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Tip o' the Day

Back a week or two ago, my "Tip o' the Day" was to point out how important water, wood, and a bug -free location was to proper campsite selection. At that time, I also mentioned that, if one were traveling with horses, a fourth requirement should be added: feed for the ponies. Today I'd like to visit that requirement in more detail:

We'll assume you're traveling in wilderness or backcountry where grazing is permitted. (If you must pack all your own horsefeed, then we must discuss a different set of circumstances.) But let's consider that we're riding, say, into a meadow that appears to have abundant grass for grazing. There's a creek tumbling down from nearby hills which, translated, means there's plenty of water. It's late afternoon; a campsite beckons from each end of the meadow. Which do you choose?

Take the first one you come to. Why? Because you want to have your camp between where your ponies are grazing and their backtrail. You see, when a horse fills its belly it looks around for home. If, in fact, he actually heads for home, you want to be able to intercept him. Camp on the far end of your meadow and you might figure on going for a long hike after homeward-bound horses.

You can, of course, handle the occasion differently. You can use hobbles, stake them out, or toggle 'em to a drag log. I use hobbles. And to insure their presence, I'll only turn half of the ponies out at one time, breaking up the buddies -- one tied, one loose.

Even than my trust is short. If more than one of the loose horses raises his head to look back the way he came, I know their bellies are full and they're looking for mischief -- like leaving for distant places. Understand, I don't mind walking to distant places, but I want the decision to be mine alone. When a horse raises its head to stare at the skyline is when it's time to bring him to the hitchline.

About two hours on good grass will fill ponies for the short haul. Bring 'em in, tie 'em up, then turn 'em out again in three or four hours.

Yeah, it's a hassle. But take my word for it, it's not nearly as much of a hassle a traipsing 20 miles to find your ponies standing at the barn switching flies.

 

Ethan Lester, the 13-year-old Camarillo, California lad who exchanges e-mails not only says his younger brother is hooked on my Valediction For Revenge Western series, but now he says:

"My dad and my grandma just started reading your books and they love them. Whenever my grandma is over that's all she talks about Jethro and Susan."

The Valediction For Revenge series that Ethan's brother, dad and grandma is reading begins with Echoes of Vengeance

 

ABOUT SILK AND GUNPOWDER

Capitalism, as an economic medium, has its merits. America, through its capitalistic system, turns its citizens loose to embrace risk and toil in pursuit of profit. We know it as "free enterprise" and the process has made our country a world leader; so much so one wonders if we'll eventually be trampled by the rush of other nations to emulate our system.

Free enterprise is responsible for our farmers being the envy of the world. The sheer creativity of our inventors is bewildering to societies who intrude on that creativity via state control. Our people have unfettered opportunity to shop in stores of their choice, places where shelves are stocked with products of interests and need, instead of products mandated by government controls.

Calling a spade a spade, it was our democratic, capitalistic, free enterprise system that defeated the autocracies of King George and Kaiser Wilhelm, who shot Hitler and his Nazis from the saddle, who dropkicked Mussolini from the field, and blocked Japan's Greater East Asia Prosperity Sphere. During last century's titanic struggle between capitalism and communism, it was our free enterprise way of life that emerged victorious over our antagonist's cradle-to-the-grave dreams.

Today it's unbridled religious and sectarian terrorism, but I harbor no doubts about what system will emerge all-victorious at the end.

But capitalism has its dark side, too. Enron proved that. So did Love Canal. Greed is the near inescapable by-product of capitalism; it's a by-product of free enterprise run amuck, without constraints. It's a dark side that breeds a willingness among dark practitioners to stab the backs of their friends and neighbors, underprivileged and otherwise, countrymen and commoners -- all in pursuit of illegal, immoral, and often bloodstained profit.

Don't despair, however. The dark side of capitalism is hardly a recent phenomenon. The Teapot Dome Scandal occurred during the Harding administration, and the Credit Mobilier railroading scandal took place during the administration of Ulysses Simpson Grant.

Going further afield, Washington's troops wound up at Valley Forge hungry and without shoes because of greed among army supply contractors. In fact, one wonders how we managed to defeat King George and his mercenary Hessians considering the greed of supply-siders in our fledgling nation. Our only saving grace might've been that the problem wasn't ours alone. From antiquity comes this poignant piece of relevant wisdom:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the battle was lost. For want of a nail the kingdom was lost.

However, let's consider an even more classic example of economic greed subverting national need, this from antiquity:

The Chinese discovered the secret of silk a thousand year before their secret slipped out. As garment material, silk beat the rough cotton and wool, or animal skins. Silk was light and cool for use during warm weather. It took dies readily, and could be tightly woven in soft fabrics -- a process unobtainable with other threads.

At first, silk became the exclusive property of Chinese royalty. Then an oriental Sam Walton arose to develop a Ch'inMart or a HanMart and silk went public. Soon Japanese royalty wanted access to the delightful fabric. So did Hindu potentates. International trade developed and the purveyors of silk became rich beyond their wildest dreams.

All the while, the secret of silkworms and mulberry leaves never left China. The production of silk was such a closely guarded secret that capital punishment was certain for even suggesting lessening the thousand-year Chinese monopoly.

Oh yes, the Chinese also invented gunpowder. Since it appeared to have no commercial viability, they gave its secret away to the first European who chanced along.

One wonders . . . .

One wonders about the Lotus Empire's inordinate interest in profit over security. It's not too much of a stretch to compare the parallels of focus between a China of a thousand years ago and today's America..

What is America's "silk" that we're zealously and jealously guarding for profit's sake?

And what "gunpowders" are we giving to the first ambassadorial sychophant who stumbles through our door?

 

 

 

Roland Cheek wrote a syndicated outdoors column (Wild Trails and Tall Tales) for 21 years. The column was carried in 17 daily and weekly newspapers in two states. In addition, he scripted and broadcast a daily radio show (Trails to Outdoor Adventure) that aired on 75 stations from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. He's also written upwards of 200 magazine articles and 12 fiction and nonfiction books. For more on Roland, visit:

www.rolandcheek.com

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Book four in the Valediction For Revenge series, Gunnar's Mine, is set in Colorado mining country, as is the sixth and final book in the series, The Silver Yoke