Denim blues.

Right after my last post Dad and I set out on a grand adventure following Tyson many miles on the ATVs to film him changing water pipes and fixing drains and such. I agreed to come because it seemed as though the rain had let up, and i was ready to get out of the house as well.
Heidi, the currently employed cow dog is springy and excited as we set out. She somehow manages to cling to the back of Tyson's ATV as he barrels down steep hills and rumbles over the big sagebrush. It's pretty impressive. she's completely wet and muddy already but she seems as happy and bouncy as ever. We're going through all sorts of gates, and sometimes even leveraging my shoulder against them to apply the strength of my legs can't get the job done and i have to ask for help to close them. Tyson is glad that Sam taught m the shoulder trick anyway.
We're a ways out when it begins to snow. Tyson and dad are a ways away, but the audio pack is next to me, so i can hear Tyson talking about how they normally get about two or three snowstorms in June. I try to rest my arms across my thighs so the snow doesn't soak my jeans. Luckily, preparing for the wind also prepared me for the snow, mostly. I'm wearing full ski attire above my waist and i'm wearing knee high rubber boots over my jeans and thick long johns. The snow keeps up long enough to soak my thighs and my "waterproof" ski gloves. It's funny how supposedly water proof clothing only holds up to a point. I'm watching the snow bleed into the fabric of my jacket instead of beading on top.
We're headed down some steep rocky hills when dad nearly tips over the handle bars. I'm shouting, he's shouting, we're both laughing. We made it alright though. Every once in a while we hit a bump when my spine is straight up and down and i feel the sickening stack of my vertebrae. Other times i'll be too close to Dad's shoulder blades and i'll rocket my face against them. Not so bad when my face is warm, but the cold brings it to another degree. Either way, i manage to stay smiling and laughing most of the time.
When we get to the drain and see that nothing can be done, Dad and Tyson step off the buggies and start a nice chat. Heidi is running around, after deer and bugging cows, but primarily she wants to play fetch. As usual she brings me a stick that's at least 3/4 of her size and drops it. She crouches with one foot in the air and waits. And waits, and waits. She's a patient son of a gun. Dad and Tyson also seem to be unusually patient in the snowstorm we're experiencing as they stand and tell stories while i'm doubled over on the ATV trying to pump the blood back into my thighs. Eventually i say something, and they snap back to reality. We're all still laughing though.
Dad is speeding along to get back to the cabin quickly, but the rush of air hurts more than it should. We make it back and i run inside, throw my clothes in the dryer and hop in the shower. I can't really make out if the water is scalding hot or freezing cold unless i use my shoulders (the warmest part of me) to gauge it. This ends up being a hilarious predicament, even if it's a solitary one. I'm trying to use the water to warm me up, but i can't even tolerate it. So i end up just standing with my shoulders in the stream of water for like fifteen minutes. When i finally regained temperature sensibility everywhere else it was awesome. Then i got out, put on my clothes fresh out of the dryer and ate some triscuits. I have made full recovery! Yay!