He made a living driving a long-haul 18 a Wheeler, following White Lines and curvy turns and seeing countless sunrises and sunsets on the road ….. all alone
Making a living and raising a family on the road
All the while his mind took him back to his childhood on that section of land called The Twin Springs Ranch.
Back when living in a log cabin home was still a thing.
A Central Heating furnace was just a black wood stove with a thirst for burning Ponderosa Pine and White Aspen kindling when you were in a bind.
His family home set so high up in the Zuni Mountain pine
That Twin Springs Ranch with its section of land made wildlife appear when you would think there was none to be found
At the top of the ridge was a clear mountain pond.
Yeah that pond was sure worth the climb for any worthy hunter
Turkeys and Bears, wild cats and Monster Mule Deer Bucks
Rocky Mountain Elk …that would migrate through like ghosts in the Aspen groves
Yes summer or fall his ranch was a playground for all, even though he was on the highway trying to to pay for it all.
As time moved on and his children got older his cabins got aged with the wind and the dusty Zuni Mountain Clay.
Elk would bugle when close to the rut making hunters wanting to walk on to the Twin Springs Ranch and take advantage of it all.
Joe was a common and considerate Steward of the land.
Yes for those he called friends you could hunt on his land
Don’t try to be fake when you visit at his table, he knows why you’re here during hunting season
He had years on that lonely old highway with only one way conversations off the radio dial
so remember hunting here means a genuine conversation at his table.
Yes he always knew where he was coming and where he was going and this is his saying
I may not always be there at the Twin Springs ranch but if you have a key to my gate… you better look for me when you see me coming.
yeah, Joe Coddington… steward of his land, knowing life eternal on that mountain only really exists in the sand.