Hardware Ranch is a state owned ranch in Northern Utah. It's about an 90 minute drive from my home. The department of wildlife operates it as a winter safe haven for the resident elk herd. They feed the ek during the winter months in an effort to attract the elk to thei land vs letting them forage on neighboring farms.

During the summer they allow grazing permits to graze cattle on the hills around the ranch and they cut the grass hay in the bottoms ans store it for the elk in the winter. Since it's state own or public land it's open for pubic use.

We parked at where Rock creek crosses the highway and headed up.  I had not ridden in this area for about 12 years. So I was excited to renew my knowwledge of the area.

Hay fields

It was cold enough in the morning that we had jackets on as we left the trailer.

From the trailer you head uphill.

You immeadiately find yoursef riding amongst hills covered in wild flowers.

Lots of natural water for the horses to drink and for us to school horses on crossing

It didn't take long for the sun to warm us and we stripped off the jackets

We stopped by a nice stream and eate lunch

As we continued on the hills got steeper and we climbed up out of the sage and juniper into the maples and eventually into the quakies and firs.

In the upper reaches it was very lush and green.

It was an all day ride. we covered 20+ miles. 

Sure there is plenty of nursing jobs.   And it seems lots of other folks think this is a great place to move to.  Hence the explosive growth. I prefer you just come and visit and then go home.

But just remember a lot of our winter looks like this.

WOW Love your pics of countryside.....

I miss snow....

we had a white Christmas several years back (yes! Here in SOUTH Texas.... ) It was an absolute fluke.. First time it had snowed in this area in 100 or 110 years.. something like that.... I stood at the window and watched it coming down, listening to the sound of the flakes landing.. We probably had a foot or more of snow.. it melted off with in a day or two, though....It was my FIRST white Christmas, even though I grew up partially in Virginia where it snowed all of the time, and as an adult lived a short while in Colorado before moving here to Hell.

Ridingarocky

     It was the first snow in about 20yrs but the first white Christmas in over 100.  It started at about 11:30 Christmas eve and we had 4 inches in our pasture, it was beautiful but all the livestock in our area were scared of it.  My neighbour had to clear a path to the round bale of hay so his cows would go eat.  Only one of my horses had ever seen snow before, it was funny watching them walk in for the first time.