Bio: Frank Galey’s Grandson and Junior Wrangler, circa, 1970’s. Descriptor: A Teenager’s ‘firsts’ and lessons learned during two and half summers at the ranch.
David’s Story: I worked at the ranch as a “junior wrangler.” We teens lived in a old army mess tent with a pot belly stove, ridiculously uneven floors as the plywood sheets had warped between the logs that was the foundation. The beds were in similar condition as the mattress became a cocoon as it saved in the frame. The families had paid for them to work some 72 hours a week+ room and board. I was special and didn’t have to pay nor did I make anything. One year “grand dad”, Frank gave me a very fun two-toned moose hid jacket with fringe. Teenagers firsts happened on the ranch and in so many ways from drinking to sex, late night mischief including and not limited to bareback horse rides, taking Curley’s golf cart on wild rides and having to push it back to the shed, brownie powered skinny dipping at Kelly hot spring, drunkin chats with Bullwinkle as we seabed our way back to the tent with hours to our 4:30 wake up to ride off and get horses before breakfast. Curly the head wrangler at the time hated me so I ended up with the most laborious, smelly, or otherwise unpleasant tasks, though I did guide some fishing trips, and joined in many horse rides with kids, a few back pack trips into Yellowstone. I learned many things from building a round corral to maintaining the old trucks, braid rope, through knife and axe, how to wrangle a horse to a stop when the saddle spins to the belly and your holding on by an ear and your legs at full speed and chasing the found horses of the morning to the barn or how to get yourself out of the trouble you had gotten yourself into, and prevent them.