Court, being the supervisor of the Steel Creek Ranch, had a full day of work on his plate but generously gave me a ride to town to grab some breakfast. I rode my bike back to the ranch from town, as I had locked it there the day before. Before riding on the long gravelly Steel Creek Road however, I noticed my rear tire was now worn down to the liner from all of the miles I'd ridden on it. Luckily it didn't blow out on the gravel road. With two days of riding left in the trip I am hoping it will hold to Missoula. Not one flat yet in 900 miles!
The day back at the ranch was spent relaxing, reading, and doing laundry. I was surprised at how sore my legs were from the day before but I guess I hadn't yet done a climb as steep as Big Hole Pass. The couch in my room was put to good use.
Late in the afternoon I overheard Court speaking with a group of prospective investors about Steel Creek Ranch, which is for sale. Listening to him speak eloquently about the many variables of ranch life, I was reminded at how talented a person Court is. Just to summarize, Court manages nine ranches in five states for an investment group. He acts a middle man between the firm's leadership and all of the folks who work the ranches day to day. Court's ten thousand job duties include, but are not limited to: investor relations, shoeing horses, lawn mowing, herding cattle, balancing budgets, hiring and firing, veterinary services, irrigation, team building, construction, wolf deterrence, bear deterrence, mechanical maintenance, grazing management, farming, and customer service at nine different locations hundreds of miles apart from one another. Court is simply one of those rare individuals who can master complex systems of both a physical and mental nature at the same time without appearing to be tested in the least. I do not envy his work days, which are long and exhausting. There is no way I could walk in his shoes even for a day.
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