Day 2: Wyoming Skies

There is something about the skies in Wyoming and Montana. Even though it's Montana that snagged the "Big Sky Country" motto, Wyoming has its own fair share of beautiful overhead views.  We woke this morning to temps in the high 50s, and a sky so brilliantly blue and cloudless that it seemed nearly unreal.

Papa Bear, Tinkerbell and "Paul" were all still asleep when the sun filtering through the burlap curtains tickled my eyelids open at 5:30 AM. Once the sun peeks, there is no further sleep for me. I wish I could, but I need a vampire lair in order to stay asleep once the blazing ball of flame makes herself known. I tiptoed out of bed, showered and dressed in jeans, t-shirt, long sleeve button down and slip on tennis shoes. I grabbed a book, my glasses and cell phone before heading to the lodge.

There were other early birds in the dining room and we all exchanged "good mornings". Tim, the head cowboy and co-owner of the Lodge, was up and had coffee (that blessed caffeinated elixir) hot and ready. I'd intended to just sip my coffee and read my book on the back porch overlooking the creek, but struck up a pleasant conversation with some of the other guests. We talked for a good forty-five minutes before Papa Bear joined us. 

We continued our conversation, interspersing it with joyful exclamations as an entire troupe of hummingbirds buzzed outside the dining room window as they jockeyed for position at the feeders. There were at least a dozen that came and went in dizzying feats of acrobatics fighting for dominance. I'd never realized how LOUD those things actually are, and was amazed at the variety of vocalizations they made. Even as we sat there admiring the hummingbirds, a juvenile moose cantered across the clearing and disappeared into the forest on the far side of the Lodge. I wasn't quick enough with my camera to get a photo, but had it close at hand in case mama moose decided to show. She didn't and I was disappointed. Maybe tomorrow.....

Tinkerbell and "Paul" joined us about 7:00 AM and we chatted amicably about what the day would hold concerning activities. The Lodge staff came and took our order for a cook to order breakfast, which came out promptly and correctly. The bacon, over-medium eggs, crispy hashbrowns and buttery toast were the perfect way to start the day. We took our time enjoying the food and planning out the day.

We still had a bit of time to kill before our 9:30 horseback ride, so I transferred outside to the porch listening to the creek ramble while reading. Papa Bear joined me and it was nice to just enjoy the quiet and peacefulness that comes with knowing there are no expectations, no agenda and no pressure to do anything other than exactly what you want to do.

The ride briefing time rolled around and we all assembled at the barn where our trusty mounts waited. Papa Bear was paired with Boulder, a true Appaloosa, and I got Foster, a large rusty red Sorrel, who appeared to be very sleepy.  The guests were allocated into two groups, ours the latter and consisting of 6 guest riders, Tim (lead cowboy) and an assistant cowboy to make sure no one got lost on the ride.  Then we were off with Tim commentating as we ambled through the Medicine Bow National Forest area. 

It was a gentle ride, letting us get used to our horses and they to us. The Lodge Dogs, Roper and Magnum, trailed along with us flushing out birds and just being good hearted companions.  We rode through aspen groves, across sagebrush flats and through fields of wild flowers in full bloom. Tim kept a running commentary and answered questions, pausing to snap photos of the group and led us on an hour and a half trip through some beautiful countryside. 

We returned to the corral at 11:00, dismounted and left our trusty steads to the capable hands of the staff. I popped into the cabin to change shoes and shed the long sleeve shirt, as the temps had risen into the mid-70s. I grabbed my laptop and headed into the Lodge to post the travel day content while waiting for lunch, which followed promptly at 12:30, and consisted of a luscious tomato soup and crispy grilled cheese on sourdough.

After the morning ride, we had about an hour to rest, relax and freshen up before lunch. The day was gorgeous and we took our soup and sandwich combo out on the back porch listening to the sounds of Barrett Creek, and trying to avoid the kamikaze hummingbirds that kept whizzing by our heads.

The great thing about these types of vacations is that you can do as much or as little as you like. After lunch, Tinkerbell and "Paul" opted for the 2:00 pm horseback ride which took them up into the National Forest and off trail with Tim.  Papa Bear opted for a nap. I worked on the blog a little and then found a comfortable chair in the sunshine next to the creek and read for a couple of hours. It was bliss. About 3:30 I popped back into the cabin to rouse Papa Bear for the 4:00 pm activities.

We and several others rode in the back of the ranch pickup over to the on-site shooting range where our friendly activity directors set up both skeet and target shooting. 12 and 20 gauge shotguns along with 22 rifles were available to shoot.  Tinkerbell, "Paul" and Papa Bear all did great with the skeet shooting. I will never be chosen to try and take down winged animals for dinner. I missed all three, but that's ok.

Tinkerbell and I opted to walk back to the Lodge and ice down the evening's cocktail selections while the guys took turns on the rifles. She and I sat on the back deck where I was again dive bombed by a hummingbird - at least it didn't poop in my drink.

Dinner (sorry no pictures - was too hungry!) was smoked salmon with pearl couscous and zucchini. It was followed by homemade cheesecake and berries. Delicious!!! Chef Debbie has made amazing food at every meal, and there is the "Bottomless Cookie Jar" that is currently filled with soft iced oatmeal cookies. Dangerous!  We had dinner out on the back deck as a group and just really enjoyed talking about our day and planning for tomorrow.

The evening was pretty sedate, and consisted of finishing up the game of Chicken Foot that we had started the first night. Tinkerbell kicked all of our butts.  They guys opted to hang out by the campfire while Tinkerbell and I soaked in the hot tub. Soooooooo good to have that hot water and jets after the day of riding. Shortly after, it was a quick shower and then to bed, where I had absolutely no trouble getting to sleep.

Day 1: Travel Buddies

Good morning everybody!  We are off on our next grand adventure, but it's not one of our normal road trips. 

We started off the morning with one of the cubs dropping us off at Intercontinental Airport Houston for our flight on Southwest Airlines direct to Denver.  Thankfully, the craziness due to the ongoing airport construction had subsided and we were able to get into the terminal quickly and painlessly. Check in and bag drop was no issue, although I was holding my breath on the larger bag that just barely squeaked by.

The plane was full, but everyone was in a good moon (thank you no mask mandate). The flight was smooth and roughly 1.5 hours. I was hoping that we'd leave the Houston heat behind, but the hundred degree weather was waiting when we deplaned. Papa Bear and I made the shuttle trip over to the rental car company and was treated to a complimentary upgrade to a larger SUV, because our Jeep Wrangler was not on the lot when we arrived.

Our travel partners were still in route from Florida, so Papa Bear and I took a trip out to a nearby Bass Pro Shop. Always a good option when you need to kill a bit of time. We didn't do too much damage, and only came out with one new shirt, one pair of shorts and a few assorted snacks.  We had just completed our little shopping spree when Tinkerbell and "Paul" texted letting us know they had landed. The timing was just about perfect and we only had to circle once.

We loaded up and headed out westward on I-70, taking the "long" and "scenic" route. I maybe didn't exactly calculate the travel time correctly, but heck we are on vacation and the scenery was beautiful. The conversation and camaraderie was soul refreshing as well.

Our scenic detour ended up being nearly 5 hours - about 2 hours longer than anticipated. I had somehow missed the route that should have taken us through Winter Park, opting instead to travel much further west on I-70 than necessary.

We drove in and out of a patchwork of rainclouds, sunshine and mist that carried us out of Denver and into the Rock Mountains, across rivers and through Routt National Forest. The terrain was as varied as the weather, and we had the opportunity to spot native animals in their natural habitat.  "Paul" was our eagle eye, spotting Pronghorn Antelope, Bison, Mule Deer and even a Moose bedded down. We passed through prime Bighorn Sheep territory, but they remained as illusive as ever.

After the five hours of driving, we finally made it into the Mountain Bow Lodge, just as twilight was kissing the horizon. Our hosts had been so gracious and kept dinner (a delicious green salad, pot roast, mashed potatoes and green beans almandine) warm for us. After filling us with the very satisfying dinner, and warm peach cobbler with ice cream, we were shown to our cabins and started settling in for the night.

I will say that the lodge and accommodations were a bit more rustic than was perhaps shown on the website. This is not a luxury lodge, but we weren't necessarily looking for the Ritz either. The cabins are simply furnished, but adequate for the time you spend in them. Our room joined Tinkerbell and "Paul's" by a connecting door, but had our own bedrooms and bathrooms. There was no air conditioning, but with the temps dropping into the low 50s, there was absolutely no need. 

We unpacked, settling our clothing, shoes and toiletries before icing down some adult beverages and heading back over to the main lodge. The rest of the guests and our hosts called it a night around 10 pm.  The four of us settled into the living area of the main lodge (open 24/7) for a spirited game of Chicken Foot. Two hours later, with only 3 rounds left to go, we called it a night knowing that we needed some rest.

We returned to the cabin, showered and wound down for sleep.  Just before retiring to bed, we opened the screen windows to allow in the lovely, naturally cooled air.   Papa Bear and I snuggled, me giggling a little at the springy sound of the bed, and then drifted off with great expectations for the next day.

00. Meeting Medicine Bow

 

Wyoming Bound

Welcome back travel-buddies! It's getting close to vacation time again and I'm so excited to share what is in store for Papa Bear and me this summer. 

As you are all well aware, fuel prices are astronomical so trips in Smokie will be limited and relatively close to home this year.  For our summer vacation, we will be travelling by air to Denver and then on to the Medicine Bow National Forest for a week long "Guest Ranch" experience. We have some fellow travelers joining us on this year's trip and I can't wait to introduce you to them.

For now, let me set the scene.

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland spans nearly 3 million acres across northern Colorado and South-Eastern Wyoming. The diverse geological, ecological and botanical make up of the MBRNF support a huge variety of animals, including impressive natives such as moose, elk, black bears, mountain lions, eagles, sporting birds of all kinds, and the highly sought after rainbow and brook trout.

Every type of outdoor activity, regardless of season, is available to the avid outdoorsman as well as the casual vacationer.  Activities can be scaled to your age, experience, preference and budget.  Some of the most popular activities are fishing, hunting, off roading, hiking, biking, camping, rock climbing, horseback riding, rafting, and scenic drives.

Getting There

Getting to MBRNF is not exactly easy, but not difficult either. There are flights into Laramie, Wyoming but we have been cautioned by locals that if the winds are particularly active flights will be cancelled.  Most will fly into Denver and then drive north about 3 hours. That is exactly what we will be doing. Luckily, Southwest offers direct and fairly inexpensive flights out of IAH to DEN. That's good for Papa Bear because he hates connecting flight itineraries. (He's also had bad experiences with DEN so we try to keep the aggravation to a minimum!)

Rental cars are available from DEN terminal, but something I discovered when reading the "fine print" is that not all of the car companies allow you to take their cars out of Colorado. BE CAREFUL and read the details. Rental car costs right now are ridiculous so we are happy that we are splitting the cost with our travelmates.

The drive from DEN to our guest ranch should be pretty straight forward and offer some interesting scenery that we've only experienced in a cursory fashion on other trips. Google provides three recommended routes to Saratoga, WY (closest town to the guest ranch). All are roughly 200 miles. The most interesting is the North-West route that takes us through the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The more direct route (but less interesting and already well traveled by us) is up I-25 to 287 through Fort Collins. (Travel note - Not sure what CO is doing with all the weed taxes they've collected but I can tell you it has not been spent on that travel corridor. TERRIBLE washboarding, pot holes and general disrepair.) We haven't decided which route yet, and we'll let the weather make the choice for us.

The Guest Ranch

We will be guests at the Medicine Bow Lodge in early July this year. Debbie and Tim Bishop are the owner operators, and, by all tales, the real deal when it comes to guest ranch experiences. Tim looks like he just stepped out of a Sacketts novel, and Debbie is apparently a renowned chef. 

I didn't just throw a dart at the map and haphazardly land on MBL.  I literally spent hours putting together a spreadsheet of guest ranches across the West - Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.  I started my search in early January and many of them were already fully booked for the season. I was looking for 1) availability for our group, 2) reputation and reviews, 3) amenities and inclusions (meals, excursions, activities, etc.), and 4) value for the dollars.  I found an entire spectrum of options - some of which were a little light on inclusions and some which were way too rich for our current pocket books.

After all of my research, investigation and analysis, we landed on MBL. Dollar for dollar, they offered more amenities, activities and "inclusions" than most others. They also had great reviews, with many of them indicating that MBL is an annual pilgrimage for their families.

The guest ranch experience centers around "ranch life" which is heavily influenced by horseback riding. Papa Bear likes horses just fine, but would not consider himself much of a rider.  Thankfully, MBL offers a lot more than just the riding experiences. Guided trout fishing, photography "safaris", hiking on Sugarloaf with a picnic lunch, target shooting, river rafting and plain ol' relaxation.

All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), snacks and beverages are included. Note that because they are in the National Forest they do not serve alcoholic beverages, but you are welcome to BYOB.  The nearby Saratoga offers a couple of pubs, one of which offers live music in the summers. In general MBL is considered a "family" ranch, with all ages welcome.

Stay Tuned

So, have I got your attention? I am so excited for this trip this year and can't wait to share it with my travelmates and with all of you. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures!