I
arrived at the ranch in early afternoon. Tired from my
journey and sore from an earlier hiking trip I was glad
Michelle wasted no time in showing me to my cozy room.
She suggested that I take advantage of the hot tub to
loosen my stiff muscles. As I entered the sauna the smell
of wood acted like aromatherapy and I immediately began
to relax.
I was the first to arrive for dinner. As I sat down two
guests joined me, Jill and Jan, a mother and daughter
from England who were visitng the ranch for a second time
having enjoyed their first visit two years earlier. As
I walked away after dinner I felt as if I were watching
a cow-boy commercial. The staff all had the wholesome
look of being comfortable around horses and things western.
The next morning after a hearty farm style breakfast we
were ready for the ride. I learned how to brush and saddle
my own horse. This was the first ride of our visit and
was geared to make us comfortable, to aquaint us with
our horses and with our cow-boy for the week. As we headed
into the woods we were asked to remain with the group.
That's when our cowboy started to explain how to handle
our horses. I couldn't wait to learn all the basics so
that I could join in on the faster rides later on during
the week.
