the cattle-guard crossing rattles the car and then you’re on ranchland, need a special pass to enter. drove through the H-I Ranch, down to the bottom of the canyon and back up to the other ridge. down through layers of time, past granite lahars and rocky buttes, past the gravel quarry on the east side beyond the bridge, watch out for rattlesnakes. when it rains, the cattle stand close together, and when it rains hard they stand under oak trees. lightning is a real problem in these parts, can start wildfires at the end of the dry season, but once it’s been raining for a while, we don’t worry so much about fire. he says a small, low fire, is a good thing, makes way for fresh grass, but the bigger fires pull down everything, oak trees, too, and then brush grows back in its wake, makes it harder for the cattle to find feed.