Dec 5, 2011

FHE in Snow Cave for Christmas Eve

One year in the 1990’s and I think it was 1993, we had a particularly hard winter early in the winter season. So I was having to shovel snow off of the roof of the house since it was over 20 inches deep and I was starting to worry about the strength of the roof. So I shoveled it off once and then another huge storm came in and I had to shovel it again. Well the mounds of snow were getting pretty deep in the front and back of the house even to the point that I no longer used a ladder to get off of the roof since it was a very short jump down to the snow. It was nearly Christmas and in fact I had shoveled once on Christmas eve day. I suddenly had an idea to make a snow cave. It was not my first snow cave but it was the first one that I had ever built on my own property. So with Ben and Jeff’s help we made a snow cave and then for our Christmas Eve home evening we held it in the snow cave.  It was not quite like the stall where Christ was born but it felt a lot more like it than our family room. It is hopefully a memory that will stand out in my children’s memory for their entire lives. The day after Christmas we left Mapleton and went to Arizona. I had closed the hole to the cave so no one would know it was there before we left. We enjoyed the warm weather in Arizona for a week and then went home. The weather had been a little more  warm in Mapleton during that week as well so when we returned the cave had caved in to where we couldn’t get into it again. I was glad that we had spent that one evening in it at least for all the work that it took to make it.

Dec 4, 2011

Deer Hunting, the Road with Harold, plus the big one with Steve

I had several years of deer hunting after my first one with dad but that was the only one when we actually went and stayed at the ranch the night before. From that hunt until I was 18 I never missed another deer hunt. We pretty much would get up early on the morning of the hunt and go before it got daylight over into the orchard which was about a quarter of a mile from the house and there get at least one deer before even starting to hunt with my cousins and uncles. After we would get that one hung up in the barn we would go to Nana’s place in Duchesne and meet up with everyone else. It would still be quite early and they would all be ready so we would load into the trucks and head for Indian canyon. There would be 5 or so of us in the back of each truck, usually there were 3 or 4 trucks. We would go up Indian canyon about a mile and then head east on a dirt road for another mile or so and then turn south again and drive along the ridge of the hills that would drop down into Indian Canyon. I could never figure out quite how everyone else knew but at some point the trucks would start dropping one or two people out at the head of each draw. If we were the first ones off we would wait for several minutes I suppose to let the others get dropped off further up the canyon and then we would start down the ridges watching and listening for the deer that would be moving back into the hills from the fields in Indian Canyon, the fields that were owned by dad and his brothers. I didn’t carry a rifle since you had to be 16 to do so at that time. I would usually go with Clair or Stan and walk with them helping them to watch both side of the ridge. I can remember some years seeing a lot of deer filing up the draw into the hills and then when the big one would come along going to try and bag it. The worst part of the day always started tough when and if one was bagged. We would have to clean it and then start dragging it down the canyon to where we could drive to it and put it in the trucks. One year I remember hearing the smashing of horns below us, I believe I was with Clair that year. We hurried down to where the sound was only to hear it stop and then found where two bucks had apparently been fighting because the ground was all messed up and some dust was still lingering in the air. We didn’t see either of them but we were sure excited and tried to find them. I don’t think that we were successful. I still can see the year when 5 big bucks were all loaded into the trucks after that morning push. Usually after we had gone there above the ranch we would then load up again and go to right hand fork of Indian canyon and go to five mile canyon where we would then park all the trucks in the same area and then walk up the canyon and filly span out and walk up to the top of the hill where we would then be far enough apart to see each other and anything that might try to go between us and then walk back around the hill to where dad or someone else would be waiting. Every now and then we would drive a deer into the area where he could get it. When dad had a chance to shoot at a deer he didn’t miss. I was never that good.

Later when I was able to carry a rifle the older brothers had all pretty much left home and so the deer hunt changed. I would go with my neighbor Harold Spencer and in the case of my last hunt with Steve Aycock my cousin.

The years that I went with Harold were particularly interesting years. One year he drove up Grass hollow and up a road that I wasn’t even sure a horse would be safe on let alone a truck. I was on the passenger side looking down off the hillside being quite sure that we would soon be rolling down it in the truck. Harold made it all the way to the top though and was even able to turn around. We got out and hunted from there. I think I even went around and down the side of the mountain until I was back into the bottom of the valley just so I wouldn’t have to ride back down that road. It was pretty scary and I don’t even remember seeing a deer for all that trouble.

One year we went to 5 mile canyon and the two of us were alone. We walked up the valley to get to the area where we could go up the hill and were being followed by a coyote. Harold was the one who first spotted it and we watched it stalk us for almost a half mile before he finally turned and shot at it. It decided I guess at that point we were not the best of meals to try to obtain. We never saw it again the entire time we were in the canyon.

The last year that I went hunting was with my cousin Steve who was several years older than I and who was teaching a Duchesne High School. It was my senior year and the last time I would most likely hunt deer in Duchesne. It was the last Saturday of the hunt and dad and mom had gone to Provo for some reason so Steve and I went by ourselves. Harold had lost two steers that year just before deer season and thus was without meat for his family. I told him that if I was lucky enough to get one that I would give it to him since our family didn’t need it that year. Steve and I went way up Strawberry ridge east of Indian canyon. We finally stopped and got out at the top of a large canyon. Steve said to me I will go to the bottom and you stay about half way up on the hill. If I see anything I will whistle and I f you see anything whistle to me. Well as I started down the hill I came on a set of very large tracks and was pretty intent on following the tracks when I came around the front of the ridge and could see Steve down below me. The next thing I knew he whistled and pointed across a small ravine ahead of me. I looked and there was a huge buck walking up the ridge. I aimed my rifle then whistled. It stopped and looked over at me and I placed the bead on the animal just behind the shoulder.  I could see his entire body in my open sights so I was sure that I would miss. I squeezed the trigger and he dropped right there. Later as we were cleaning him we found that the bullet had hit him in the neck and bounced off the bone and gone through his heart. I to this day will not claim that it was my skill that shot that deer rather the bullet was guided by someone else who knew that Harold needed to meat for his family. Since it had not been spooked and was killed instantly the meat was sweet and had no wild taste to it. It was also very large and had plenty for Harold family. It took Steve and I 5 hours to get him back up to the truck. It was nearly dark and we started for home. Just a few yards down the hill a little two point buck jumped across the road. Steve said this one is mine as he stopped, pulled his rifle from behind the seat and aimed between the trees where the buck would soon be. He shot it and a few minutes later one handed picked it up and put it in the back of the truck with the one that he and I struggled to get in just a few minutes before. We were both successful but I know why and will never be convinced otherwise.

Dec 3, 2011

Deer Hunting and The Ranch

When I was really young I was always very jealous of the older boys who got to go deer hunting with dad and my uncles and cousins. I just couldn’t wait until it was my turn to start going. Well, finally the day came and I got to go with them to the ranch where we all slept in the cabin in Indian Canyon. We ate supper there and cleaned and prepared the rifles and sharpened the hunting knives and basically just had a good time. I was probably 8 or 10 years old, I really don’t remember for sure. Anyway I got to sleep on the floor and didn’t really sleep that well. It was 4 am when everyone started to get up. It wasn’t really too hard for me to get up then considering I had been too excited to sleep all night anyway. We had breakfast and that was a treat in itself since the cabin only had a wood burning stove and I got to see Uncle Mont get that ready before he could cook.

After breakfast we all went out and saddled the horses. We went across the road and rode up into the hills while it was still dark outside. The gorses were really good at being able to see their way so it was almost like everyone went back to sleep while on the horses. I am sure they were not asleep but that was the feeling I got because we rode along in such silence. I was on the back of the horse behind dad and was going to be with him all day. It was fun but we didn’t see any deer. The thing that I remember most from that day was when it was noon dad decided to stop riding and to sit under a pinyon pine tree for lunch. I have no idea where anyone else was but knew that we were on the edge of a hill and there were pine nuts right there where we were eating lunch. Dad then following lunch laid down under the tree and went to sleep. I wanted too but was still too excited to do it. So I sat there listening to the quietness of the day. We had heard rifle shots earlier in the day but even the rifle shots had ended. I suppose that is because everyone else was doing just what dad was doing and the deer for the most part settle down at that time of the day as well. 

It wasn’t but maybe a half hour though that dad had been asleep when I heard rocks sliding on the hillside just below where we were staying. I jumped up and ran over to where I could see what was causing the noise just and saw a deer going across the rocks below us. Apparently someone had started to move and caused it to move as well. I ran back and woke dad up but by the time we were back to the spot the deer had disappeared. I don’t remember getting a deer that day and I don’t think that dad was too disappointed about it either. I had fun though and the fact that I finally got to even see a deer was pretty special. The best part though was spending the entire day with my dad. I was really sore that night from riding on the horse so long but that didn’t even matter either cause now I had been on the deer hunt for the first time.

Dec 2, 2011

Ben's pizza delivery, riding on the car engine

When Ben was in high school he got a job with Slice A Pizza delivering pizza’s for them. One night he called and said that the car, the family car, was running at top speed and he couldn’t get it to stop without turning off the car. Marie and I went over to see what we could do. I am no mechanic and that night only proved it again to me but I opened the hood and knew enough about cars that I could take the idling arm and push it to where the car would not run full blast. I then sat on the engine and Ben and Marie drove the several blocks to Max’s car repair where we would leave it so Max could fix it the next day. That was one interesting ride since Ben had to look between the crack of the hood and the engine to see where he was going and having no control over the speed since that was what I was doing  on the engine. We arrived quite safe and to my surprise Max and his son were there working on some cars so his son came out and took one look and freed the spring that controlled the cruise control. He then disconnected the cruise control and we ran it that way the rest of the years that we owned the car.

Dec 1, 2011

Kidney Disease and a trip to St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City.

When I was 10 or so years old, I don’t remember specifically, I was out in the barn and had to use the bathroom so as we always did when out in the barn yard or camping I just went number one in the gutter where the cows always let go while we were milking. I was scared this time though because it came out red with blood. I told mom about it and we were soon on our way to the doctor’s office in Roosevelt. It wasn’t long after we got there that I was then admitted into the hospital in Roosevelt. I was in the hospital for several days as various and sundry tests were ran and with no closer clue as to what was wrong. I didn’t have any more issue of blood but they were running tests none the less. Finally it was determined that I would need to go the Salt Lake City for more tests since their equipment was much more up to date. So on a Wednesday night I spent my last day in the hospital at Roosevelt before mom and dad would come get me to take me to Salt lake City. I was asked by the nurse that night what I would like to drink and my answer was the standard “7-Up” since I knew Pepsi and coke had caffeine in them and mom had always taught us not to drink them for that reason. The nurse however informed me that I had had 7-Up all week and it was time to have something different and so she brought me a Pepsi.  I obediently drank the Pepsi and then tried to go to sleep but instead all I could do was vomit all night. I am sure that it wasn’t caused by the Pepsi but rather my mind, however, it left such a lasting memory that I have never been able, nor even tempted, to ever drink either of them again. Well my parents came on Thursday and I was taken home. I remember it was night and I anxiously looked for the lights of the house as we rode toward Duchesne on Highway 40. It was really a special moment when I could see the lights from the front porch.

The next afternoon we traveled to Salt Lake City. It took forever at 50 miles per hour to go from Duchesne to Fruitland to Strawberry Valley and then Heber and finally down the canyon into Salt Lake City. I recall that it was in October because I counted over 250 cars and trucks, mostly trucks, going up the canyon out of Salt lake as men and boys were headed to the mountains for the start of the deer hunt the next day. I was admitted to the St Marks hospital and remember being in a room where 8 beds were set up. I was the only one n the room. The next day I was not alone as the room was filled with boys that had been involved in various accidents while deer hunting, a couple of them had been shot with 22 rifles. Monday morning they came in at 7 am and started giving me drugs to knock me out prior to some exploratory surgery on my bladder. I was brought back to me room to wake up and I still recall how puzzled I was in the fact that The Lone Ranger was on TV so early in the day. It was always 4 PM or later out in Duchesne. Little did I know until I looked at the clock that I had been under all day. That spinning of the room that occurred just before I checked out had put me to sleep for an entire day. I don’t know if they ever figured out what was wrong but it never happened to me again for which I have been very grateful since it really hurt to do a number one after they had finished their exploring that day in the hospital.