DECEMBER 15, 2013.
This is another post about interesting people I’ve met along the way. As I’ve stated, one of the compelling reasons I had for taking this trip was to meet and talk to interesting Americans. I want to meet folks whose backgrounds aren’t parallel with mine. I want to learn what they think, what they believe and why. I want to hear their stories. Here’s an interesting couple I met along the way.
Dale raises a couple of Black Angus cattle each year and has marvelous steaks all year long…even in his motor-home. Read how in this post.
Dale and Dottie…hayseeds for sure but interesting Americans. As Larry the Cable Guy would say, “Forgive me Lord!”
Dale and Dottie are each 83 years old. They’ve been married forever and a day. They have a home near Seattle, Washington on 5 acres of land. They have a large motor-home and were camping in a site near ours at Page Springs. Dale and I chatted each morning while we were camping here. He and his wife love their home, but spend about 5 months on the road each year traveling in their RV. They like to “mix it up” and keep life interesting, Dale told me. Wow! I hope I’m up to that kind of lifestyle at their age. Anyhow, as is often the case when I’m talking with folks the topic eventually leads to food and my love of cooking. Turns out Dale and his bride like a good steak as much as I do. As the conversation settled into one about beef I was complaining about how expensive it is to buy a good steak. In San Diego, about the only places left to purchase good meat are at the Harvest Ranch Market in Rancho San Diego, Siesel’s Market near Mission Bay and Iowa Meat farms in the Mission Valley area. I told Dale that the last time I bought some really special steaks I recall spending over $20.00 per pound. He kind of chuckled and remarked that he was able to have that same quality for about $4.00 per pound. I thought he was nuts until he explained.
Dale’s on board freezer allows him to take his favorite cuts of beef with him on the road. I’m going to see if we can install a similar system.
Dale raises cows on his property in Washington. He buys a couple of young ones each Spring, lets them graze in about a one acre pasture he’s made on his property and then has them slaughtered on site and sent to a butcher who cuts per Dale’s order. From there the meat goes to the several freezers he has in his garage. Interestingly, he has converted one of the basement bins in his motor-home into an on-board freezer, so he can take along his product as he travels. He calculates that after expenses the cost is as mentioned. He also said that care and maintenance were a snap. The cows are just fine even in bad weather and require almost no attention while he’s fattening them up in preparation for his dinner plate. They are exclusively grass fed. He offered me a steak and I gladly accepted his offer. Wow!
Here’s the interesting part as it relates to me: “Why didn’t I think of that? If Dale can do it at 83 years of age, why can’t I do it?” We had plenty of room at our little ranch in Deerhorn Valley. The area is zoned for agriculture so there would be no restrictions. I could even have created a legitimate income tax deduction, while enjoying great beef with all the bragging rights! Oh well, next time I’ll know to raise my own cows, thanks to the story that Dale, another interesting American, shared with me.
