Sharing our story and starting conversations - We wanted to share a few photos from the wonderful opening reception and gallery talk we attended for the Rediscovering the Prairie Exhibition last October, held in Colorado College’s Coburn Gallery. We had a great time and really enjoyed the live music provided by the students. We couldn’t have been happier with the way the … Continue reading Sharing our story and starting conversations
All You See Is Grass: A Poem - All You See Is Grass The discovery, of course, never finished: the milkweed, the current, the glint of red in grass when light lengthens over hillsides and then, with a shudder, goes out. Here, the birdsong, There the bones— The plow with all the rest of the rust. Old hands finger … Continue reading All You See Is Grass: A Poem
Encounter: A poem - Encounter Morning arrives blanketed in snow. Unbidden, I wake to see small clouds of breath erupt from the nose of a deer— I assume his eyelashes are coated in ice. We take these victories of life in stride, move our feet … Continue reading Encounter: A poem
Livestock Guardian Dogs and Predator Friendly Ranching - “So have you had success with your guard dogs?” I asked Leo Barthelmess. Robin and I stood in the fading light of a too-long, too-hot day, happy to see the evening come, next to the old one-room schoolhouse where we would be spending the night. Our horses grazed amid the playground equipment, eagerly seeking out the … Continue reading Livestock Guardian Dogs and Predator Friendly Ranching
Little Bluestem Highways - A few days after we turned the horses out in the pasture for a long winter’s rest, I drove to Colorado Springs to visit my family. To go entirely across a state and into another in a matter of 8 hours is a peculiar thing once you’ve taken about 3 months, or 2,016 hours, to … Continue reading Little Bluestem Highways
Off The Trail - Oct 1: Day 1 of Non-Trail Life And so our days will forever be divided. Yesterday in a cold rain we rode to the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, which had been rising higher on the horizon for a week. We brought this stretch of the trip to a close as we pulled off … Continue reading Off The Trail
A guest post from the trail - Robin and Bass weren’t the easiest to find. Before I could track them down, I had to work my way through Robin’s shopping list: one headlamp 32 beers 2 boxes in a basement in Bozeman 8 iodine bottles sandwich bread one saddle + bridle vet supplies white gas two bags of alfalfa two bags of … Continue reading A guest post from the trail
From this Grass Earth - From this Grass Earth I watch the heat build and rise in waves over this silver sage steppe; clouds, pink and lavender-hued converge on the lip of those hills to the east. Wait for the heat to break and spill over this hard-pan Earth. White stripes on black wings streak through the night as it … Continue reading From this Grass Earth
Across the far bank - Across the far bank Osprey, black wings, hooked beak, circles low over still lake: back and forth between water and nest. With lights far off across a flooded prairie flat, I ease into the grass: maroon stands of little bluestem. I raise my eyes to the peak of brown hills. Black cattle … Continue reading Across the far bank
Overgrazing is Dead - Overgrazing is dead. At least that seems to be the case in this part of the country. I know that’s not news for some of you, but for others I bet it is. I wasn’t sure what we would find at the beginning of this ride, but so far we’ve discovered that, if anything, the … Continue reading Overgrazing is Dead
Fourchette Creek, July 21 - Fourchette Creek Morning light spills through grass thick with dew, small whorls of dust rise from hooves stamping their lives into this ground. Listen, I rise to chatter of birds; small, fierce, and brown. Fourchette Creek, July 21 Lonesome is rolling in a field of crested wheat grass, Pearl is exploring the … Continue reading Fourchette Creek, July 21
News from the Road - About two weeks have passed since the four horses, Pearl the Mule, Sebastian, Winnie, and I were dropped off in the middle of a pasture in Northeast Montana. We were shepherded up from Bozeman by our good friend Riley, Sebastian’s little sister Eva, and her co-pilot Carley. The drive was long but beautiful. Somewhere in … Continue reading News from the Road
Hitting The Trail - It seems absolutely wild that we’re finally writing these words, but, we are headed out the door. We are so incredibly thrilled to begin. We headed North last week with four wheels to do some final route finding in anticipation of hitting the trail with 28 legs (four horses, a mule, Winnie, and the two of us); the … Continue reading Hitting The Trail
The Team Assembled - After a seemingly interminable search, we have found the four horses, plus Pearl the mule, that will come with us across the plains. With our group finally assembled, we are set to leave mid July. We found our third horse, Sally, at the end of an exhausting couple of weeks of 10-hour days driving around looking at every … Continue reading The Team Assembled
Denny - A week ago on Saturday May 10th, 2014, we had to put down one of our horses, Denny. It was a terribly hard day for me (Sebastian). As many of you probably recall, last year we had to put down another horse, Viper, after he broke his leg in a picket line. I can barely … Continue reading Denny
The Prairie in Winter - Before you get too settled into spring, I wanted to put up a few shots taken from in and around the prairie this winter. Cloaked in quiet and snow, it’s an oddly reflective time to be out there. Something about the white horizons, or maybe the way pronghorns move through the snow as if it’s … Continue reading The Prairie in Winter
The Bones and The Brains (Body and Mind) - “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”– often attributed to Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan, probably neither coined the saying. And so our spirits have been high at the sight of our new horses! So far we’ve acquired two of the four horses that Robin … Continue reading The Bones and The Brains (Body and Mind)
Grass, Wind, And Light - “There will be more grass, wind, and light.” This is what Sebastian told me in order to mollify any further fretting on my part over leaving our camera in the trunk of the car as we waded our way through 8 foot tall rustling tall grass prairie in Northern Oklahoma. The wind was working the … Continue reading Grass, Wind, And Light
This Fall - We watched the leaves put on a little more ochre and heard the elk’s bugle grow a little louder this fall from such a beautiful spot in Sheridan, WY. We’d come home all the time to the very best surprises: a moose, with his enormous ears all a-swivel, dipping his nose into our horse’s trough … Continue reading This Fall
Summer in Sheridan, WY - Dear friends and supporters, It has been such a pleasure to watch spring fade into late summer here in Sheridan. We’ve watched the hillsides burst into the bright blues and purples of lupin and penstemon and the electric reds and oranges of Indian paintbrush. They’re now shifting into their early fall colors. The grass … Continue reading Summer in Sheridan, WYUpdate - Dear supporters, friends, and family, Thanks so much for your patience and support as we respond to an evolving situation. The plan we have developed maintains the spirit and intention of our original mission while fluidly responding to recent events. Viper’s passing was a startling event to take place at the onset of the expedition–one that … Continue reading Update
Some Sad News - I am writing with some very sad news about our horse Viper. Over the weekend he broke his leg and had to be put down. He got tangled in the picket line and spooked. He was so brave and gentle throughout the whole night. He had his head on my shoulder from about a minute … Continue reading Some Sad News
A very big week! - This has been such a fun and exciting week for Rediscovering The Prairie! Here are just a few highlights: On Monday we opened up the front page of the Colorado Springs Gazette to a great article by Carol McGraw announcing our trip to the C. Springs community. You can take a look at it here! Over … Continue reading A very big week!
Calling all Prairie Lovers - Dear Prairie lovers far and wide, You may not know it yet, but I bet you are a prairie lover. What’s more, I bet our project to cross the American prairie on horseback, celebrating our beautiful and disappearing grasslands, will help you rediscover a love for the prairie and the myriad animals, insects, and plants … Continue reading Calling all Prairie Lovers
Colorado Springs Independent Reports! - Colorado Springs Independent writer Edie Adelstein reports about the expedition to Rediscover the Prairie as we come into the final days of our Indiegogo campaign to ride across the North American Prairie. Check it out! We’ve only get 9 days and $4,500 to go- please help us make it happen! We need all the support … Continue reading Colorado Springs Independent Reports!
We’re Halfway there! Thank you so much! - We are delighted to announce that we are halfway through our campaign and half of the way to reach our GOAL! We are so thankful to the many contributors who have come out in support of “Rediscovering the Great American Prairie.” We are incredibly appreciative and overjoyed by the support and enthusiasm the project has received from our family, … Continue reading We’re Halfway there! Thank you so much!
Indiegogo campaign Launched! - We’re excited to announce that starting TODAY, for the first time you’ll be able to help make our project a reality by visiting our newly launched Indigogo campaign! Give a little, Give a lot, whatever support you can share will be incredibly appreciated. And remember, pass it along to your friends and families, co-workers, your … Continue reading Indiegogo campaign Launched!
Rediscovering the Great American Prairie 
It was so special to meet you three…. We enjoyed the time you spent with us. We are richer people for having met you. I am so glad to be a part of your journey. Thanks again for taking our ordinary and turning it into unexpected, expanded territory of new friendship!