Cowboy Jim‘s Stories Around the Campfire

Those of us who like to fish understand the joy it can bring.  When we catch something, we're happy.  When we get a big one, we're ecstatic and when we catch more than the other person we love to "rub it in".  These are some simple stories of some of my fishing adventures.  Maybe it will spur you on to grab your pole and go fishing.

I've talked about some roads I've been on that were pretty scary.  I evidently didn't learn my lesson because there are more roads that would drive a person crazy and make him sweat a lot.  Enjoy these stories and stay off the bad roads.

A good cow-dog is worth it's weight in gold and every cowboy and rancher that has had one will tell you about it's many great characteristics.  Bull Durham, on the other hand, was not a good cow-dog.  He was willing, he tried hard, but his attention span was a bit short for long cattle drives.  He causde a lot of laughs, some anguished moans and got some strong scoldings.  But he was fun!

Sometimes when you camp or backpack there are certain camping spots that stand out.  Either they are really beautiful, have good water or help make special memories.  Sometimes we remember them because they are not so good. And afterward we tell stories about the place that help us remember.

Years of youth ministry, camps and sports have taken me to many Emergency Rooms.  Sometimes as a patient and many more times as the leader, coach, pastor in charge.  They are never fun and can be exhausting, challenging and even fearful.  Thank God that He promises to be with us.

Over the years I have had a lot of experience with horses.  On the ranch we had a lot of really good cow ponies that I have told you about in "Horses on the Ranch" .  We also had some that were not so good and created a lot of stories with horses that were slow, ignorant and downright dumb.  Some of these horses were created to help us learn patience, I think.

Over the years we have had many adventures on lakes, rivers and streams.  Sometimes it included some sort of rescue/  Our adventures on Moosehead Lake in Maine were always exciting, challenging and sometimes a bit scary.

Years of youth ministry will give you many stories of things that happen and can lead to visits to the local Emergency Room.  There can be some pretty scary times and some of them, while not fun, gives us some great stores and adventures.  I have often thought that if I wrote a book about my years as a youth pastor and camp director, I would entitle the book, "ER's I Have Known".

You probably know that I really like reading and hearing about hidden gold stores, especially in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.  Here is another famous one and some personal adventures as well.

Whenever you spend a lot of time in the woods or the outdoors there is a good chance of having close encounters with wild animals.  Sometimes they can be very dangerous and sometimes vastly entertaining.  But either way, there is a lot of excitement during the close encounter moment.

I've had the chance to drive in many different countries in many different vehicles.  Sometimes it can get pretty crazy and exciting as one tries to learn to maneuver a car or motorbike around in a culture that may drive a whole lot more differently than we do here in the States.

I've already talked about some of the hazards of camping.  When you are out in the woods there are many things that can happen to you.  Some of them are funny and some of them might be a bit challenging or scary.  But a bad day in the woods is still better than a day in the office.

Those of us who enjoy canoeing will often go to great lengths to find a fun, challenging and scenic place to canoe.  It is almost always worth it.  But there are times that times go wrong, the water is worse than expected or storms cause a lot of trouble.  There are times we took some trips with students and I'm sure it was only by the grace of God that we did not suffer serious injury or accident...

If you have been camping you know that everything does not go exactly as planned many times.  Some of these events are hilarious and some are disastrous,  but they both make good stories after things are over.  Whether you've had nothing but wet wood for your campfire or put your tent over a bee's nest you will appreciate these stories of the hazards of camping.

Hunting elk in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado is always a challenging hunt.  I have worked as a hunting guide with an outfitter out of Pagosa Springs and some of the hunts were fun and challenging and some of the hunters were hard and challenging.  But there was always adventure.

One of the greatest demonstrations of the power of God as Creator is seen in thunder and lightning.  It can be terrifying to be caught in a bad storm but it can also be exhilarating.  Join me as I recount some of the storms I have been in -- and survived!

Cowboy Poetry is a real thing.  Those of you in the East or other countries may not realize that it is a special kind of poetry - mostly telling a story of western life or the ranch.  My grand kids in west Texas have all written Cowboy poetry and have even competed in some regional contests and several have won.  Here are some great renditions of Cowboy Poetry - read by me but written by the grand...

One of the most exhilarating experiences in lift might be doing whitewater rafting on class 5 rapids.  Even smaller rapids can give you a fun and exciting ride.  And when you unexpectedly go overboard it can be terrifying, shocking and cold!  These are some of my whitewater stories that I think you'll like.

I've had the opportunity to travel to lots of places all over the world.  Places like Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Brazil, Guatemala and even Poland have provided some very interesting and challenging travel.  But it was all great!

Some more of Ann (my wife) and my camping adventures.  This was one of the most special trips we took and Ann found out what "saddle sore" really is!  The country between the Weminuche Valley and Silverton in Colorado is some of the most spectacular anywhere in the world.

Work and life on the ranch is not always as glamorous as you might think.  Yes, there are great moments of riding horses and things like that but there is also a lot of other hard, hard work.  But it's still a great way to grow up.

There are those who like backpacking solo but I have found it to be much more enjoyable when I have someone to share it with.  My wife, Ann, has been my backpacking partner many times and it has been one of the highlights of our married life.  Not every trip was easy but it was good.

Hidden gold stories always intrigue us.  We wonder, "Is is really there?"  "What would I do if I found it?"  People spend their whole lives looking for hidden and buried treasure and once in a while -- someone finds some of it.  I guess that's what keeps us looking. 

Most of like adventure but sometimes it takes us to crazy places in our cars and trucks.  We might follow a great "short cut" or treat our car like an off road vehicle even when it's not.  Those times of not thinking clearly lead to all sorts of adventures.  "Are you sure you want to go there in that?"

Camping in the rain, sleet and snow is always an adventure.  Sometimes it seems that I can never go on any kind of camping trip without it raining -- at least a little bit.  Sometimes it is a big gully washer.  Maybe they should hire me to go camping in west Teas so the drought will break.