JJJ - Gymkana

Gymkahna Day! This is a day when the kids get to "paint" (literally) their horses and then there are games played in the corral. We did not end up with any rainbow horses or pink horses...rather tame outcome all things considered.

The group is broken into a couple of teams and there was come competition to see how well you controlled your horse after a week of riding - making him walk instead of run, some barrel-weave obstacles, etc. Great time. It was also a good time for me to take a break from the saddle pains (READ: Sores) I had - by now I am quite sure I could do a full split with a gymnastics team. There were no sores, really, but I was certainly sore - like riding a bike after years away. That seat just unnaturally touches you in ways and places that make you uncomfortable....not exactly dinner table talk type of uncomfortable either.

The last game of the Gymkahna games was a scavenger hunt on horseback. into the woods to locate different colored bandanas - a capture the flag type game. Whatever team located their 10 colored bandanas in the branches first, won.

JJJ - Horseback Riding

July 31, 2008: Guess what we did today.....No, really, guess....Correct! We rode horses. There is always a lot to see. We took a ride into the high country as a family. A fair bit of trail breaking on the way down. The wrangler lost the trail in the open field up high. Quite frankly, it is impossible to get lost because the valley is so narrow and the sides so high. The trail was visible below us and we just wove our way down. The horse is in "self-preservation" mode on any rocky or hilly terrain so you just hold on and there is no worry about getting where you are going. There were several small children (including our own) on the trip without incident. It was a great ride and a welcome change from some of the 'nose to tail' riding we did before.

When we returned, dug into one of the beers I brought - it is BYOB at the ranch. Don't forget that! There are no stores nearby.

The rockies appear to be waves on the ocean in some of our photos. Very peaceful here.

JJJ - High Country & Sing Along

July 30, 2008: More riding. While there is undeniable "pain in the a$$", by the third day, you have largely adapted. The Barkers trailered the horses to an area where we could ride into some high plains with views forever. If you were comfortable, they let you do some cantering & galloping in the open fields. We went to a high plateau at about 6,000 feet where we saw some sea shell fossils in the ground - fascinating. We were allowed some time to get off the horses and just relax and enjoy the views, but only for 15 or 20 minutes. You look around and want an hour or two, and a couple of beers.

On the way down, we stopped in a field of wildflowers for photos. In the evening, we were entertained by some of the wranglers without any shyness issues on their guitars and their singing. That was great. These were interspersed with stories from the family of the history of the ranch provided great entertainment and some stress-free downtime.

While you are there, forget about the cell phone and email. You are in a valley and it just does not work. They do have a wireless web connection, but it is for the ranch and they strongly discouraged us checking into work. At the end of the week, we were thankful for the separation and down time of a real vacation.

JJJ - All day ride & Picnic

July 30, 2008: The thousands of acres at the ranch that are accessible are very varied. Today we took a long family ride with a couple of the wranglers. We lunched by a stream in the high country. We spent a lot of time in open fields and wooded areas. There is plenty of variety for everyone. It would be easy to get used to this lifestyle. I suspect the winters are cold, long, and lonely.....

JJJ - Ride to Gibson Resevoir

July 29, 2008: The mornings are very cool here - even in late July. A sweatshirt is usually enough, but a couple of nights we did light the wood stove to warm the cabin. Afternoons are usually high 70s / low 80s. We had no rain - spectacular weather. No bugs. The wildflowers are in bloom EVERYWHERE. Wide open fields of color.

The ability to relax is everywhere - but rarely taken. Too many things to do / places to go. Never turn down a ride to a new area. I did turn down a chance to hike to the top of the range surrounding the valley.

Nights are cool, but more importantly, DARK! There is absolutely NO light polution. It was the first time I got to see the Milky Way in years! I would go out on the porch around midnight. Without a light, you got that feeling of being somewhere on the bottom of the food chain. I rarely lasted outside on the porch in the dark for long. Standing in this shade of dark, I quickly felt like the hunted, not the hunter. I retreated quickly to my cave....

We took a couple of rides today - one before lunch, then one after. Our morning ride was to the Gibson Resevoir. You pass the dam on the way to the Ranch.

We took a ride to the high country in the afternoon. You can see for miles over the Rockies. The views are spectacular. The ranch hands ("Wranglers") are incredibly helpful and know the area very well. They pace the ride to everyone's abilities and interests.

JJJ - Riding to the top of the Valley

July 28, 2008: Day 2. My couple hours on a horse yesterday placed an undue level of pain on my a$$. I was really worried about what a full day would do to me. Our hosts, the Barkers, split the group into kids and adults for different rides. Even the adults were split based on interest levels. They did a great job trying to accommodate everyone's interest and riding level. Thank goodness they separated us from the whack-job that insisted on bringing her own saddle and exagerated her abilities beyond reason. It was difficult to listen to.

It is hard to describe the beauty in western Montana. Even a wide angle photo is hard pressed to capture the "Big Sky" and wide open country. We really enjoyed this trip.

Travel from Glacier NP to JJJ Wilderness Ranch

July 27, 2008: We had breakfast at the Park Cafe - excellent food, but it is hard to justify hte wait. The pie is good any time of day. After breakfast, we drove the roughly 3 hours to Great Falls, MT where we were to meet up with the Triple J Wilderness Ranch folks. Along the way, we spied a lot of horses both on and off the road.

The anticipation of the horses kept the "are we there yet" to a minimum. Good for all!

The ranch is about a 2 hour drive from Great Falls. We were picked up by Max, who (with his wife Ann) first named the ranch in the mid-seventies. His son Ernie (and Ernie's wife Kim) run the ranch now. We did the one week vacation at the ranch in our own log cabin on the site. They also offer week-long back country trips that seem a long way from roughing it.

You can't help but be in awe of the wide open land, the views, the wildlife. What a way of life!