechless)


customer; "Do you have a dog grooming parlor?"
slackjawed;"Yes, it is right next to the starbucks and accross the street from the walmart."

customer; "Where are the fish?"
Slackjawed;"In the lake."

customer(who I just pulled out of the lake after they sunk their own boat and lost all their tackle, said in my boat, wrapped in my blanket on the way back to the dock);
"When do you clean the lake so I can get my stuff back?"
slackjawed;"Nobody cleans the lake, your stuff is right where you left it, at the bottom of the lake."
customer;"I want the phone number of the manager, I am going to tell him you are planning to keep my stuff."
slackjawed;"So....you want me to throw you back in so you can get it?"



It's been a good season so far, even with the nutjobs......

 

[Epsilon Delta]

If I were to actually go and ask for Slackjawed, would people really know I was referring to you? Cuz if so, that's an interesting nickname. oASIDHPOIDSSDihjsdpoaiapohi

EDIT: Oh yeah, and really nice pictures by the way. My roomate's into the wilderness big time and camping and hiking and all that, and he loves that sort of outdoorsy stuff. It's always seemed fascinating to me, but I'm too much of a lazy urban softie to ever really go into that sort of activity for any significant period of time. Have fun, though.

 

[slackjawed]

If I were to actually go and ask for Slackjawed, would people really know I was referring to you? Cuz if so, that's an interesting nickname. oASIDHPOIDSSDihjsdpoaiapohi

EDIT: Oh yeah, and really nice pictures by the way. My roomate's into the wilderness big time and camping and hiking and all that, and he loves that sort of outdoorsy stuff. It's always seemed fascinating to me, but I'm too much of a lazy urban softie to ever really go into that sort of activity for any significant period of time. Have fun, though.

Yes, if you come to Big lake, or even Eagar/Springerville and ask for slackjawed, people will tell you where to find me.
I work at the Big Lake Store and Marina.

 

[slackjawed]

Nice pictures Slackjaw - what gorgeous country

Do you use stockdogs to move your cattle?

I have few dogs, so yes the dogs help. The cows know the way though, I push them up and down the mountain on horseback.

 

[slackjawed]

proof there are bears in the forest.
I was not as close as it looks, the pic is blurry because of my use of the zoom on my camera.

 

[Coyote]

Nice pictures Slackjaw!

Got any of cattle, dogs and horses on the move? With the cowboy hat?

What a great summer....

(ok - I'm jealous! )