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4A – Daily News – Saturday, July 10, 2010 Agriculture & farm Our final day on the Western Jean Barton Livestock Journal Colorado High Country Tour was a Kodak moment. The sun was shining, the skies were blue, grass was green, the cows and calves were fat and sassy, and in the background was snow covered 12,660 ft. Mt. Sopris at Crystal River Ranch in the Roar- ing Fork Valley. Crystal River Ranch is owned by Sue Anschutz-Rogers, since 1987 where she took over owner- ship from her father who had pur- chased the ranch in 1966. She is the first woman appointed to the nine member executive committee of the National Western Livestock Show in Denver and in 2006, became the first woman named the National Western’s Citizen of the West, an award given to the person who best “exemplifies the spirit and determina- tion of the Western pioneer.” She had arranged for several hay wagons pulled by pick- ups for us to tour some of the pastures with cows and calves grazing on the ranch. The cow herd of 1,100 head was crossbred (or black baldy). It had been a Hereford herd, and Angus bulls were used. Now they use Hereford and Angus bulls with light birthweights, and moderate EPDs (Expect- ed Prodigy Differences). The best heifers are kept for replacements. Choosing moderate size, and pelvic measur- ing. The two year old heifers calve starting March 5th, with the cows two weeks later. The heifers calve in the protected draws, out of the wind and snow. Their calves hadn‚t been branded yet. Steers and heifers will be sold as calves on Superior Video; no yearlings. The headquarters was at 6,600 feet, and they will start feeding hay Dec. 1, and were still feeding some groups of cows and calves. The cows and calves will be trailed to the high country national forest grazing leases. The hayfields were large, 600 acres in one of them, and they had to use the water when the snow melted, because the water would be gone by July 1. These hayfields were also yellow with blooming dandelions. The fields were watered by pivots, and the water headgate was 18 miles up the mountain on the Crystal River. By using pivot irrigation instead of flooding, they had dou- bled the hay crop. There was a waterfall, like Yosemite, coming off the mountain above the upper ranch, and we were told it would be dry in June. During the depression, the previous owner of the upper ranch had assembled five homesteads. It would have been a prime spot for subdivisions if Sue hadn’t pur- chased the ranch 12 years ago. Anschutz-Rodgers is committed to open space and has made efforts to ensure not only the success of her own ranch, but also to preserve the ranching traditions. She led the effort to create a law allowing conservation easements in the state. Those easements set aside acreage to prevent future development in exchange for tax incentives and estate planning benefits. She also helped establish and has served on the board of Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, the state’s leading advocate and resource for voluntary preservation of ranchland for future generations. We had an elegant luncheon in the horse barn, although I don’t think it is used for horses. Much too nice. There was a lobby as you came through the front door with leather couches, a cowhide on the wall, pot belly wood stove, large western oil painting. Inside the barn floor was wooden planks, and beautiful finished wooden walls, hay loft above the stalls, plus chandeliers over our dining area. The caterer from Basalt served beef brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, potato salad, a corn bread muffin and butter with apple or cherry tarts for dessert. We all wanted to stay in the lovely guest house, with rocking chairs on the porch. There was a view of the corrals with bulls to the right, and six horses in another corral to the left, while to the south was a large pasture of cattle with Mt Sopris in the background. We drove I-70 back to Denver from Carbondale, follow- ing the Colorado River to Dotsero. There were a few rafts with people enjoying the surging white waters of the river. Saw the huge hotels, and homes at Vail from the freeway. Did you realize that Vail resort was founded in 1962 by men who had been members of the 10th Mountain Division who trained near Vail at Camp Hale? The Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel was interesting because we crossed the Continental Divide in a tunnel at over 11,000 feet elevation. From the outside face to outside face of the ventilation buildings, the distance is 8,941 feet or 1.693 miles. Of this distance, there are 7,789 feet of rock tunneling and a total of 1,152 feet of ventilation/portal struc- tures and cut-and-cover sections at the east and west ends. The elevation of the finished westbound roadway at the outside face of the east ventilation building is 11,012 feet, at the outside face of the west ventilation building is 11,158 feet, and under the Continental Divide is 11,112 feet. The Clear Creek/Summit County line runs along the Continen- tal Divide, and is at an elevation of 12,608 feet as it crosses over the tunnel, roughly at a right angle, or 1,496 feet above the tunnel roadway elevation. The crossing is 2,821 feet east of the west entrance; locating that portion of the tunnel in Summit County, and the rest in Clear Creek County. It is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world. Our bus driver told us the history of the tunnel. The call for bids opened on Oct. 3, 1967. This bid request represent- ed the fourth one for a highway tunnel under the Continen- tal Divide. Following completion of a pioneer bore under Loveland Pass, in May 1943, the Department of Highways advertised for bids on a vehicular tunnel at the site, and received only one offer of $10 million dollars on Sept. 16, 1947, which was not formally considered since it was a sole bid and far in excess of the engineers’ estimate. Upon read- vertising, the Department received no bids on opening day, Dec. 17, 1947. The two tunnels in what is known as Eisen- hower Memorial cost more than $108 million. At the height of activity, as many as 1,140 persons were employed in three shifts, 24 hours a day, six days a week. Dedication of the first of the twin tunnels, west bound, came on March 8, 1973, and the project was opened to two-way traffic on that day. The eastbound tunnel was completed in 1979. Another great trip with friends, and the rumor is 2011 will be Southern Virginia and North Carolina. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.com. ranch A picture perfect moment at Crystal River Ranch Spring/Summer Veggies LIC #808524 Call For Free Information Toll-Free (800) 464-1403 or (530) 365-1403 6183 MEISTER WAY ANDERSON, CA 96007 (530) 365-1403 (800) 464-1403 Garden Center Red Bluff 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) 527-0886 Buy 1 get 1 FREE VETERINARY HOSPITAL welcomes a new addition to our team ANTELOPE Dr Gina Pedersen is a U.C. Davis graduate with training and inter- est in small and large animal medicine and surgery. As she joins us, we are once again able to offer large animal in-house and ambulatory service in addition to our full small animal service. WELCOME DR. PEDERSEN! (530) 527-4522