Nobody puts Butch Cassidy in a corner....

So it’s the end of my first day and I already feel like I have so much to talk about that it would never fit into a blog….. this is why I always stop writing. BUT, I will persevere! I’m just going to be short and sweet, and don’t expect anything eloquent, because it’s enough of a miracle that I’m going to try to keep writing.

Today I woke up at 6:15am to help wrangle the horses down from the bench…. or really, keep them from running back out of the corral once they got down. Then came breakfast… where I had THE BEST BACON OF ALL TIME EVER. EVER. I might have dreams about that bacon….

Then we went out to tack the horses for the morning ride. It is like a whole different world. I know in general how to tack western, but all their different pads,and combinations of pads for each horse is confusing (not to mention there are over 60 saddles… and I don’t even know any of the horses yet). They have a system in place that I’m sure will have us run like a well oiled machine once we are all used to it.

The morning ride was fantastic! It was all 5 of the guests, and I was in the back with another wrangler leading (essentially the new wranglers will be tagging along on rides to learn the trails, etc). I rode a stocky little sorrel mustang named Snoopy—he has the BLM tattoo and everything. He is new to the ranch, so he isn’t a guest horse yet.. and probably for good reason. He is clearly a really nice horse, but hadn’t been ridden all winter, and isn’t used to the whole “ranch horse” thing yet. But other than a few minor freakouts in the arena, and a little meltdown on the trail… he was awesome! I really liked him. It’s clear that with more time here and more miles on the trails, he’ll be an angel. Except… he isn’t all the surefooted. In fact, he’s probably the clumsiest mustang ever… but in time I think that could improve too.

The afternoon ride was cancelled because of bad weather (apparently its only the first weeks in late May and early June that its really rainy and gross). We tacked all the afternoon horses up just in time to see some ominous looking clouds rolling in over the Absarokas. Sure enough, down came the rain and hail. Once it cleared, the Absarokas were covered in a fresh layer of snow… and we were stuck with mud, mud, and more mud.

We had a wrangler meeting (where expectations and procedures were all clearly explained), and did chores around the barn and corral for the rest of the afternoon.

Now I’m sitting in the staff kitchen with all of us typing away on computers (main lodge is the only place where the internet works). This place is seriously the cutest/most beautiful place imaginable. It’s just a down home ranch… and it’s adorable. My cabin is rustic and adorable, the scenery is beautiful, the staff kitchen and all that goes on in it could be in a novel (or reality TV show... in a good way). Its just such a ranchy ranch… it’s perfect.

There is so much more I could type… about what we’ll have to do when we move the cattle into the Shoshone National Forest… long days in the saddle, herding 200 head of cattle, watching for wolves… I am seriously living in a movie. A combination of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Dirty Dancing… (one of Butch Cassidy’s hideouts is actually on ranch property… but we don’t have an end of the summer talent show where nobody will put Baby in a corner).

Aaaaaand it’s time for dinner (sure to be delicious and FRESH). Love you all!