Sunrise on the Murry Ranch in Pleasant Valley. A 1958 Case tractor surrounded by 110 acres of fresh grass hay bales. photo by Kevin Karl Like clockwork, four days per week I embark on the 42 mile (round trip) commute from Virginia Foothills to the Tourism office in Carson City via route 395. And while I could probably cover the trek with my eyes closed, I still find myself taking the time to stop and experience all of the unique elements and people along this historical Nevada route. Recently I’ve noticed that most of the ranches are in a transitional phase, cutting their grass pastures and then running out bales of hay. There are two parts of this seemingly simple mechanical process that have tugged at my heart-strings for as long as I can remember. OK, three. Just the fact that it’s a mechanical process carries some weight in itself. But like a mesmerized infant, when I come across a field of equally spaced, equally sized bales stretching out across a green pasture, I consider that the Nevada equivalent of crop circles. Perhaps it’s my mechanical/artistic background that have encouraged this type of peculiar thinking? Or it’s possible too that I’ve practiced xeriscaping at my own home for so long that I now find myself enabled and willing to trespass in other peoples green zones so I can feel real grass beneath my feet?
(L to R)- Jake, Donald, and James, loading bales at sunset, while Jason is still cutting at the other end of the pasture. photo by Kevin Karl On the business end of things, the work horse which are crucial in the creation of these perfectly formed bales are (deep breath) …the glorious tractor. Wherever the previous day has ended, there sits the tractor at sunrise ready to perform another extended days work with little protest, if any. Growing up in the Midwest my love for the tractor was enhanced by time spent with families who had farms outside of the city. Having access to old 8N Fords, John Deere, Case, and Allis Chamber tractors, I was in brush-hog heaven every time I climbed up on the slightly contoured steel seat. I recently had the opportunity to reminisce and share some of these stories with Jason Murry of Murry Ranch (website) in Pleasant Valley. I caught up with Jason out on his John Deere one afternoon cutting grass in preparation to bale. Jason just started chuckling, “Kevin, if you ever have the desire to hop on a tractor again, I can probably break that romantic image of yours in a single day of work out here”. I had to assume he had just envisioned me sitting on a horse backwards in a “City Slickers” sequel. None the less, Jason was kind enough to pacify my fascination with hay and tractors and offered me access to his property whenever I got the hankering. In fact, the next evening I headed over to Pleasant Valley around 8:30pm to capture some long shadowed images. Not only was I surprised to see the sun had already set in that part of the valley, but Jason and his team were still out gathering bales with what little light they had left. They expect to yield close to 4,000 bales this season. And I had to wonder if this were a similar scenario witnessed by passengers aboard the Virginia & Truckee Railroad as the trains began chugging along side these very fields in the 1870’s? As with my curious attraction to hay and tractors, Jason is equally intrigued with folks looking at the ranchers way of life. I would not be surprised to see tractor led hay-rides being offered to the public at the Murray Ranch in the near future!
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