“Brrr,” that was the first thought that crossed my mind when I woke up on that gloomy autumn day. It was get together day and the whole family was getting ready to help my crazy uncle walk his cattle five miles from their mostly dirt pasture to his house just north of Staples Minnesota. Even though some had already taken a lot of cattle to the fenced pasture, there was something that bothered me about taking rambunctious cattle right into the middle of the highway. My family consisted of me, my father Joe, my mother Heather and my little brother Jared.. My sister Hannah didn't come because she couldn't take time off from work. My father was a good horseman and cattle rancher before I was even born and his skill showed when I sat and watched him as a child. My mother had always had a horse as a child and could ride very well, the livestock part was the only rusty thing about her. My brother was scared and didn't know what he was going to do since it was his first time riding alone, and mom was worried about letting him learn while doing something difficult like hauling livestock on the highway. But Dad insisted that it was his time to learn. It was ten in the morning when we stopped at the pasture to meet up with my uncle and his family, consisting of Uncle Mike, Aunt Mary, and my cousin Matt and his girlfriend Tessa. My uncle was a childhood friend of my father and they did everything together like brothers, he was good with horses and cattle just like my father. My aunt was my mother's sister and she was also good as a horse but rusty with her cattle ways. My cousin on the other hand was very good on a horse and knew how to handle it like a professional and at the same time see and understand... middle of paper......that the house meant the end, and it was pushing him to work faster and faster until the pine gate closed on the cattle. Hearing the steel lock click into place was the moment we knew we had successfully navigated a five-mile cattle drive through the heart of Minnesota and created an incredible memory. After experiencing and observing all the events and actions that make up a cattle drive I have even greater respect for those who once did it for a living. It's a hard life to live away from family and friends, with just you and the dusty path slowly making your way to a destination. I would do it again and again to re-observe the way it all unfolded and the beautiful environment I got to see, hear, feel, smell and touch from a natural perspective. It wasn't just outside a car window, but right within reach.