I had been on this job for about ten days and it was a bitch. I had a new night hand, which I had to train from scratch or just about anyway. That means that I couldn't leave location for any length of time. A quick trip into town for supplies, food, and cigarettes was about it. I was bored and chomping at the bit to get out and do something different.
About eight a.m. the Driller called and said they were going to make a trip up into casing and while they were there, they had some work to do on the draw works. Damn, just what I needed, some time off. What they had to do would take most of the day. Not enough time for me to go off and do something but enough time for me to get out and wander around for a bit.
We were drilling this well in the middle of a large game ranch in southwest Texas. There was a large house and a couple of permanent house trailers near the front gate, but nothing else that I had seen out in this part of the ranch. I figured I could take a long walk, get some sun, and exercise. Maybe that would relieve my cabin fever.
When they started to trip the pipe out of the hole, I changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. My old hiking shoes were worn and well broken in, comfortable. I packed a water bottle, my digital camera, and several large red rags in a small fanny pack. Once I had that strapped on around my waist, I was ready to go.
The rig was set up on a long ridgeline; extending out between two, scrub oak filled creek bottoms. I followed the main road back toward the front gate for about two hundred yards, before turning into a small narrow track running down into one of the bottoms.
Even this early, the sun was hot, but it cooled down to a tolerable level as I entered the shade of the trees. It felt really good to be outside as I slowly eased my way along the sand track. The sand made walking quiet and easy.
I was in no hurry, I had seen several large deer on my few trips in and out of the ranch, and I hoped to get a picture or two. I saw deer tracks everywhere as I moved along the road. A couple of miles farther along, I came to a "Y" in the road and stood trying to decide which way to go.
The road to the right went on out across the bottom and opened out, with scattered trees. The rig noise was still fairly loud even at this distance, so I choose the left and was soon climbing up to the top of the next ridge.
By the time I reached the top, I had worked up a good sweat. So, I pulled off the t-shirt and stuck it in the fanny pack, pulling out one of the rags to wipe the sweat off my face. I stuck it into my back pocket, moved on over the open space at the top of the ridge, and planned to go down into the next bottom. As I crossed the sand track along the ridge top, I noticed fresh tire tracks and decide to follow them.
As the ridge tapered out and started to drop off into the bottomland, I again had the choice of two roads. Since the tire tracks went to the right, so did I. The tire tracks were narrow, which suggested a jeep or a small SUV of some kind. All of the vehicles I had seen here on the ranch were either four wheel drive trucks or one-ton dualies. The tracks were way too small to be either one of those type trucks. With a shrug, I set off along the narrow steep road.
When I reached the bottom of the hill, I paused and took a small sip of water. As I stood there, a movement among the trees on the right side of the road caught my eye. I froze as the movement resolved itself into the shape of a deer, and then two deer, and then three deer. They were too far away to get a decent picture with my camera, so I just stood and watched them as they fed on the honeysuckle vines.
They were slowly moving to my left and toward the road. I wondered if I could ease on down the road and get into a position to get a picture when they crossed. Maybe and maybe not, the wind was blowing towards me, which was in my favor but the trees were thin and the brush low.
I was surprised they hadn't seen me coming down the hill and took off. That's when I realized that they had been behind a stand of thick cedar and had only come into view since I had stopped to drink. Could I use the cedars as a screen to get closer to them? There was nothing like trying.
I slowly and carefully eased to my right until they were once again behind the thick cedar trees. As soon as they were out of sight, I moved as quickly and quietly as I could to the edge of the cedars and slipped in among them. I meant to go straight through so I would be as close as possible to the deer, but the trees had other ideas. They were just too thick in front of me and to my left, so I had to detour to the right.
I wove my way through the cedars, but realized I was getting farther away from where I wanted to be with each step. Well, maybe there would be a way to slip back, once I got to the other side. The problem was that I just wasn't making any progress toward the far side, just down the middle, away from the deer.
The trees started to thin out so I could once again go the way I wanted. I walked several hundred yards trying to circle back to my left. When I got to a point where I could see the edge of the cedar thicket, I stopped for another drink of water. There was no wind in these thick trees and it was hot.
I moved forward again until I reached the edge of the cedars and stopped to get my bearings. I took a couple of slow cautious steps forward and once again paused, scanning the wood to my left for a sign of the deer. After a moment, I was rewarded with a slight movement, which turned into the deer.
The only problem was that they were twice as far away as before and there was no cover between them and me. Well, so much for bright ideas. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I looked around at the beautiful woodland scene before me. Although the oak trees were far smaller than what I was used to in my neck of the wood, they were still beautiful.
There appeared to be an open area a few hundred yards through the trees straight in front of me. I wondered if the road curved around and that was it. There was only one way to find out, I decided and slowly moved off in that direction. I wasn't worried about getting lost, as I have a good sense of direction and the road I had been on, was only a short ways back to my left.
When I reached the edge of the woods, there was a road there and an open sandy area leading down to a wide shallow creek. Water is a magnet to me, so I headed toward it. I glanced at the road as I crossed it and noted that there were not any tire tracks.
Maybe they had taken another road. I figured I would follow the creek back to the left and see if the jeep or whatever had crossed it. The worst thing that could happen would be to find a swimming hole, I thought to myself with a chuckle.
A fringe of willows along the creek bank gave some relief from the sun with their shade. They are also the reason I did not see the little yellow jeep or it's occupant until I was up close and personal.
The creek was making a turn to my left and I was looking at the rock dam someone had built across its width, as I slowly made my way along. A female voice yelling, "Hey" snapped my head around to the left, to find a women lying on a blanket.
It was two blinks before the fact that she was nude registered on my brain and another couple of blinks for my brain to shift gears enough for me to turn around. I said, "Sorry." As I beat a hasty retreat back behind the willows.
Visual snapshots of her beautiful brown body were flicking across my minds eye. Shots showing her rolling over off her stomach and sitting up. She was one good-looking lady, I can tell you that much.
I had intended to go back the way I had come and cross back through the woods to get out of her area. I had made about a dozen steps when I heard her ask, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"
I started to ignore the question and hurry on my way, but I decided it might be better to explain myself and my presence here. I did not want to start any problems with the landowners.
"I work for the oil company that's drilling the well over on the next ridge line. I had some time off and decided to take a hike. I didn't know there was anyone around this area. I apologies for scaring you like I did."
"You didn't scare me, startle, yes, but not scare," she said, as much to convince herself, as to convince me.
"Again, I'm sorry and it won't happen again," I said as I started to walk away.
I made another couple of steps when I heard her ask, "Where are you going?"