It all begins with snow. Lots and lots of snow.
That snow then melts way, way up there in the high, high mountains. Taylor Park Reservoir is owned and managed by the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users.
(I don’t really know these things, but Mom does, so I’m letting Mom write this for a little bit. TLC Cai-Cai)
The melted snow, which turns into water, flows all the way down to the Blue Mesa Reservoir whereby it then flows into all the canals, which water all the farms along the way from here to there.
Uncompahgre Valley Water Users has one storage dam, several diversion dams, 128 miles of canals, 438 miles of laterals, and 216 miles of drains.
Now that Mom told you that…I’ll tell you, come to Spring. The Ditch Riders open the canal so Dad and lots of other farmers can get water onto their farms and start irrigation.
That means my days of catching mice IN the canal are over.
(Ditch riders burning the trash in the ditches)
Water—this is the life-blood and the backbone of the farm
(cleaning out the trash)
(Trash heading to the bridge on a wave of water)
Lots of muscle to keep from flooding
Through the bridge!
A Big Day is the day the canal is open!
TLC Cai-Cai
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Water is what keep the farmers farming!! I am not sure the farmers in this area will get into the fields until May:(
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May is coming right up!!!
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So exciting! Canals are important! Who knew?
Love and licks,
Cupcake
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🙂 Water for the farms!!! TLC Cai-Cai
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Lots of adventures to keep up with. You are very busy!
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I am very very busy! TLC Cai-Cai
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Good heavens. Lots of work to keep canals open.
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Lots!! And LOTS!!!
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💜💜💜
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Charlee: “Wow, snow sure is important!”
Chaplin: “No wonder everyone here is always talking about the snowpack!”
Lulu: “Is that anything like the wolfpack?”
Charlee: “Not everything is about canids, Lulu.”
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Tee Hee I would be sooooo afraid of a wolfpack TLC Cai-Cai
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It will be interesting to see how full Blue Mesa gets this year…. They said the other night that your snowpack is only 101% this year. That must be why it snowed again 😺
Whatever ours was ~ it’s now all in Kansas with all this wind we’ve had 😼
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The wind has been over-the-top this Spring…sigh.
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Gosh miles of canals … supplying that precious water
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Yes, we would be a desert without it
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