Eagles and Ag – The Johnson Version – January 27, 2017

28 Jan

This weekend marks the 15^th annual Eagles and Ag Celebration here in the Carson Valley. It’s a great way to see the sights in the valley along with learning about the agriculture (particularly the cattle industry) here and why eagles come here every winter. (It’s because the cattle are calving and the eagles like to eat the afterbirth, not the calves. It sounds gross, but nothing is wasted in nature.) Having been on the bus tour when I first moved up here, I decided to do my own little adventure this morning. It was great to get out of the house and enjoy the clean, crisp air. It was so great to get out and about! And I saved $70 by not taking the organized tour.

I must admit it was a tad chilly this morning (9º when I came home from the gym at 6:15 and about 20º at my first stop on my little jaunt.) But, as I say, it was a beautiful, sunny day. (Don’t forget to click on a photo if you would like more detail)

My first stop was to get this great view of Job’s Peak (on the left) and Job’s Sister (on the right). People hike up to the peaks all the time, but I never have. My hikes aren’t quite that strenuous.

I turned just a little bit and took this photo of Kingsbury Grade, our primary road to Lake Tahoe. You can see the long cut leaving the valley and then another cut as it reaches the summit. There are some buildings at the top left that belong to the Heavenly ski Resort. Some ski runs are to the left, out of the picture. Sometimes one can see the headlights of the ski run groomers very early in the morning. I thought it might be alien lights the first time I saw them.

I turned just a little bit and took this photo of Kingsbury Grade, our primary road to Lake Tahoe. You can see the long cut leaving the valley (center left) and then another cut as it reaches the summit. There are some buildings at the top left that belong to the Heavenly ski Resort. Some ski runs are to the left, out of the picture.

The next stop was at the Dangberg Ranch Home that is now a county park. H.F. Dangberg was a pioneer rancher beginning in the 1850s. He and his family began the town of Minden. I have probably mentioned this before. But today, it was the place where I saw a bald eagle almost up close and personal. He was so majestic sitting in his cottonwood tree.

The Reno CBS affiliate was there doing a commentary on the Eagles and Ag celebration while I was there. I was close enough to hear the reporter and how many times he started over his comments. I don’t think I’d like that job. I happened to be watching the CBS News last night and saw the segment those folks were recording. I was in the photo for about three seconds as they caught me while I was taking a picture. For three seconds, I was a star!

As I mentioned, it was pretty chilly and when it’s like that, one can often see pogo nip. It makes beautiful ice crystals on plants, fences, trees, telephone lines and many other objects. It also makes the snow sparkle like millions of diamonds are strewn across it.

The Park Ranch, a very large cattle ranch, surrounds the Dangberg Ranch Home and one must drive on an easement through a portion of pasture to get to the Dangberg. There was a nice sized herd of cows with many calves and I happened upon a little doggie that was separated temporarily from his mom. He wasn’t six feet from the car when I took his portrait. She had already crossed the creek in the background and he wasn’t quite ready to do that yet. I don’t think he was more than a week old, maybe two weeks. I always feel sorry for these calves that are born when it’s so cold. Their moms drop them into snow and they must get up right away and start moving or they might not make it.

My last stop was in Genoa, home of the suicidal deer. Genoa is situated at the foot of the Sierras and, for some reason, has become the home of many, many deer that live in town. They cross the main street at will, cars stop and people like me take pictures. I counted 21 deer in less than 10 minutes of being in town.