I was supposed to be a boy in my family. I came from a mother who was Polish, and her family had 18 children in it. That’s not a misprint. My father was second generation Italian. He really wanted a boy. First child was a girl. Having high hopes for their second child, unfortunately I turned out to be female and was dubbed with a middle name of Victoria. My fathers name was Victor. Do we get the picture? Last child was another girl, but since he was so disappointed with two girls already, it was no big deal. I was supposed to be a boy. I was my father’s son.
I was supposed to have children, and I couldn’t. Which is probably why I have so many animals. All the kids I couldn’t have. So what this meant for this strong Italian father was that it was the end of the Naccarto name. Forever. So, since I was supposed to be a boy, I decided, on my own, that I would retain the family name and carry it on forever. Except I couldn’t have children. It was the end of the Naccarto name.
I was supposed to be on vacation. We left last Tuesday, for two weeks in Belize. Warm sun. R&R before we head back and start our annual trek to open the ranch this summer. Except the minute I walked into the condo, I received a call from my sister to tell me my Dad just passed away. I left the following day to attend to family business and my father’s funeral.
Why do I write all this? Probably just a very reflective mood about my life. Just wanted to let you all know that I didn’t forget all of you and there was a good reason why I wasn’t writing on the blog. This experience reminds me of the ranch. There are trails that you take that lead you to one final destination, and others that can take you all around the country. You never know where the trail is going to take you, and you rely on your guide to lead you through it. Isn’t that a lot like life? Have you ever thought about that? It is also said that if you fall off the horse you have to immediately get back on, and keep on going. Just to let you know that I’m back in the saddle and ready to ride again. Thanks for listening,
debi
I found this neat blog the other day and it gave a blog on the history of the sheepwagon. For those of you who were at the ranch this past summer, you saw two of these wagons on the ranch. We added them for crew quarters. The one pictured here is historic and restored by Anvil Ironworks in Livingston (aka Astrid’s Wagon) and the other is a replica. If you want to learn how these wagons were created, it’s a fascinating story this woman put together. She writes about the romance of the West. Pretty cool!
debi
And speaking of Saint’s, meet our new horse “Saint”, that we just purchased today from the Bozeman Winter Fest. He’s a Registered Paint, named Yellowstone Saint, and is a 9 year old Chestnut Overo Gelding. Here’s what they said about him: Saint is good looking a nice ride! He’s logged many miles on the trail and has been used as a pony horse for young colts. Super nice soft lope and trot that you can ride all day. Stands 15.3 hands with correct conformation and nice, big feet. Really carries himself well in the arena also. Loves people and is loaded with personality.”
JT and I watched him ride in the arena and he did really well. His transition from a lope to a walk was very gentle. He was the kind of horse that people came up to and just pet him in the stall. We’re very excited to welcome him to the Covered Wagon Ranch!
Now that’s a cowboy, right there!! Alan visited the ranch this fall and has become a very special friend to me. It’s funny how those relationships develop at the ranch, isn’t it? He fell in love when he was at the Covered Wagon, and this is a picture of the love of his life!
I ran into some very hard times over Christmas when I thought my dad was going to pass away. For some unknown Divine Intervention, Alan and I started emailing each other. It turns out that he was in a very similar situation as myself at one point in his life, and he offered some incredible words of advice. It was through his guidance that helped me move through this crisis, and by the way, Dad is doing fine now.
Alan shared how much he enjoyed the ranch, but also how much he loved our horses and the rides. You guessed it – Oprah was his trusty steed!
Now for the Special Request. In my next blog, Alan wants me to explain all the different locations I talk about: the CWR, Raspberry Butte Ranch and Love Lane. Til next time, Alan, and thank you for being such a great friend! I just wanted to make sure I gave you credit for the next idea for the blog!
Jeremy and Darlene had taken our 3 fillies (Lilly, Sis and Roxie) up to Raspberry Butte to start their training. Lilly and Sis are both “coming 3 year olds” and Roxie is 2, so it’s time to go to school. They had them in a corral made with electric fence, but the “3 Musketeers” figured they needed to get out and explore their surroundings. When the Young family woke up, here is what they found!
I guess Lilly was thinking it was better to get inside the house instead of outside! Or was she just “taking time to smell the roses??” We’ll have more on their schooling in a few days. It was very exciting and they were all such great students (of course, they had an incredible teacher!!!)
Now I bet you are wondering why I have a picture of a llama on our site! Well, let me introduce Cooper, a packing llama for Yellowstone Safari Company. This group takes people into Yellowstone and pack in supplies with their llamas. This past summer we got an emergency call from the group, stating that Cooper was badly injured in the back country and they needed help in getting him out. He had broken a leg, which is not a very good situation. So, we grabbed a couple of wranglers and a few good horses and headed into the Park to find Cooper. This was how we got their vet to the scene of the crime. They wound up splinting the Cooper and helped him limp out of the Park and into the trailer to the vets.
Well, it took two surgeries, lots of care, and I’m sure a lot of vet bills, but we just got word from Yellowstone Safari that Cooper is Back!! Now that’s a happy ending and another exciting adventure at the Covered Wagon Ranch!!
Well, my apologies for being so late on the blog. JT and I have been traveling since January 18th. We hooked up “Homer the Hauler” to our fifth wheel and hit the road, ultimately reaching Tucson and attending the Dude Rancher’s Association Convention. Before we got to Tucson, we stopped off to see the Grand Canyon (quite spectacular), the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and down through Pinetop up and down a quite spectacular canyon that turned out to be a nail biter for me (but we all know what a scaredy cat I am!).
We got to Tucson this past Tuesday, and pulled into this RV Park that JT picked out because it was close to the Tanque Verde Ranch where the convention was held. Well, thank you Jerry, as the RV Park was for Seniors Only, which they define as 55 and older. I told him I was the baby here!! Is this what I have to look forward to??? We are traveling with the infamous “Francois Pierre”, my 13 year old Jack Russell and JT’s least favorite friend!
The Convention was awesome, as well as the ranch. Although, I must admit, I’m not too interested in riding in the desert and worrying if I fall off my horse that I would get stuck on a cactus! These big tall cactii called Saguaro’s are amazing. They don’t start flowering until they are 50 years old, and don’t branch out until they are 75!! Now they would qualify to stay in that RV Park, wouldn’t they?
We learned so much at this meeting. We both took the Wrangler Certification and Horse Safety Course, and have so much to tell Jeremy and Darlene when we return! They will love this information. Lots of fun vendors, and some fun new ideas we’ll bring back to the ranch this summer. Also, JT was elected as a Board Member for the Montana District for the DRA, and that was very exciting.
We’re currently in Wickenburg, Arizona, as the meeting ended today, and on our way to Vegas. Look out slot machines! We plan to be back in Bozeman on Thursday night, so more later. Any bets???
Well, it was quite the day at the ranch! Jeremy, Darlene, Brayden and Chase decided to make a visit and check things out and were surprised by two trespassers at the ranch. When they first pulled up, this big old bull was hanging out by the playhouse just to the left of the lodge! They watched him from the steps of the lodge and thought they were done, when all of a sudden a second moose appeared at the ranch! Both of these characters didn’t seem too frightened to see the Young family, so they just stayed there and decided to bed down right around Cabin 10. (the moose, that is!) Considering the snow was up to their knees, the Young family decided to stay close and do what they needed to do then leave the ranch! The moose (or do you say meese???!!) just stayed and watched them. Pretty funny! That’s all for now,
I’m not thinking they’re having as much fun as we are on New Year’s Day. Yikes! Look at the snow on their back and how well they insulate themselves. As long as these horses have access to water, forage, minerals and cover (which they have all of the above), then they are better off being outside grazing as opposed to inside a barn. They are choosing to hang out and graze, instead of running down in the coulee away from the weather. Amazing, isn’t it?
Well, another year is about to embark upon us, and we’re really looking forward to it. We wish you happiness, love and success in the year to come. “Things will be fine in 2009″
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Raspberry Butte, that is, the snow and the wind is giving Jeremy and Darlene and the little ones much havoc. Although the snow isn’t deep, the wind blows up to 50 mph and keeps drifting them in! Meanwhile, the horses are smart enough to know to keep themselves huddled up in the coulee’s where the wind won’t get them. (see their tracks in the snow?) The Young family don’t have that option. Not to get them down, they take advantage of the snow and have found ways to have fun! That’s one way to shovel the driveway!!
Be careful tonight and please don’t drink and drive. More importantly, watch out for everyone else on the road. If you can stay home, that would be safest. Until next year………….
Holy Bethlehem! I forgot to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! It’s not too late. It’s 3:30 pm MT and I’m getting ready to cook dinner for JT and his boys. Alaskan King Crab, Red Potatoes, and Fresh Green Beans. And don’t forget the home made biscuits. Wanna come?
We have a White Christmas! It snowed most of the week and we have about a foot of snow on the ground. The horses were “horsen’ around” the other day That’s Rebel and Alfie goofing off in the snow. They feel their oats when the wind blows and it snows, and run all around the pasture. Then JT fed them the other day with the large round bales. Oprah just couldn’t get enough! (see above. I couldn’t get the picture just right)I think I’ll end for now. I thought I was going to be a lot more creative, but my computer skills are limited. Happy Holidays everyone,
Happy Thanksgiving to our Ranch Family and Friends!
We hope this holiday season is a great one for all of you. The horses are happy to be home to winter pasture and are resting comfortably.
The Covered Wagon Ranch is proud to announce that we have been officially accepted to the National Dude Rancher’s Association www.duderanch.org . This was not an easy task!
First, we had to submit a lengthy application detailing all that we do and what we provide. After that binder was accepted, J.T. and I had to attend the National Dude Rancher’s Convention in Cody, WY last February, and present to their Board of Directors. After our presentation, we were then asked a series of questions about our ranch and operation. We then passed that test, and awaited a site visit this past summer from the Association, and we passed with flying colors. Still not official, we had to wait for the Board of Directors Meeting in October, where they voted us in. We are very proud to be a member of this outstanding organization.
Here is an excerpt from their home page:
Imagine yourself taking the best vacation of your life at a dude ranch. The cool, fresh mountain air, the open spaces, the feel of a steady horse beneath you as you top the next rise… the flash of color from the dark pool as the monster trout rises to your offering…luxuriating in the warmth of the setting sun as you wait for the dinner bell’s call … shared time with family and friends.We now have over 100 members in The Dude Ranchers’ Association, which was formed in 1926 to preserve this special way of life and the wonderful environment in which it takes place. Membership in the Association is not automatic. Dude ranches applying for membership go through a rigorous two year inspection and approval process. When you vacation at a Dude Ranchers’ Association Dude Ranch, you can be sure of a quality vacation.
You will now notice that we have proudly placed their link on our home page. Jerry and I are off to Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, Arizona this winter for their National Convention. Here we get an opportunity to network with all dude ranches in the Western United States and learn all kinds of wonderful ideas on dude ranching! We can’t wait for this trip!
That’s all for now, and again, wishing you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving,
Debi and J.T.
Just a quick note to let you know that our blog will be back up and running this season. Sorry for the delay. We had a great season this year and had the pleasure to hear stories from around the world, including Thailand, Italy, Belgium, France, Ireland, Germany, and of course, the U.K.
Half of our horses are already on vacation up on Raspberry Butte. Sarah was just up there today and said they healthy, fat and sassy! The other half are still working for Kurt and Rebecca in hunting camp and will join their family on November 16th. We’re looking forward to giving all of them a well needed rest, as they worked very hard this year.
Lots of new things on the horizon this year. We’ll keep you posted. Thanks to all of you for staying with us and making this the best season ever,
When you are a guest for the first time here at the Covered Wagon Ranch, we do our best to treat you like royalty.
After that, you are no longer a guest but a friend. And friends help each other out. So we put you to work and you’re lucky if you get so much as a door opened for you.
For example, early this year, we needed some flowers planted. So we put Judith, a long time friend of the Covered Wagon, right on it.
She and her husband, Ken, did a wonderful job, and the flowers still look amazing. I took these pictures just half an hour ago.
They are on the porch of the lodge, on the patio and on the porches of all the cabins. They are gorgeous.
Covered Wagon Ranch lunches are laid back. Actually, I think that makes it sound like more work than it is.
We all get off our horses, and let them go graze.
Some of us eat our lunch, some of us take pictures. But most of us take a nap.
Or we sleep.
And while we are sleeping, the horses are grazing.
Now, I know that I haven’t put a video up here before, but all you should need to do is press play. Let me know if it doesn’t work. I might try and do something about it.
This blew up from nothing to five thousand acres in one day! Luckily, it was over a mountain range and far away. But still close enough to choke us almost to death for a couple of days.
And this, is a high alpine lake, which looks turquoise from above, that we found up in the mountains. It was deep and cold.
Those of you who have stayed with us know that Saturday evening, we run all the horses up to the top of the mountain.
We trot through the gorge, then thunder round the corner, splash across the river, and up the hill.
Here are some images from last week, courtesy of Jennifer Devore.
The Covered Wagon Ranch is a Montana Dude Ranch, nestled in the heart of the Gallatin National Forest, just three miles north of Yellowstone National Park.
We have fun here at the Covered Wagon Ranch. That is what we are all about. What is the point in a vacation if it’s not going to be fun? We don’t mind saying it ourselves. We are very cool. And our guests are cool dudes. If there were a Montana Cool Dude Ranchers Association, we’d be presidents.
Here at the Covered Wagon Ranch, you can experience Montana with a perfect western dude ranch vacation. If you like horses, then our rocky mountain horseback riding is probably just what you are looking for. We ride in the Gallatin National Forest, the Lee Metcalf Wilderness and Yellowstone National Park, with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world as our backdrop.
If you love to fish, world class fishing holes are just a (long) stones throw away. Stunning photograph opportunities are around every corner, every minute of the day.
Or if you just want to sit on your porch and read, take long walks, naps and practice some yoga, that’s fine too.
There is only one requirement if you want to come and stay with us. You have to be a cool dude.
I found this neat blog the other day and it gave a blog on the history of the sheepwagon. For those of you who were at the ranch this past summer, you saw two of these wagons on the ranch. We added them for crew quarters. The one pictured here is historic and restored by Anvil Ironworks in Livingston (aka Astrid’s Wagon) and the other is a replica. If you want to learn how these wagons were created, it’s a fascinating story this woman put together. She writes about the romance of the West. Pretty cool!
And speaking of Saint’s, meet our new horse “Saint”, that we just purchased today from the Bozeman Winter Fest. He’s a Registered Paint, named Yellowstone Saint, and is a 9 year old Chestnut Overo Gelding. Here’s what they said about him: Saint is good looking a nice ride! He’s logged many miles on the trail and has been used as a pony horse for young colts. Super nice soft lope and trot that you can ride all day. Stands 15.3 hands with correct conformation and nice, big feet. Really carries himself well in the arena also. Loves people and is loaded with personality.”
Now that’s a cowboy, right there!! Alan visited the ranch this fall and has become a very special friend to me. It’s funny how those relationships develop at the ranch, isn’t it? He fell in love when he was at the Covered Wagon, and this is a picture of the love of his life!
We are traveling with the infamous “Francois Pierre”, my 13 year old Jack Russell and JT’s least favorite friend!
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