Cows and Carrots Along The Whittier Narrows-A Personal Story

 

Tons of carrots drying in the sun
Cows and Carrots Along The Whittier Narrows

In the 60's we rode bareback through the deep sands of the San Gabriel Riverbed and floodplain. The land was ever changing as the rains came and went. A full river had tall cranes, waterfalls, and grasses that swayed with the currents and leaves that circled in whirlpools. Cattails and tall bamboo grew along the banks.

The heat of summer never bothered us. We waited knee deep in the river. The sandy bottom  squished  between our toes. In deeper parts we let our horses swim across while riding their back.  As the water receded the boulders along the river bed were visible once again while dark pools lingered in the shadows under the bamboo and the willows along the sandy banks. 

The San Gabriel River was alive with the song of birds, gurgling waters, and cattails clacking in the breezes, especially in autum when they dried to a crispy golden brown. The horse's hoofs were hushed in the deep sand as we trotted along on the sandy banks. Out on the floodplain our horses hooves pounded like thunder against the well worn trails.  We rode like the wind while ducking our heads under cottonwood branches, steering expertly around the sharp turns and racing on the straight aways.  

I didn't realize it then but life was carefree. The only thing that crossed my mind was a teenage whim for a boyfriend and the fear of being bucked off my horse, Apache Tears. He was quite spirited and reared at leaves blowing by. When he got wet you several dark spots on his skin showed under his white coat. I named him Apache Tears. after a black transclucent stone that I bought in a gift shop out in Death Valley. 

Whittier Narrows Dam

Within an hour we reached the Whittier Narrows Dam. We rode up to the top of the dam on the concrete ramp called Myrtle's Rump. At the top we rested while looking over the metal fencing into the dam. The water spilled over the gates like a waterfall that occasionally rushed and roared.  We continued down the back side of the dam then headed northeast towards the Rio Hondo River. The sound of our horses hooves went clippity clop down the concrete ramp. The land was a wide open floodplain with few trees and bushes. On the way to the Rio Hondo River we rode through a farm and the Whittier Narrows Nature Area which reminded me of The Secret Garden. No one was there. It was all ours to explore.

Back Side of Whittier Narrows Dam

Whittier narrows Nature Area reminded me 
Of The Secret Garden

A picture of children playing in the
water of the San Gariel River. 

Autumn didn;t get too cold in Southern California unless you went to the mountains or the foot hills of Glenn Oaks where we bought apples. One autumn day while riding through the Whittier Narrows floodplain we caught a rich, sweet, earthy scent.  As we got closer we saw long troughs overflowing with bright orange carrots in the bright sun ! A herd of black cows were grazing on the grasses and other cows stood at the big troughs eating the carrots. The sight and smell of this made quite an impression on me. For the next 3 years autumn became quite special time as we came upon the carrots in the long troughs.  The 3rd  year we saw a dark green work truck drive up the little ranch road loaded up with giant bushel bags of carrots for the cows. It was the last time we were to enjoy this magical experience. Was it only there for us kids to see? I wonder how many people ever saw this or cared about it as much as we did. 

 At the end of the day we rode the long trail back to the stable as the west winds blew through our hair.  We were all eager to get back as their were plenty of Double Colas in the machine waiting for us in the barn. Back then we would ride for miles without water. 

Writing this has brought back many good memories.  I am glad I took the time to sit down and write about it. So much time can be spent pushing ourselves forward. I want to remember more of those happy days and I want to make new memories too. Remembering my past experiences have reminded me of how they all prepared me to live on this Little Utah Farm. 

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm,

Deborah Moen of 
Little Utah Farm

Related article: This is on the Whittier Narrows area where we rode and The Whittier Narrows Nature Center. 

https://wnnca.org/history/

Good article about the San Gabriel River from KCET

https://www.kcet.org/shows/departures/the-other-river-that-defined-l-a-the-san-gabriel-river-in-the-20th-century

More of my stories on Little Utah Farm

100 Year Rains and Early Autumn snow

https://littleutahfarm.blogspot.com/2021/11/100-year-summer-rains-and-early-autumn.html

An Early Visit From Jack Frost

https://littleutahfarm.blogspot.com/2021/09/an-early-visit-from-jack-frost.html

Meet Our New Dog Bandit

https://littleutahfarm.blogspot.com/2021/09/meet-our-new-dog-bandit.html

Bandit's New Dog Booties

https://littleutahfarm.blogspot.com/2021/11/bandits-new-dog-booties.html

A Milestone For Me On Little Utah Farm

A Milestone For Me On Little Utah Farm.

Living on this Little Utah Farm, has been a great teacher. I have learned a lot about myself and life in these past 9 1/2 years.  Here is one such lesson.

I was born and raised in Southern California. I lived where the scent of roses filled the air and the green foliage, grasses, plants, trees, and mild weather thrived and continued all year long. I remember putting seeds or a new plant in the ground and it would thrive. We could plant most all year through.

When we moved to Utah we entered into a whole different world of  landscapes and we met with the 4 seasons. My garden and the surrounding land were barren and brown to this California Girl. A Green Deficit sent me into a flurry of collecting artificial trees and flowers. It was the best idea I could come up with besides patience.

It took quite a few years, but I came to see the spiritual beauty in the 4 seasons, I began to feel the changes deep in my soul.  There was meaning to the Colors and waning of Autumn, the white stillness of winter, the awakening of spring, and the flourishing of summer.

The garden on Little Utah Farm is flourishing. 

Yesterday, I went into the shed to get a weeding tool and my eye caught a dusty old artificial pine tree in the corner. I laughed out loud at my old feeling of panic and the Green Deficit as my garden and the surrounding land is now bursting with all the goodness summer can hold. What was once a life savor for my sorrow was now ready for the trash.

I lifted the top section of the tree and then the base and carried it out to the trash. I thought and wondered how could I ever think this would substitute for the beauty and splendor my garden has shown me.  I put the lid down on the trash can and a big smile sprouted on my face as I brushed the dirt and dust from my hands. This is indeed a milestone, real growth for me as I continue to learn on Little Utah Farm.



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Deborah Moon Moen
from Little Utah Farm

Born On The Full Moon

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Little Utah Farm

 
I really would rather have Googled this event before it happened. It is times like these I am thankful for Mother Nature's help.

Ricky our grandson, came in and told me to grab my camera and get out back. "Grandpa says to hurry!" he coaxed. "Well... just a minute" I said." "No Gma, Grandpa says to come NOW!" I was thinkin' it was a cute pose with one of the dogs or an egg laid in an unusual place. As I walked across the back yard I felt something quiver in my solar plexus. I saw Paul at the gate of the corral, looking inside. "Deborah,  come look at this" he said calmly.

I looked into the corral and Gaia our new female llama had her back to us and what did I see but what looked like to me shiny black rubber tubes coming out of her. I was blank. I just didn't have a reference inside my brain to figure it out right away. Waaaa ! It finally kicked in. Gaia was having a baby!!! A baby llama was arriving to Little Utah Farm.

I was as shaky as Ricky, Ethyl and Fred on the I Love Lucy show when Lucy comes out of the bedroom to announce "Ricky, It's time." Everyone runs around dropping clothes out of the suitcase and in a state of panic.

This was a complete surprise. We knew not of her pregnancy when we bought her at Ron Harding's Farm. The herd she lived with was wild and free roaming around in 80 or more acres. . Gaia was  very young when we got her last December. She was around a year or or year and a half.. No way to tell. Our 4 boys are gelded and so we had no idea we would ever have a baby. We did give it some thought but dismissed the idea.

Shouldn't she be laying down? Will the others llamas hurt the baby? Wonder if something happens? Waaaa ! Then I gathered myself and called my llama friend, Christina Dunlap, in California. She owns Not Home Alone Pet, Livestock and House Sitting Service. "I need you" I spoke into the phone trying not to scream. She reminded me to take a deep breath and assured me usually nature would take it's course. She is really smart and kind with animals and also teaches first aide for pets. She continued to give me an outline of what to expect. I am thankful and appreciative for my friend, Christina, who by the way, was one of the two women who introduced us to llamas at the Pomona County Fair in California about a decade ago.

• It seems to take forever for the baby to be born. It will present itself usually feet first then head. Whew * This is exactly how it went.
• Llamas do give birth standing or in prone position.
• Check to see if the baby's nose is obstructed by the membrane. Check * The baby was breathing freely and the head was dangling as Gaia walked around the corral.
• We did separate the boys from mother and baby. We easily herded the adult gelded males into the corral. Mother and baby were in the nice green pasture.
• Gaia sat down a few times and each time the cria ( a baby llama) gradually slipped out more.
• Once the shoulders come out the cria hangs at the flank or hips and as she hung we held our breath. Then we all watched in awe as the cria plopped out onto the pasture floor.

In moments the baby was moving and wiggling about and Gaia saw her baby.

• Llamas do not lick or dry off their babies. The babies thrash about to stand and the membrane is rubbed off. In 30 minutes baby was standing and falling....standing then falling... standing.
• In the wild the female llamas all gather around the mother during the birth to protect the baby and mama from the intact males. Llamas are ready to breed once they give birth. After the birth and when baby is standing and nursing the `aunties` step away for mother and baby to bond.
• The placenta was delivered in an hour. it was interesting like a giant hunk of liver. Paul buried it deep in the back.
• Babies need to have colostrum in the first 24 hours of life which they get from the mother's milk.it has antibodies to protect the baby. Udders on a llama are so tiny they are difficult to see. Many people give the crias colostomy from goats milk kept in freezers for this purpose. There is also a wax plug in the teats which some people remove to make sure the milk is flowing. Llamas give only 2 oz of milk at a time.

Our new addition to our farm was born on the day of the Harvest Moon, September 30,2012. We named her Luna Llena ( pronounced loona yena) which means Full Moon in Spanish.

Watch Video:  7 minutes: of the mother, Gaia and the birth of her new cria llama, Luna Llena. Baby and mom had a good experience and are doing well and fine.