Spring Clausens Visit

Going from renters to 60-acre property owners is quite a change! Thankfully, the Clausens, the former owners and original creators of "River Ford Farm", have been extremely helpful and willing to pass on their vast knowledge to us! They recently made a day trip to visit their old homestead and help us prepare for the new season.

Irrigation System

Learning the irrigation pump. The irrigation system is fairly extensive, and includes: a pump to extract water from the irrigation ditch and pressurize the system; underground PVC lines that run the complete length of the property; above-ground risers with connections for hand-lines; several sets of hand lines and wheel lines; and pop-up sprinklers on the lawn surrounding the house.

Trapping Gophers

Setting a gopher trap. Our property is covered in dirt piles made by the pocket gophers. We're definitely learning from the masters here - one year they caught 100 gophers! We didn't catch any with our first two traps, but we're only just beginning.

Mending Fences

Yes, we're actually fixing a fence. Shortly before we moved in, an elk apparently misjudged the height of our rail fence and instead went straight through it. So one of the posts was broken at the base and needed to be replaced. So we had to first remove the stump of the existing post, which extended two feet below the ground and was secured at two levels by concrete. (This fence wasn't going anywhere!) So Vic helped us use the pneumatics on the small tractor to pull out the stump. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a suitable replacement post.

Walking the old Homestead

Of course, after all that work we had to make sure they got their fill of the old scenery.

Thanks, Vic and Phyllis! We look forward to your next visit!

- Mike (& Corinne)