We meet the most amazing people all summer long. I can’t say there’s one group over another. Impressive. I just happened to steal the photos from this wonderful family from Oklahoma!!

I decided it was time to get over my writers block. Besides, I’m here with the horses and it’s blowing like crazy outside, snowing, and the temperature is in the 20’s. So it’s time to start thinking about warmer weather and all the fun we have at the ranch. This is a photo story of one family’s journey here at the ranch.

First things first. Monday mornings the wranglers get up around 4:30 a.m. It’s true. They head out up the mountain and find the horses on our 2000 acre grazing pasture above the ranch. They wrangle them down the mountain and into the corrals to get ready for work. Hey, even the horses have a “Monday”.

They ride all day and search for wildlife. It could be moose, bear, deer, and in this case, elk. This bull is in velvet. It’s a protective coating enriched with nutrients to help his “rack” grow. By September, when the elk go into “rut” (their mating season), he’ll shed this coating and the antlers will be smooth and shiny.

The rides are endless and into some of the most spectacular country you will ever see. However, if you’re so inclined, you can also take a day off and head into Yellowstone National Park and enjoy the sights there as well. We’re only 3 miles from the N.W. boundary of the Park and a lot of our rides will take you there. This picture is Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon.

But there’s a whole lot more to do, include fly fishing, white water rafting, hiking, biking, and just plain nothin’!

The end of the week we have a great cookout on Friday night, with roping and music and all kinds of great food. Then it’s more riding on Saturday. Only to end the day with our “infamous” wrangle, where the horses head back up the mountain to graze on fresh green grass and play “horse”. This particular shot is one of Boone running the horses across the water to head up the mountain. When the journey is done, the wranglers come home and rest on Sunday. Just to get ready for their next adventure on Monday morning!