Gator Grand Tour

Last Sunday afternoon brought a pleasant surprise. My son-in-law invited me to tour the new ranch with him on the John Deere Gator. It’s named the 6 x 4 All Terrain vehicle. It was, in fact, the almost-all terrain vehicle.

The weather was absolutely perfect for the outing. It was cool with an overcast sky and just enough breeze to keep us cool.

He drove down to the barn and shop to see the tractors, four-wheelers, shredders, feeders, plows, and other equipment. Beside the barn is a coastal field where there were numerous cow/calf pairs grazing. We spotted several deer near the creek. They stood and watched us a while before scampering into the woods. At least one was a small buck.

We checked out the tanks, the water gaps, and the watering troughs to be sure that they were up and full. He took the gator to places that would be difficult for us to walk. We went up and down hills, through brush and weeds, and we criss-crossed the creeks flowing with water no fewer than five times. The gator’s All-Terrain name was well deserved.

We toured some exceptionally scenic land that was covered in different varieties of Bermuda grass and fat, sassy cattle. Several fields of green winter grazing create a patchwork on the landscape.

On the other hand, we also weaved our way through some very rough land badly in need of attention. All in due time said J. P. He’s been working hard since the July move to enhance the appearance of the place. He’s made tremendous progress already.

There are three creeks on the ranch. He showed me one creek that had about a quarter of a mile of rock bed and several small waterfalls. It was simply breathtaking with the fall leaves coloring the tranquil countryside.

Another creek had a waterfall flowing across a dam onto a flat rock ledge. The rustling water was very soothing. It would be a perfect picnic spot. There were quite a few deep holes of clear water where big catfish swam. Good places to fish. One of those creeks runs directly behind their house. When we’re outside and all is quiet, we can hear the water rushing. The quite solitude is amazing.

Most of the land is highly improved with the cedars and mesquites removed and only oaks, elms, and pecan trees remaining. I didn’t know that the land in that part of the country could be as pretty as it is in God’s country of Lamkin, but it rivals it.

There are rolling hills with long vistas. Huge houses dot the hills on all sides. I assume those are occupied by weekenders.

Since J. P. often feeds the cattle range cubes from the gator, they were eager to check and see if we had any goodies for them. They came right up to us and put their heads over the gator as if to ask, “What did you bring us?”

I could tell that all the cattle knew him well because they willingly approached him while they were a somewhat leery of me.

Touring the new High Oaks Ranch was such a joy. Being outside on such a perfect day enjoying nature with my son-in-law is a pleasure not to be missed.