07/04/2026
Rainy Day Sheep Run (that turned into everything else)
It was a rainy day and we couldnât do much around the farm, so I figured we might as well turn it into a road trip and go pick up some sheep.
A couple years ago we got sheep just to see if they could help with lawn maintenance. I fenced in the front and back of the property. We got Katahdin sheepâwhich grow a winter coat and naturally shed it in spring, so no shearing needed. Theyâre a meat and milk breed.
Theyâve been easy to manage and sell well, so I decided we should expand the herd.
With a new-to-us Tesla, a hitch, and way too much confidence, I thought this was a good time to test towing range. So off we wentâcar full of kids, snowmobile trailer hooked up with a calf hitch strapped down, and a 2.5-hour drive to go look at sheep.
To be fair, the Tesla actually did great. It calculated range perfectly and even told me exactly what % Iâd arrive with⊠and it was right.
On the way back, it suggested a quick 7-minute Supercharger stop due to the extra weight. I bumped it to 10 minutes just to be safe.
Then Porter callsâhe needs gas before work and wants me to show him how to pump it since he just got his full licence and has never done it before. So I told him Iâd meet him at the gas station down the road.
About 1 km from the station, I feel shaking from the trailer. I pull over, but canât see anything obvious. Weâre so close I decide to continue.
We pull into the station⊠with a Tesla and a trailer full of sheep.
And thenâBAMâone of the trailer tires flies off.
So now Iâve got kids in the car, sheep in the trailer, and a broken tire situation in a gas station parking lot.
I park everything and tell the kids to stay put. I go inside with Porter, already a bit frustrated, and say:
âPump 4, $30.â
Guy replies: âPump 1, $50.â
I look outside at the only vehicle at the pumps: âPump 4, $30.â
We go out⊠and of course the pump wonât reset. Back inside. Out again. Repeat a few times until someone finally comes out to fix it. I reassure Porter this is not normal and next time it will go smoother.
Now we still have sheep and a broken trailer to deal with.
I unhook everything and Victoria stays with the sheep in the pouring rain while I bring the little kids home. Then itâs back out with the small tractor, because the big one has the backhoe on it.
I crawl along at 15 km/h on the back road, then on Highway 3 with a large caged trailer in the pouring rain. 5km from house to gas station
Meanwhile, Victoria is standing in the rain guarding the sheep. A guy stops and tells her she should just leave the trailer. She refuses. He comes back twice more trying to convince her, but sheâs not budging.
At one point a friend sees me crawling down the highway on a small tractor pulling a massive caged trailer. He pulls over to ask whatâs going on, I let tell him. Without even being asked, he goes straight to the gas station to help Victoria.
I arrive and we hook the trailer up to his truck and transfer sheep one by one into another trailer. As I carry one out, it hits its nose on the doorway and gets a bloody nose. These poor sheep are probably thinking, âthis is the guy taking care of us?â
We then drag the broken trailer half a kilometre down the road to the tire shop.
He and Victoria bring the sheep home. I take the tractor back in the pouring rain for another fun 5km drive.
When I get home, we hook the sheep trailer back up and drive down to the barn to unload the sheep.
Honestly⊠what an adventure. It couldâve gone a lot worse. You just have to laugh, be grateful it all worked out in the end, and call it a win. A funny story to look back on and great memories and laughs
