Following the Mocho River up Mines Rd, south of Livermore. I’m approaching Estacion #4 – at Coyote Creek, behind me is Mt Diablo, still visible through much of the pass. During one of Murrieta’s Droves, he would have had almost a hundred and fifty head by now, driving them to the next Estacion. I’m not sure about the #’s, of the stations, this may be Latta’s ‘contribution’, but certainly these little ranchita’s in the mountains were referred to as Estaciones. Latta marks 11 of them, the 11th, at Cantua Creek, 150 miles south from where we are. Over the entire trail, la Vereda del Monte, herd stock was gathered, until it reached 300. Latta is adamant on this, interviewing several sources, indicating that these droves were organized to the nines and run professionally, with a schedule, a quota, and an organized crew. Mocho was crew chief of the station at Coyote Creek. Often living through the winter, with at most a couple of his vaqueros, he roamed these majestic mountains, gathering, trading and corralling the California breeds, still running wild in the Diablo Range.