We finish out the season and return to civilization

While our plan to leave was in the works I continued on with the many tasks waiting to be done.
In mid-June we began readying the equipment for haying.

I attached new cutters to the silage chopper (as shown in the photo on right) that were serrated triangular shaped "teeth" that acted like a hedge clipper does with a sawing motion cutting the grasses which are then pulled by rollers into the machine where a set of rotating knives (which I also replaced with sharpened ones)chop them into pieces that look just like lawn clippings.

These are then blown out of the chute into the silage truck, or the "high dump." (shown on left)

The high dump would raise up and tip into the dump truck,or directly into the big silage pits situated around the ranch in convenient locations.
The choice could be made if the weather wasn't good for drying hay to use the chopper and pack the silage for winter feed.

This involved driving a tractor over the contents of the pit gradually packing it tight enough to exclude air and decomposition (very boring job).

The silage fermented into a sweet smelling product that gave the cattle very nice breath!

Again I thoroughly enjoyed the process of cutting the hay using the "haybine" which used cutters similar to the silage chopper, but then fed the grass through rollers that crimped or "conditioned" the  grass to retain the nourishment in the product as it dried.

With the new cutters I made great progress each day and the weather was very cooperative.

Once the hay had been raked with the attachment, Al came along with the "haystacker"(shown below) that picked up the dried product and compressed it into big stacks of a ton each.

Once we had all of the hay cut we had the job of moving the 80+ stacks we had produced to a fenced in "stack yard" where deer,moose and cattle wouldn't get at them.

These were a bit tricky to get underneath using the "stack mover" which employed a conveyor-type system of rotating chains that pulled the stack onto the platform as we slowly backed under it.
The big stacks often threatened to disintegrate when tipped at a steep angle before plopping into position.
It was then a pleasant drive several miles to the yard where we then had to put huge tarps over them for weather protection.

Some of the real positive attributes of the ranch were the breath taking vistas everywhere one looked.

The view from our windows revealed big fields that at night sometimes shared their beauty with the Northern Lights.
A few times I saw silhouetted a big owl perched on the wire fence hooting occasionally.

Other wildlife included rare sightings I had of wolves and bear. Al reported seeing a wolverine during the winter which is something I have yet to experience.
The very fresh air was something I was always aware of as I inhaled its sweetness frequently throughout the day.

In early evening it was at its most fragrant as the dew began to form.
In early September we had the big 80 acre field at 982 done and ready for planting.
The mornings were frosty and I remember feeling quite cold riding the atc up to Al's in the early part of the day.

My Mum's contact with Phil came to fruition just in time as he decided he needed to expand his business and with my offer of assistance we made plans for the middle of October when we would return to Richmond where Mum was searching for a suitable rental home for us.

On our weekly trips to P.G. we usually stopped at the dump outside the city where a character we called the "dump master" lived in a shack and oversaw its operation.
He had taken a liking to Alex who was sometimes with us on our run to town with Bandit too to keep them from causing any mischief around the homestead where Alex liked to chase the cattle.

As we knew finding a rental that would allow two dogs and three cats we offered Alex to the dump master and he was delighted to give him a home.

Although there had been many pleasant points to ranch life, the hard living conditions were too much for us to tolerate and we left with few regrets.

The big change had been very therapeutic for me and my positive outlook had returned.
One morning at Al's table he showed me a newspaper article telling of the total demise of Route Canada and the indictment of those crooks who were charged with fraud by the federal government and sentenced to two years in lockup.

That made me feel a bit of vindication, although to this day when I think of the proceedings I can't help but have a twinge of bitterness.

We rented another big U-Haul truck and attached the Jeep to a tow bar and left very early one morning
for the long trip to Richmond where we arrived about ten that same evening without incident.

Mum had found us a decent bungalow on Williams Road where there was quite heavy traffic and I awoke to exhaust smells coming in the window which was hard to take after the pristine ranch air.
I got hold of Phil and planned to join him the following day to begin yet another segment of my unpredictable life.